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Before the Hurricane Season
  • Determine safe evacuation routes inland.
  • Learn location of official shelters.
  • Make emergency plans for pets.
  • Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators and battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards and cell phones.
  • Buy food that will keep and store drinking water.
  • Buy plywood or other material to protect your home.
  • Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
  • Trim trees and shrubbery.
  • Review your insurance policy.

During the Storm
When in a Watch area...
  • Listen frequently to radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards for bulletins of a storm’s progress.
  • Fuel and service your vehicles.
  • Inspect and secure mobile home tie-downs.
  • Board up windows in case the storm moves quickly and you have to evacuate.
  • Stock up on batteries, food that will keep, first aid supplies, drinking water and medications.
  • Store lawn furniture and other loose, light-weight objects, such as garbage cans and garden tools.
  • Have cash on hand in case power goes out and ATMs don’t work.

When in a Warning area...
  • Closely monitor radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards for official bulletins.
  • Close storm shutters.
  • Follow instructions issued by local officials. Leave immediately if ordered!
  • If evacuating, leave as soon as possible. Stay with friends or relatives, at a low-rise inland motel or at a designated public shelter outside the flood zone.
  • DO NOT stay in a mobile or manufactured home.
  • Notify neighbors and a family member outside of the warned area of your evacuation plans.
  • Take pets with you if possible, but remember, most public shelters do not allow pets other than those used by the handicapped. Identify pet-friendly motels along your evacuation route.

If Staying in a Home...
  • Turn refrigerator to maximum cold and keep closed.
  • Turn off utilities if told to do so by authorities.
  • Turn off propane tanks.
  • Unplug small appliances.
  • Fill bathtub and large containers with water in case tap water is unavailable. Use water in bathtubs for cleaning and flushing only. Do NOT drink it.

If Winds Become Strong...
  • Stay away from windows and doors, even if they are covered. Take refuge in a small interior room, closet or hallway.
  • Close all interior doors. Secure and brace external doors.
  • If you are in a two story house, go to an interior 1st floor room.
  • If you are in a multi-story building and away from water, go to the 1st or 2nd floor and stay in the halls or other interior rooms away from windows.
  • Lie on the floor under a table or other sturdy object.

Plan to evacuate if you...
  • Live in a mobile or manufactured home. They are unsafe in high winds no matter how well fastened to the ground.
  • Live on the coastline, an offshore island or near a river or flood plain. In addition to wind, flooding from storm surge waves is a major killer.
  • Live in a high-rise. Hurricane winds can knock out electricity to elevators, break windows and more.
What to Bring to A Shelter
  • First aid kit
  • Medicine, prescriptions
  • Baby food and diapers
  • Games, books, music players with headphones
  • Toiletries
  • Battery-powered radio and cell phone
  • Flashlights
  • Extra batteries
  • A blanket or sleeping bag for each person
  • Identification
  • Copies of key papers such as insurance policies
  • Cash, credit card
REMINDER: If you are told to leave, do so immediately!