How to survive a hurricane with minimal losses

The catastrophic Hurricane Florence is approaching the United States - you can find out the latest news and forecasts about the weather monster in online broadcast ForumDaily, which is constantly updated. All residents of coastal cities in the current situation need to quickly respond to weather changes and know how to prepare for them, what to do during a hurricane, and what precautions to take after it ends.

Savant Providence

Prepare in advance if you live in an area subject to hurricanes and typhoons. In the US, hurricanes often affect the states of Florida, Georgia and Carolina. State authorities and rescue services of states that regularly suffer from hurricanes recommend their residents to prepare for the hurricane season in advance (even before June 1). The preparatory procedures include the creation of a family action plan and the preparation of emergency supplies in case of an emergency weather situation, so that any family member can find everything he needs in a hurry.

• A family emergency plan should contain a list of actions you need to take in a hurricane. Try to think about evacuation routes. It is best of all if there are several of them at once in case the preferred route is unavailable. Set a meeting place for family members if you find yourself in different places.
• Practice family members to shut off water, gas and turn off electricity at home. Even the smallest member of the family must know the emergency call numbers.
• Emergency reserve should be ready for immediate use. It should include everything that is necessary for survival, at least for 72 hours, such as food, water, a first-aid kit and flashlights.
• When the hurricane wind acquires tropical power, it will be impossible to carry out the preparatory procedures, you will have to concentrate on survival.

Consider purchasing a backup generator. The presence of a generator will allow you to start generating electricity for your own needs immediately after the end of the storm and before the central electricity supply is restored. Store the generator in a dry, non-heated room. Learn to properly operate it and do not forget to provide good ventilation during operation.

• The generator must be grounded and placed in a dry room.
• Never connect a portable generator to a regular outlet or directly to the electrical network of your home, as your electricity can flow to an external electrical network.
• To reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, it is better to run the generator outside and away from windows and doors.
• If you are not sure that you can correctly start the generator, ask the sales assistant from the store where you buy the generator, to hold a demonstration.
• Generators require regular maintenance and checks. Follow the instructions for the care of this technique so that the generator is not in working order at the most crucial moment.

Get your own radio and flashlights. Almost with full confidence it can be argued that during a strong hurricane you will be left without electricity and lose access to communications and lighting. That is why you should think about the radio and flashlights with batteries or with kinetic charging.

• Convenient and easiest to buy a radio with batteries. Tune it to a local radio station and check the work so that in an emergency you can find out about developments in a timely manner.
• Get energy-efficient flashlights with batteries or kinetic recharging. There are a number of quite good models of LED flashlights, which from three AAA batteries can illuminate a small area for several days. Lights on the kinetic recharge convert the mechanical energy of the movement of the handle into electrical energy, so their recharge simply can not run out.
• Neon sticks can also serve as a safe alternative illumination. Given the potential risk of gas leaks during a hurricane, you should be very careful about using candles.
• Create an impressive stock of batteries and pack it in a sealed container.

If possible, construct a “safety room” at home. The security room is a kind of private bunker designed to cope with extreme weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Such a room can be built at home in one of the internal premises. People who decide to take shelter in a safe room have a good chance of escaping injury and death during an emergency.

• Safe room must be reinforced. In order for it to withstand a strong wind, it must have a reinforced concrete ceiling, floor, walls, as well as other design features.
• A security room can be built inside the house from scratch, or you can modify any existing room. This room should be easily accessible, moderately comfortable for people to stay, have a supply of water and other necessities. Often people choose a bathroom as a security room.
• For example, in the USA there are even government grants and programs for co-financing projects for the construction of safety rooms in houses.

Protect your property in advance. The main damage from a hurricane is brought by a strong wind, which can blow off or destroy everything that is badly fixed. Try to minimize potential damage by taking special measures even before the hurricane season begins.

• Since a strong wind can break tree branches and even the trees themselves, prudently cut all the damaged tree branches around your house before the onset of a hurricane. Clear the area of ​​any debris that can be lifted into the air by a strong wind.
• For better protection, upgrade the roof, windows and doors of the house. For example, you can pre-install impact-resistant glass, reinforced shutters and doors to protect against potential damage.
• You can also hire a specialist who will reinforce the roof structure with metal anti-foil clips.

