Hurricane Survival Tips from AmeriCares Emergency Experts

Your family can prepare for hurricanes in advance. With the 2009 hurricane season upon us, here are some useful and lifesaving tips from AmeriCares Emergency Response Team.

1. Develop an emergency evacuation plan. Have a place for family members to meet in the event of a disaster. You can even make a test run. Engage the kids by making it an adventure!
2. Keep a map with several evacuation routes in your vehicle. Roads and communication lines can get washed out, so your usual route or favorite internet mapping site may not be available.
3. Make an emergency medical kit. These include not only first aid items, but a week’s worth of the prescriptions your family members may need. You don’t want to be stuck in evacuation traffic without your child’s asthma inhaler or spouse’s high blood pressure medication.
4. Leave when ordered to evacuate by your local authorities. Many preventable fatalities and serious injuries occur when people decide to “ride out the storm” at home and ignore public officials. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to deadly hurricanes!
5. Have essential supplies on hand. Bottled water, non-perishable foods, batteries, battery-powered radios and flashlights are key. You should also get cash and fill up your gas tank well in advance of a storm, since ATMs and gas pumps won’t work if there is no electricity.
6. Prepare for claims paperwork. Don’t forget copies of important documents and papers, particularly insurance information, sealed in a water-proof bag. You may need them in the event you have to make a claim due to storm damage.