Emergency preparedness

Now is the time to start preparing.

The Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 – November 30. Never underestimate the value of being prepared! 

The extended range forecast for this year indicates we will likely see above-average activity for the Atlantic Hurricane Season.  Weather experts are predicting 16-20 named storms, 6-8 hurricanes, 3-5 major hurricanes and direct impact to the U.S. 4-6 storms.

They also believe the greatest potential for direct impacts along the mainland U.S. are the southeast Texas coast eastward through Florida, particularly the panhandle area and the cost of the Carolinas.

Check out the information below to learn more about hurricanes, hazards associated with hurricanes, and what you can do to prepare.

Make a plan today. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find.

• Step 1: Put a plan together by discussing the questions below with your family, friends or household to start your emergency plan.
• Step 2:  Consider specific needs in your household.
• Step 3: Fill out a Family Emergency Plan
• Step 4: Practice your plan with your family/household

Guidance, links and printable material:

• Ready.gov - Hurricane Preparedness
• Ready.gov - Disasters and Emergencies for hazard information sheets, guides, download the FEMA App, order free preparedness materials and more! 
• Hurricane Preparedness Guide for Veterans and Families (PDF)
• Preparación para la Temporada de Huracanes - Guia para Veteranos y sus Familiares (PDF)

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a great resource when preparing for a hurricane. Visit the National Weather Service site for information on Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches, Warnings, Advisories and Outlooks.

Watches:

• Hurricane Watch: Hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are possible within your area. Because it may not be safe to prepare for a hurricane once winds reach tropical storm force, the NHC issues hurricane watches 48 hours before it anticipates tropical-storm-force-winds.
• Tropical Storm Watch: Tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are possible within the specified area within 48 hours.
• Storm Surge Watch: The possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the shoreline somewhere within the specified area, generally within 48 hours.

Warnings:

• Hurricane Warning: Hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are expected somewhere within the specified area. NHC issues a warning 36 hours in advance of the tropical-storm-force winds to give you time to complete preparations.
• Tropical Storm Warning: Tropical storm conditions (39 to 73 mph) are expected within you area within 36 hours. 
• Storm Surge Warning: The danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the shoreline somewhere within the specified area, generally within 30 hours.
• Extreme Wind Warning: Extreme sustained winds of a major hurricane (115 mph or greater), usually associated with the eyewall, are expected to begin within an hour. Take immediate shelter in the interior portion of a well-built structure.

BEFORE A HURRICANE - PLAN

The best time to prepare for a hurricane is before hurricane season begins. It is vital to understand your home's vulnerability to storm surge, flooding, and wind. Here is your checklist of things to do BEFORE hurricane seasons begins.

• Know your zone: Find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation area.  
• Be prepared for hurricane season: The National Weather Service hurricane preparedness information can help you be prepared. 
• Put together an emergency kit: Put together a hurricane disaster supply kit. Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators, and storm shutters. Ensure you have enough medications on hand.
• Develop or review your family emergency plan: Before an emergency happens, sit down with your family or close friends and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go, and what you will do in an emergency. Keep a copy of this plan in your emergency supply kit or another safe place where you can access it in the event of a disaster. The Ready.Gov emergency plan site is a great resource.
• Review your insurance policies: Review your insurance policies to ensure that you have adequate coverage for your home and personal property.

DURING A HURRICANE - STAY SAFE

When a hurricane threatens your community, be prepared to evacuate if you live in a storm surge risk area. Allow enough time to pack and inform friends and family if you need to leave your home.

• Secure your home: Cover all of your home's windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8 inch exterior grade or marine plywood, built to fit, and ready to install. Buy supplies before the hurricane season rather than waiting for the pre-storm rush.
• Stayed tuned in: Check the websites of your local National Weather Service office and local government/emergency management office. Find out what type of emergencies could occur and how you should respond. Listen to the weather radio at NOAA Weather Radio or other radio or TV stations for the latest storm news.
• Follow instructions issued by local officials. Leave immediately if ordered!
• If  you are NOT ordered to evacuate:
  • Take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level during the storm. Put as many walls between you and the outside as you can.
  • Stay away from windows, skylights, and glass doors.
  • If the eye of the storm passes over your area, there will be a short period of calm, but at the other side of the eye, the wind speed rapidly increases to hurricane force winds coming from the opposite direction.