Take measures to protect your home when you hear a storm warning. If you know that a hurricane is heading in your direction, you must take further protective measures. Even if you have strengthened your home in advance, there are a number of additional measures that will help it withstand the storm with the least loss.

• If your house has shutters on the windows, close them. Otherwise, the windows should be bungled or glued. It is best to use plywood for this purpose, as well as construction, rather than ordinary or sealing adhesive tape.
• Secure shaky roof gutters and downpipes. Also clean them from dirt and blockages. Turn off gas equipment.
• Check that the garage door is locked. Do not leave them open and eliminate any gaps between the lower edge of the gate and the ground. A metal garage raised by a hurricane into the air can seriously damage your home.

Prepare a supply of food and water. If the electricity is turned off, the refrigerator will stop working, and any meat, dairy and other perishable products will become unusable. Centralized water supply may also be stopped. To ensure your best chance of survival, prepare at least a three-day supply of canned and non-perishable foods, as well as bottled water.

• Fill empty plastic bottles with water and place in a space reserved for reserve. You will need approximately 3,5 liters of water per person per day and an extra amount of water for cooking and washing. On the day of the water supply, put the appropriate mark on the calendar in order to regularly update the stored water later.
• Prepare at least a three-day supply of non-perishable foods. These include canned food and ice-dried products. Also stock pet food.
• Immediately before the start of the hurricane, disinfect the bathroom and other large containers and fill them with water. After the end of the hurricane, these water supplies can be vital for drinking, bathing and flushing the toilet.

Safe escape from the storm

Evacuate. If you have this opportunity, go deep into the continent, where the hurricane will lose its power, even if it hits you. It is wiser to try to avoid the hurricane along with all family members and pets than to wait it out in immediate danger.

• Stay together Leave the house in one group and, if possible, use one machine.
• To evacuate, follow the instructions of the rescue services. If you live in a mobile home, then evacuation should be your top priority, even if your car is younger than 1994. Motorhomes can be destroyed even by the hurricane of the weakest first category.
• Take with you only the essentials, such as a cell phone, medicines, personal documents, money and some clothes. Also, bring a first aid kit with you.
• Fill the car with a full tank of gasoline and do not hesitate with the evacuation. You should not be in the car directly at the time of the onset of a hurricane.
• Never drop pets. If they cannot avoid collapsing structures, flooding or flying objects, they may be injured and even die.

Find yourself a shelter. If you decide to stay, then you need to move to a room that can protect you, your family and pets during a hurricane. There should be no windows or glass roof in this room. If you are at home, close all interior doors, and also strengthen and support the external door.

• If you follow all the above recommendations, then in the event of a hurricane you will already have a safe, secure place and everything you need.
• Otherwise, try to make the most effective use of the time at your disposal. Choose an interior with strong walls and no windows. You may need a bathroom or pantry. For extra security, you can lie down in the bath and cover with a sheet of plywood.
• Alternatively, you can use the public shelter. In the event of a hurricane, such shelters will be open to all in need. Find a shelter closest to you and go there, taking with you medicines, personal documents, bedding, flashlights, some food and board games.

Go to the shelter at least two hours before the hurricane begins. Do not wait until the last. You must be in shelter before the storm begins. It will be useful to bring along a radio with batteries and a reserve of batteries to it, so that every 15-30 minutes to learn about the development of the situation. At this stage in the development of a hurricane, you should already notice its first signs.

• Keep an emergency stock close at hand.
• Stay indoors, even if it seems to you that everything is quiet outside. The hurricane may first weaken and then sharply increase again, especially when passing through the central point of the cyclone.
• Stay away from windows, glass roofs and glass doors. During a hurricane, the risk of injury from flying debris or broken glass is highest.
• For additional protection, you can try to lie on the floor under something durable, for example, under the table.
• Water and lightning strikes carry the risk of electric shock during a hurricane. If there are problems with the supply of electricity or you are afraid of flooding, turn off the home power supply. Try not to use electrical appliances, telephone or shower.

In an emergency, stay in place, but be sure to ask for help. Anything can happen during a serious hurricane. You may be in danger due to the rising waves, you may get injured and face some other medical problem. Think about how you are wiser to act in a specific situation.

