Hurricanes
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Here's what you can do to prepare for such an emergency.
Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services--water, gas, electricity or telephones--were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away.Know What Hurricane WATCH and WARNING Mean
* WATCH: Hurricane conditions are possible in the specified area of the WATCH, usually within 36 hours.
* WARNING: Hurricane conditions are expected in the specified area of the WARNING, usually within 24 hours.
Prepare a Personal Evacuation Plan
* Identify ahead of time where you could go if you are told to evacuate. Choose several places--a friend's home in another town, a motel, or a shelter.
* Keep handy the telephone numbers of these places as well as a road map of your locality. You may need to take alternative or unfamiliar routes if major roads are closed or clogged.
* Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
* Take these items with you when evacuating:
o Prescription medications and medical supplies;
o Bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows
o Bottled water, battery-operated radio and extra batteries, first aid kit, flashlight
o Car keys and maps
o Documents, including driver's license, Social Security card, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, tax records, etc.
Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit Including the Following Items:
* First aid kit and essential medications.
* Canned food and can opener.
* At least three gallons of water per person.
* Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags.
* Battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries.
* Special items for infants, elderly, or disabled family members.
* Written instructions on how to turn off electricity, gas and water if authorities advise you to do so. (Remember, you'll need a professional to turn them back on.)
Prepare for High Winds
* Install hurricane shutters or purchase precut 1/2" outdoor plywood boards for each window of your home. Install anchors for the plywood and predrill holes in the plywood so that you can put it up quickly.
* Make trees more wind resistant by removing diseased and damaged limbs, then strategically removing branches so that wind can blow through.
Know What to Do When a Hurricane WATCH Is Issued
* Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for up-to-date storm information.
* Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.
* Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood as described above. Note: Tape does not prevent windows from breaking, so taping windows is not recommended.
* Fill your car's gas tank.
* Recheck manufactured home tie-downs.
* Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.
Know What to Do When a Hurricane WARNING Is Issued
* Listen to the advice of local officials, and leave if they tell you to do so.
* Complete preparation activities.
* If you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.
* Be aware that the calm "eye" is deceptive; the storm is not over. The worst part of the storm will happen once the eye passes over and the winds blow from the opposite direction. Trees, shrubs, buildings, and other objects damaged by the first winds can be broken or destroyed by the second winds.
* Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.
* Stay away from flood waters. If you come upon a flooded road, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car and climb to higher ground.
Know What to Do After a Hurricane Is Over
* Keep listening to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for instructions.
* If you evacuated, return home when local officials tell you it is safe to do so.
* Inspect your home for damage.
* Use flashlights in the dark; do not use candles.
* Power Outage Safety
* Food Safety
* Chainsaw Safety
* Portable Generator Safety
* Water treatment:
Your Local Red Cross Chapter Can Provide Additional Materials in English and Spanish
Helpful Links
- American Red Cross Disaster Services
- Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and mental health services to address basic human needs. In addition to these services, the core of Red Cross disaster relief is the assistance given to individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- DISASTER. It strikes anytime, anywhere. It takes many forms -- a hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a fire or a hazardous spill, an act of nature or an act of terrorism. It builds over days or weeks, or hits suddenly, without warning. Every year, millions of Americans face disaster, and its terrifying consequences.
- Direct Relief International
- Nonprofit Humanitarian Medical Relief Organization
- World Cares Center
- World Cares Center (WCC) collaborates with community groups, municipalities and relief agencies to more effectively integrate and utilize community volunteers, to prepare citizens to safely participate in their communities' emergency response, and to foster recovery and resilience in those affected by disaster.
- U.S. Department of Labor -- Hurricane Recovery Assistance
- The U.S. Department of Labor is assisting in the recovery efforts in Florida and the Gulf Coast communities affected by this season's hurricanes.

Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Damage Photos
Which Hurricane Was Worse?
Reader Feedback
Are people who are affected by natural disasters such as hurricane Needy Or Greedy when asking for assistance?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byNeedy because...
ashybaby87 says:
MOST are truly needy. Sure some do take advantage, but when a devastating storm strikes & everything is lost those people truly deserve all the help they can get!
Posted September 27, 2008
Greedy because...
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