Being Prepared for Hurricane Season Part 1

5/25/2022 (Permalink)

Hurricane Season officially begins on June 1st and ends on November 30th. Why should we care? We don’t live in the Caribbean or in Florida. The Northeast has suffered millions of dollars in damages over the past  years from Hurricanes, Tropical Storms and Tropical Depressions. This is Part 1 of Being Prepared for a Storm. We will offer suggestions in Part 1 for being prepared personally for a storm, Part 2 will cover preparing your home for a storm and Part 3 what to do if you are affected by a storm.  

 Last year Hurricane Ida affected 9 states! It shows us that just about anyone can be in the path of one of these dangerous and damaging storms. 

Here at SERVPRO of White Plains, we have experienced just how impactful these storms can be. We had 4 feet of water in our office and warehouse when Hurricane Ida blew through smacking us as she went by. There was significant loss of life due to water, flooding actually, on roads we travel on daily to get to and from work. People were killed who lived in basement apartments. Many people were without power, water and supplies for weeks. It was eye opening for many people in this area.  

We would like to help you be prepared for before the storm gets here with these pre storm suggestion   

Food Supplies: Experts suggest having at least a 5 day supply of food per person.  A manual can opener is a must. Canned foods that you can heat up on your grill, or canned foods that don’t require heating up. Canned fruit, tuna, etc. Granola bars, bread, peanut butter, jelly, the block of processed cheese. Things that do not require refrigeration. 

Water: The most important. Buy your bottled water before the word storm even becomes a topic of conversation. The rule of thumb is 1 gallon of water per person for 7 days. Water is easy to store and hard to find as major storms approach. 

Medical Supplies, Medications- refill and keep in water proof bag. Keep of list of what you take and why you take it. Add to this bag, a small first aid kit. hand sanitizer, soap, wipes, contact lenses, hygiene products. 

Pets: Keep extra food, vaccine records, and a carrier. If you did have to evacuate, you will need to show vaccine records to get into a shelter or hotel.  

Important Documents: Proof of ID, Insurance Paperwork, Mortgage or Lease Documents, Passports, Birth Certificates, in waster proof bag. Imagine if you had to replace anything, those would be the things to take with you. 

Cash: Many areas are without power after a  storm hits. After Hurricane Irma, we ventured out the next day no power anywhere and found this little coffee shop running on a generator. A huge sigh of relief, we were so excited, COFFEE!!!!!, We had cash! That was the only form of payment they could accept. No ATMs were operable in the area for days.  Get cash, smaller bills and plan on using that for everything soon after a storm. 

Stay tuned for Blog 2 being prepared in your home