• Unless you are in a flooded area, it’s probably best to stay inside the building and under its protection. Strong wind and flying debris in the street can hurt or kill you.
• If you find yourself in a situation where you or your family members will be in mortal danger, call the rescue service. However, keep in mind that the phone may not work, and rescue services may be overloaded with work. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, thousands of calls to the local 911 rescue service went unanswered.
• Take advantage of those resources that will be at your fingertips. Treat injuries as best you can with a first aid kit. If you manage to call the rescue service or the ambulance station, at least you can recommend a further action plan.

Recovery of damage caused by a hurricane

Make sure you can safely leave the premises. Do not leave the shelter until the radio officially announces that the threat has passed. If the wind died down, then the center of the cyclone could enter the territory, after passing which the strongest wind would rise again. A hurricane can last for several hours without stopping

• The zone around the center point of a hurricane is usually surrounded by the strongest wind. In addition, tornadoes can arise during a hurricane.
• After passing the center of the cyclone above you, wait at least 30 minutes before entering windows with rooms. Even after this, you should be extremely careful, as there is a danger that some flying debris will break the window.
• Be careful when everything settles down. After a hurricane, there may be many other sources of danger, for example, in the form of unstable uprooted trees, torn wires and fallen electric poles. Do not even think about independently approaching the broken wires. Contact the rescuers or the energy company to help you solve the problem with electricity.
• Stay away from flooded places. If you need to enter the flooded area, be very careful, as there may be various debris and other sources of danger under the water.

Take special care when entering a building damaged by a hurricane. Hurricane wind can damage many supporting structures. Do not go inside the building that has suffered a hurricane unless you are sure of the integrity of its structures. If, after you enter the building, you notice signs of serious damage, leave it as soon as possible to avoid collapse.

• Do not enter the building if you smell gas, see that it has been flooded or damaged by a fire.
• Instead of candles, matches, torches or kerosene lamps, give preference to flashlights. If a gas leak occurs, an open flame can trigger an explosion. Open the windows and doors of the room to ventilate it from gas.
• Do not attempt to power the electrical network unless you are sure that it is completely safe. Be sure to check all wiring as well as gas equipment before turning on the electricity and gas.
• As you enter the building, beware of damaged and slippery flooring, crumbling structures and cracked brick walls.

Rate the damage. During a hurricane, the most important thing for you is to take care of your own safety and the safety of your family and pets. Only when the priority task is successfully completed, you can assess the damage received. Check your home for damaged structures. If something is seriously injured, contact the appropriate services as soon as possible for peer review and do not approach damaged structures until they are repaired.

• Wash and disinfect anything that may have come into contact with sewage, bacteria or spilled chemicals. Throw away all the spoiled food. If the validity of a product makes you doubt, throw it away.
• Ensure the security of the autonomous water supply system at home (if available) For example, repair a damaged wastewater treatment system and check the water well for chemical contamination.
• Start removing and replacing wet wall gypsum plasterboard, as well as other wall cladding that may become moldy from damp.

Pump out water from the flooded basement. In no case should not go into the flooded basements. In addition to the risk of electric shock, various debris may be hidden under the water, and the water itself may be contaminated with dangerous bacteria, for example, due to ingress of untreated sewage. Instead of performing rash actions, every day, gradually lower the water level by one third, until the water is completely pumped out.

• Connect the electric pump to a safe outlet on the open floor and start pumping water from the bottom. Make sure that the power cord does not fall into the water, and wear rubber boots for safety.
• If you decide to use a gasoline pump for pumping water, run the hose from the pump into the flooded room from the street through the window.
• If you cannot safely pump out water from the basement, contact the rescue services for help.

Report the damage to the insurance company. If your property was insured against damage from floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters, you can partially compensate for your losses through insurance. Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to file a claim for damages.

• Make a list of damage. Take appropriate photos and videos, save receipts with amounts spent on repairs.
• If you are forced to temporarily relocate from your permanent home, make sure that the representative of the insurance company can always find you. Try to keep in touch by phone. Many large insurance companies have organized round-the-clock free call services.
• With the complete destruction of housing, some people on the remaining structures write their contact phone number and address specifically for appraisal agents sent from insurance companies.
• Try to prevent further increases in damage. For example, cover torn roof areas with a tarpaulin, sew broken windows with plywood, plastic or other materials.

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