A typical hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. During this time, people regularly consult trusted experts to determine if and when a storm will come close to where they live. However, while you need to know if a hurricane or tropical storm is barreling toward you, it’s even more important to be ready and know what to do when one actually arrives.
Using Chariot Energy’s Ultimate Hurricane Preparedness Checklist, you will be able to:
No one wants to experience the devastating power of a hurricane or tropical storm, but effective emergency preparedness will help keep you and your loved ones safe.
Let’s be clear — you should have this kit assembled year-round, as it can also double as a general disaster preparedness kit. The items on this list are essential emergency goods that will last you three to four days no matter the situation.
Food and Water
This might seem like a lot just to have sitting around in a closet or your garage just in case something happens. But trust us — it’s easier to buy this stuff at the grocery store now than waiting until three days before hurricane landfall.
Once you have your kit assembled, the next section of our hurricane preparedness checklist involves readying your home. Whether your local government asks you to remain home or safely evacuate, you need to take care of your property. You also need to ensure that your family members can take care of themselves if you do “hunker down” when a hurricane arrives.
Some hurricane preparedness lists recommend that you buy a generator and keep enough fuel for a week. While we like this idea, we also realize that this expense isn’t feasible for everyone in terms of price, location, availability, and ownership situation.
First and foremost, if the leadership of your city, county, and/or state tell you to evacuate, then do so. You are literally better safe than sorry. So, when you do need to evacuate, you need to have the following preparations in order:
All of the preparations you made to stay in place in the previous section apply to evacuation preparation. Just make sure you also lock your doors.
Finally, be sure that you turn off the master breaker for your entire home before you leave. If there are power outages in your area because of the storm, you want to prevent a power surge from hurting your home when power is restored.
In our experience, being ready for a hurricane boils down to the “3 B’s:”
You should also assemble essential contact information. This is important whether you’re preparing, staying safe at home, or actively evacuating because of the high winds and storm surge when the storm strikes.
DO NOT rely upon the internet or your personal phone for these numbers since phone and power lines could be down. Keep a hard-copy, old-school list in a waterproof location.
If a hurricane or tropical storm hits your area, it could easily turn into a major natural disaster. The 21st century alone has seen multiple terrible storms ravage cities across America and the world. Thus, we implore you to obey all requests and directives from your governmental officials, because their goal is to keep everyone as safe as possible — before, during, and after the storm.
