November 30th, was the official "end of the 2012 Hurricane Season.” Thank heavens. It is highly unlikely that from this point until next Summerwe’ll see any strong hurricane-force storms come through Tampa Bay. The waters in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico are cooler at this point and adolescent hurricanes need warm waters to increase in strength and become dangerous.
On the positive side, during hurricane season 2012, we did have numerous rainy days that helped to replenish our underground aquifers upon which we depend for most of our drinking water.
Now that we were lucky enough not to have to endure a hurricane this season, it would be a good idea to make sure now, while the topic is still fresh in our minds, that we are prepared for any emergency event, hurricane or otherwise. Yes, it’s time to review your emergency preparedness.
Having a disaster plan and a disaster supply kit ready will improve immeasurably the likelihood of your and your family remaining safe during any serious incident. Included here are the steps you need to take to assure that your family is ready for any serious natural disaster or other incident regardless of where you live; in Florida or elsewhere.
# 1. Develop a Family Disaster Plan
A family disaster plan includes a checklist of things to do before, during and after a natural disaster of any kind. It includes important information that will help you survive the storm in good shape.
The first thing to do is to learn how vulnerable your home is and to consider making changes where necessary to minimize those risks. Your plan should include a list of activities or improvements you’re going to make during this hurricane off-season. For example, would installing hurricane blinds over your windows be an affordable option? Do you have a “safe room’? Do all memebrs of your family know which room that is? Does it need to be further reinforced?
If you have the time to evacuate, where are you going to go? You should identify a place outside the home in your neighborhood where you’ll try to gather immediately after an event and a second location far enough away so it is unlikely to be affected by the same event that destroys your own home – a relative living out of state may be the simplest answer. What route will you take to get to both spots ? Does every member of the family know where these two evacuation sites are and, if they’re able to travel on their own should you get separated, do they know how to get there?
Have you checked your homeowner’s insurance to know what would be covered and what would not? You standard homeowner policy won't usually cover flood damage, so check your current policy and consider a separate flood policy if you live in a vulnerable area. Even if you are not in a vulnerable area, check with your insurance company to see what is covered. Is rain damage from a missing roof or broken windows covered? If a tree falls on your home because it was blown down by wind is that covered?
Take a Red Cross or other emergency response function course in basic first aid including how to splint a broken arm or leg, stop heavy bleeding and hbow to do CPR.
If you have pets, decide what you’ll do with them. The good news is that since Hurricane Katrina, FEMA and other disaster recovery agencies are much more accommodating of family pets.
Finally, never let your car’s gas tank get below half-full to assure you can travel if roads are clear. We’ve all seen those awful lines waiting for gas at the few gas stations open after a storm.
# 2. Make or, if you already have one, check your Disaster Supply Kit
A disaster supply kit is something you must have while hoping you never need it. The kit should contain items you’ll need if a storm hits and does enough damage to cut off your electricity or temporarily isolate you and your family from the outside world. Assume that, in the worst case, this kit may be all you’ll have for up to 72 hours (even more is better) after the storm passes if you weren’t able to evacuate in time.
Make sure everything you put in the kit stays there. Don’t remove items and use them when you run short of something. It's too easy to forget to replace those items which you may be need desperately when an emergency hits. Finally, keep your disaster supply Kit in your safe room. It’s worthless if you can’t get to it.
Your kit should include at least the following:
1. At least 1 gallon of water per member of your family per day, with enough for at least 3 days (more is better).
2. A 3-4 day supply of canned or dehydrated, non-perishable food, implements including a can opener, plastic utensils and paper plates. If you want to be able to cook food, include a simple form of cooking equipment and fuel (e.g. a sterno stove or compact propane-fueled stove.
3. If you have a pet, food and extra water, a leash for dogs, and a cage or carrier for cats and other small animals. This is a good time to make sure your dog has an identification tag, or even better, has the embedded identification chip.
4. A first-aid kit, clothing, toiletries, and personal care items. You’ll have to add any prescription drugs you take regularly to the kit whenever a hurricane or tornado watch is issued. Left in the kit too long, they’ll become inactive.
5. A battery-operated flashlight (preferably more than one), radio, and spare batteries. Remember that batteries need to be inspected and replaced from time to time.
6. Copies of important documents, including insurance policies at least the insurance company’;s phone number, social security numbers, bank account numbers, wedding and birth certificates secured in a waterproof pouch. Another way to keep this info today is to write it all to a “flash drive.”
7. Simple small tools like a hammer, screwdriver, pliers, hatchet, etc, so when a disaster recovery team reaches you, you can use these tools and the supplies they bring to protect at least some of your belongings from further damage. • A reasonable amount of cash. If the power is out, ATM cards and credit cards won’t do you any good.
Make sure every member of your family knows where the disaster supply kit is and not to remove anything from it under any circumstances. – repeat, not under any circumstances.
Taking these steps may mean the difference between an emergency event that your family comes through in reasonably good shape, ready to move on with your lives versus and a gut-wrenchingly horrible experience that may haunt you for many years knowing that, had you just “been prepared,” things might have turned out much better than they did.
Hurricanes, earthquakes and such can occur anywhere so being prepared is a smart thing to do regardless of where you live today. I am happy to provide you with this information and hope you find it useful.
Whether you already live in Tampa Bay and are considering moving to another perhaps larger home or down-sizing as you approach retirement or if you live elsewhere today and are considering moving to our area, I invite you to visit my Tampa Bay Florida real estate website for lots of information on why Tampa Bay is so attractive to so many people.
If you have questions about any facet of the warm, sunny lifestyle available to you here in Tampa Bay, E-Mail Me or, for a more immediate response, call me at 813-263-6806.
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