Things You Should Do In A Hurricane Warning
IF YOU'RE TOLD TO GO, THEN EVACUATE!
Stay with CBS4 and the CBS4 HURRICANE NETWORK stations for instructions from your Emergency Management Office. If you live near the coast, on barrier islands, in a mobile home, a high-rise building in an evacuation zone, or in the flood plain of a river, you may be ordered to leave.
EVACUATE once the order is given.
Outside Your Home
- Install hurricane shutters over windows, doors, and garage doors.
- Bring in all loose items from outside. Objects that are too big to bring in must be securely anchored. Large planters can be placed right next to the house.
- Take down your TV antenna. Unplug your TV first to avoid a shock. Make sure your antenna does not touch a power line.
- Add extra chlorine to your pool to prevent contamination. Turn off the circuit breaker to the pool equipment. If the filter pump is exposed, wrap it securely in plastic.
- Fill your car's gas tank as soon as possible. The safest place to park your car is in your garage. A carport is your second choice but is nowhere near as good, because carport roofs are vulnerable to damage in the wind. If you have neither, park your car as close to your house as possible to protect it from flying debris. Avoid parking near trees.
Inside Your Home
Store all important documents and valuables in waterproof containers and place them up high, out of the reach of flood water. Include voter's registration cards, passports, citizenship papers, social security cards, insurance policies, property records, birth and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, military service records, adoption and custody papers, wills, pets' registration and rabies license, family pictures, small heirlooms, and your jewelry.
Scrub bathtubs, jugs, bottles, and cooking utensils thoroughly and sponge them with bleach. Rinse them and let them dry completely. Fill the jugs and bottles with water for drinking. Fill bathtubs with water for sanitary purposes.
Turn up the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting. Fill your freezer with extra water jugs or crumpled paper to keep it tightly packed. This will help preserve food for up to 2 days without electricity.
Take pictures off walls and store them in a closet, preferably on an upper shelf.
Put away small objects in drawers for safekeeping.
Close ALL windows and KEEP THEM CLOSED at all times throughout a hurricane.
Make sure to tell a friend or family member who lives outside the area where you will stay during the storm.
Apartments/Condos
Install shutters on windows and doors.
Remove any loose items such as potted plants and patio furniture from your balcony.
If you live in an evacuation zone, LEAVE!
If you live on an upper floor of a high-rise outside the evacuation zone, move to a safe area on a lower floor, preferably the second or third.
Mobile Homes
Turn off the water where it enters your mobile home.
Turn off propane gas bottles at the tanks.
Turn off natural gas at the supply valve near each appliance.
Bring in or secure all outdoor objects.
LEAVE! Don't stay in a mobile home during any hurricane.
Pets
Bring in outdoor pets. If you must evacuate, take pets to your pre-determined boarding place.
If you must leave pets behind, put them in an interior room with plenty of food and fresh water.
Make sure all your pets have identification and rabies tags.
Hurricane Don'ts
Don't tape your windows. It does not offer protection from hurricane force winds, and gives a false sense of security.
Don't drain your pool.
Don't leave a window open during a hurricane. It allows the storm inside your home and could force your roof off the house.
Don't tranquilize pets. They must stay alert to survive.
Don't leave your car next to a tree or in an open area.
Don't open the refrigerator unless absolutely necessary.
Don't plan on throwing outside furniture into your pool before a storm. Furniture could damage your pool's finish. Bring these items into the garage or house.
Don't use candles or kerosene lamps during the storm. You risk causing a fire that can't be stopped. If the power goes out, only use flashlights.
Don't be tempted to go outside if the eye of the storm passes over your neighborhood. Hurricane winds will return quickly with the same or greater force.
