• Prepare a Personal Evacuation Plan. Identify ahead of time where you could go if you are told to evacuate. Choose several places — a family member or a friend’s home that is a concrete structure and away from low-lying areas, or a shelter. If you know you will be evacuating to a shelter, you can call PSS or EMO to identify which shelter you should evacuate to. Be familiar with your community’s evacuation routes. Listen to local media broadcasts or NOAA Weather Radio for the latest storm conditions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately. In case you have to evacuate to a shelter, be sure to bring medications, food and water for at least 2-3 days, extra clothing, pillows and blankets and other hygiene and comfort supplies for all members of your family. Be sure to also make advance preparations for your pets, which aren’t allowed in shelters.
• Assemble a Family Disaster Supplies Kit. Have emergency supplies set aside for all members of your household, including emergency medications, non-perishable food and a can opener, bottled water (at least three gallons per person), a battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries, extra clothes, important documents, cash and credit cards, a first aid kit and other special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members and pets.
• Prepare for High Winds. Make trees more wind resistant by removing diseased and damaged limbs, then strategically removing branches so that wind can blow through. Install permanent aluminum or removable wood shutters on your windows and add protection to the outside areas of sliding glass doors. Move or secure picnic tables and lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants and anything else that can be picked up by wind and become a projectile.