AFTER A HURRICANE

• Stay informed: Continue listening to NOAA Weather Radio or the local news for the latest updates. If you evacuated, return home only when officials say it is safe.
• Stay alert: Once home, drive only if necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges. If you must go out, watch for fallen objects in the road, downed electrical wires, and weakened walls, bridges, roads, and sidewalks that might collapse.
• Assess the damage: Walk carefully around the outside of your home to check for loose power lines, gas leaks, and structural damage. Stay out of any building if you smell gas, if floodwaters remain around the building, if the building or home was damaged by fire, or if the authorities have declared it unsafe.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning: Carbon monoxide is one of the leading causes of death in areas dealing with power outages. Never use a portable generator inside your home or garage. When the power goes out, keep your generator outside. Visit Red Cross for tips on using a generator at home and preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Use battery-powered flashlights: Do not use candles. Turn on your flashlight before entering a vacated building. The battery could produce a spark that could ignite leaking gas, if present. 
• Know where to get disaster assistance: Visit DisasterAssistance.gov for disaster assistance information.

NATIONAL/FEDERAL RESOURCES:

• Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) - Department of Health and Human Services
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention - Natural Disasters and Severe Weather
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention - Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Department of Homeland Security - Prepare My Family for a Disaster
• DisasterAssistance.gov
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Natural Disasters
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• FEMA Social Media Sites
• FEMA Mobile App and Text Messages
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Ready.gov
• USA.gov - Disasters and Emergencies

STATE RESOURCES (Florida and Georgia):

• ForidaDisaster.org - Florida Division of Emergency Management
• FloridaDisaster.org - Emergency Information
• FloridaDisaster.org - Shelters
• Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
• Florida Department of Health
• Florida Department of Health - Public Safety
• Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles - Florida Highway Patrol
• Georgia Department of  Public Health
• Georgia Department of Public Safety
• Georgia Department of Public Safety - Georgia State Patrol
• Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
• Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
• Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency - Plan & Prepare
• State Emergency Management Agencies | USA.gov

COUNTY/CITY:

• FloridaDisaster.org - Emergency Shelter Information by County (PDF)

OTHER:

• DisasterPreparedness.org - Important Links to State & U.S. Government Hurricane Resources

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - National Hurricane Center
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) - Storm Prediction Center
• National Weather Service
• National Weather Service - Jacksonville, FL
• National Weather Service - Tallahassee, FL
• National Weather Service - Tampa Bay Area, FL
• Ready.gov - Hurricanes

• FloridaDisaster.org
• FloridaDisaster.org - Disaster Preparedness Maps
• FloridaDisaster.org - Recovery: Disaster Assistance Programs
• Georgia Department of Transportation - Hurricane Safety & Evacuation Routes
• Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency - Recovery
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance: Georgia

To stay safe during a tornado, prepare a plan and an emergency kit, stay aware of weather conditions during thunderstorms, know the best places to shelter both indoors and outdoors, and always protect your head.

To protect yourself and your family from harm during a tornado, pay close attention to changing weather conditions in your area. If you know thunderstorms are expected, stay tuned to local radio and TV stations or NOAA weather radio for further weather information. Some tornadoes strike rapidly without time for a tornado warning. The following weather signs may mean that a tornado is approaching:

• A dark or green-colored sky
• A large, dark, low-lying cloud
• Large sized hail
• A loud roar that sounds like a freight train

If you notice any of these conditions, take cover immediately, and stay tuned to local radio and TV stations or to NOAA weather radio or check the internet.

Know when to shelter. Falling and flying debris causes most injuries and deaths during a tornado. Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are much safer than others.

• Go to the basement or an inside room without windows on the lowest floor (bathroom, closet, center hallway).
• If possible, avoid sheltering in a room with windows.
• For added protection get under something sturdy (a heavy table or workbench). Cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag or mattress. Protect your head with anything available.
• Do not stay in a mobile home.

DURING A FLOOD WATCH OR WARNING:

• Gather emergency supplies, including non-perishable food and water. Store at least 1 gallon of water per day for each person and each pet. Store at least a 3-day supply.
• Listen to your local radio or television station for updates.
• Have immunization records handy, or know the year of your last tetanus shot. (Store immunization records in a waterproof container.)
• Bring in outdoor items (lawn furniture, grills, trash cans) or tie them down securely.
• If evacuation appears necessary, turn off all utilities at the main power switch and close the main gas valve.
• Leave areas subject to flooding such as low spots, canyons, washes, etc. (Remember: avoid driving through flooded areas and standing water.)

