Be Prepared: What You Can Do Now

HOME

• Secure your property by tying down any freestanding outdoor items.
• Reinforce your windows and garage doors.
• Trim trees and shrubs to improve their wind resistance.
• Locate your important records (such as passports, birth certificates and insurance documents), secure them in a waterproof container, and have them ready to go.

CAR

• Check your tires (including your spare) to make sure they are properly inflated.
• Fill up your gas tank and check all fluid levels.
• Make sure your windshield wipers are in good shape. The blades should completely clear the glass with each swipe. Replace any blade that leaves streaks or misses spots.
• Pack an emergency kit in your vehicle, which includes a flashlight with extra batteries; a first-aid kit; drinking water; mobile phone and car charger; extra snacks/food for your travelers and any pets; battery booster cables; and emergency flares or reflectors.

PLAN

• Map your family’s evacuation route and have your emergency plan in place.
• Evacuate as soon as it is recommended. Use the evacuation plan you’ve already prepared, leave early and during daylight hours.
• Have a communications plan. Decide how you will contact family during a storm. Have every family member program emergency contacts into their phones. Come up with a predetermined meeting place and designate an out-of-state contact who can relay messages to family members in case local phone lines are down or overloaded.
• Check Live Updates from the National Hurricane Center