Coastal Living Can Be Dangerous- How To Write Your Own Hurricane Preparedness Plan!

Hurricanes often threaten the lives and livelihoods of Americans living in coastal regions. 2020 alone witnessed 13 hurricanes, with six recording winds exceeding 111 mph.

A hurricane can wash away your home, separate your family, or cause distressing fatalities. With that in mind, extensive preparation can help you mitigate most of these issues, including bodily harm and property damages.

This piece outlines several tips you can use to make the best hurricane preparedness plan. It’ll also tell you who to contact for emergency roof repair services.

Why Do You Need a Hurricane Preparedness Plan?

A hurricane preparedness plan is indispensable because:

It saves lives

Sadly, hurricanes often cause fatalities. In 2021 alone, these natural disasters killed at least 68 people and injured many others. That said, early preparation can help you boost your loved one’s safety. How? First, it ensures everyone is familiar with evacuation routes and, therefore, less likely to get trapped. Plus, it provides easy access to life-saving supplies, including food and water.

It reduces anxiety and fear

Feeling emotional distress during a disaster is normal. After all, this is a life-threatening event that can cause an unpredictable aftermath.

However, excess panicking or overwhelming anxiety can sometimes be crippling and confuse people, which is incredibly dangerous during a hurricane. But a good preparedness plan reassures victims and reduces uncertainty. That, in turn, lowers emotional distress levels and helps people act faster.

It makes recovery easier

A hurricane can cause catastrophic losses. For instance, it can destroy your property or separate you from loved ones.

Although some of the outcomes associated with hurricanes are unavoidable, preparation can make recovery easier. That is why you need to write a preparedness plan as early as possible.

Tips for Writing the Best Hurricane Preparedness Plan

Below are some ideas that can help you develop an impeccable hurricane preparedness plan.

Brainstorm with Other Household Members

If you live with other household members, be it your family, a roommate, or friends, start by sitting down together and discussing everything. A few elements can help the entire household prepare for a hurricane and stay safe. First, ask everyone how they wish to receive emergency alerts, updates, and warnings. Remember, public safety officials often use various emergency alert systems to ensure people know what is happening. These include wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) and the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). Also, ask household members to list their shelter plans and evacuation routes. Then, establish a communication plan to help you reconnect if a hurricane separates you.

Factor in Every Indispensable Need and Responsibility

Although a hurricane can derail day-to-day living, you’ll still have to cater to numerous unavoidable needs and responsibilities. For instance, if you have kids, they’ll require feeding and looking after. Ensure your plan covers all vital daily living needs and responsibilities, as well as the materials needed to meet them. For starters, establish who will be responsible for communication or operating emergency medical equipment within your household.

While tackling this aspect, remember to factor in everybody’s ages, dietary needs, favorite locations, medical needs, disabilities, and religious predispositions.

Fill Out the “Make a Plan Form”

The American government has provided various tips to help you prepare for a hurricane, especially in highly susceptible areas like the US Coast and territories in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.The government highly recommends you know your hurricane risk and strengthen your home. Moreover, it requires you to familiarize yourself with alerts and warnings and prepare tech-wise.

Above all, officials advise you to fill out the form posted on the Ready official website. It requires you to submit information like your address, details about every family member, preferred meeting places, and emergency contacts.  

Don’t Forget About Supplies

When a hurricane hits, you’ll need various supplies to keep you safe and sound. These include water and non-perishable food, enough to supply your household until you can move about freely and until stores reopen. A few flashlights, extra batteries, and candles are also necessary because this event often causes extensive electrical outages. A first aid kid is also imperative and will help you deal with medical emergencies whenever necessary.

You also need to buy building supplies that you can use to hurricane-proof your home. Remember, upgrading to high-impact windows, strengthening your roof, working on your landscaping, and reinforcing your doors as early as possible is key to surviving mother nature’s wrath and limiting damage.

Practice Evacuation Drills

A good hurricane preparedness plan is indispensable, no doubt. But, it’s highly unlikely to achieve maximum effectiveness if your household members are rusty and have forgotten what you planned in the first place. That is why you need to rehearse drills regularly.

Additionally, check your disaster preparedness kit at least once every three months to ensure you have all the necessary supplies. If something is missing, buy it as soon as possible because finding an open store in a raging disaster can be impossible. Ensure your household emergency contacts info is up-to-date and relevant. If any details change, make the necessary updates.

Got Storm Damage?

A hurricane often features strong winds that can rip away your roofing system or hurl flying objects like tree limbs, which may damage different components. When that happens, call Alan’s Roofing as soon as possible.
At Alan’s Roofing, we offer 24-hour emergency roof repair services. Our team can help you prevent further damage by conducting professional evaluations and fixing damaged areas. We also provide board services indispensable in curbing water intrusion. Contact us today for more information.