After you return home, if you find that your home was flooded, practice safe cleaning.

AFTER FLOODING OCCURS:

• Avoid driving through flooded areas and standing water. As little as six inches of water can cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
• Do not drink flood water or use it to wash dishes, brush teeth, or wash/prepare food. Drink clean, safe water.
• If you evacuated, return to your home only after local authorities have said it is safe to do so.
• Listen for boil water advisories. Local authorities will let you know if your water is safe for drinking and bathing.
• During a water advisory, use only bottled, boiled, or treated water for drinking, cooking, etc.
• When in doubt, throw it out! Throw away any food and bottled water that has come into contact or may have come into contact with floodwater.
• Prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Use generators at least 20 feet from any doors, windows, or vents. If you use a pressure washer, be sure to keep the engine outdoors and 20 feet from windows, doors, or vents. Never run your car or truck inside a garage that is attached to a house even with the garage door open.

The initial damage caused by a flood is not the only risk. Standing floodwater can also spread infectious diseases from contaminated floodwater; may be contaminated with hazardous waste (chemical, biological and radiological); and may cause injuries from sharp objects such as glass or metal fragments. Visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on floodwater after a disaster or emergency.

If you find that your home was flooded, practice safe cleaning. Remove and throw out drywall and insulation that was contaminated with floodwater or sewage. Throw out items that cannot be washed and cleaned with a bleach solution: mattresses, pillows, carpeting, carpet padding, and stuffed toys. Homeowners may want to temporarily store items outside of the home until insurance claims can be filed. View recommendations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Clean walls, hard-surfaced floors, and other household surfaces with soap and water and disinfect with a solution of one cup of bleach to five gallons of water. View Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tips for cleaning and sanitizing with bleach after an emergency.

Wildfires affect everyone. They can spread fast and harm us. Wildfires are getting bigger and more dangerous. More people are living in areas at risk for wildfires, but we can take action to prepare. Learn how to prepare your household and community.

Protect yourself from smoke.

When wildfires create smoky conditions it’s important for everyone to reduce their exposure to smoke. Wildfire smoke irritates your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It can make it hard to breathe and make you cough or wheeze.  Children, pregnant women, and people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart disease, need to be especially careful about breathing wildfire smoke.

• AirNow.gov - Reduce Your Smoke Exposure
• AirNow.gov - Children's Health and Wildfires: A Resource for Families
• AirNow.gov - Wildfire Smoke Guide
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Safety Messages for Pregnant, Postpartum, and Breastfeeding People During Natural Disasters and Severe Weather
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Learn How To Control Asthma
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Basics About COPD

Keep smoke outside.

• Choose a room you can close off from outside air.
• Set up a portable air purifier or indoor air filtration system to reduce indoor air pollution.
•  If you use a do-it-yourself box fan filtration unit, never leave it unattended.

Reduce your smoke exposure.

• Consider wearing a N95 or P100 respirator to help protect your lungs from smoke or ash. (AirNow.gov Respirator Information - Protect Your Lungs from Wildfire Smoke or Ash and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Respirator Information and Proper Fit.)
• If you have heart or lung disease ask your doctor if it is safe for you to wear a respirator.
• Avoid using candles, gas, propane, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, or aerosol sprays, and don’t fry or broil meat, smoke tobacco products, or vacuum.

• If you have a central air conditioning system, use high efficiency filters to capture fine particles from smoke. If your system has a fresh air intake, set the system to recirculate or close the outdoor intake damper.

   

Pets and other animals can be affected by wildfire smoke.

• Protect your pets from wildfire smoke.
• Protect your large animals and livestock from wildfire smoke.
• Some evacuation centers do not accept animals. Check Petfinders for shelters or RedRover for information on local animal shelters and rescue groups.

Keep track of fires.

• AirNow.gov - Fire and Smoke Map
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Fire Weather
• Listen to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio for emergency alerts.

Evacuate safely.

You may be asked by public authorities to evacuate or you may decide to evacuate. Learn how you can evacuate safely, make a disaster plan, and how to develop a family disaster plan:

Read about how to evacuate safely and how to develop a family disaster plan:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Information for Disaster Evacuees and Other Affected Persons
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Prepare Your Health

Stay healthy during power outages.

Large fires can cause long-term power outages. Learn what you need to know when the power goes out unexpectedly to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, food safety, safe drinking water, power line hazards:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - What You Need to Know When the Power Goes Out Unexpectedly.