Introduction to Hurricanes
The National Weather Service reports that two destructive hurricanes hit the US each year on average. Hurricanes—tropical storms with an “eye” wherein winds reach at least 74 miles per hour—are classified into five categories based on wind speeds, with Category 5 (the highest level) achieving winds of over 155 miles per hour. The official hurricane season in the US is June 1 through November 30, but in reality, hurricanes can happen anytime during the year. The National Weather Service plays the leading role in classifying, tracking, and naming hurricanes.
What to Do To Be Prepared
1. Understand and track the warning signals
Hurricane Watch: About 36 hours before a storm is expected to strike, the National Weather Service notifies the public that a hurricane is a definite threat to a region of the United States.
Hurricane Warning: As the storm approaches land, the National Weather Service notifies the public about 24 hours before a storm is expected to strike, with narrower geographic boundaries.
Hurricane Alert: When hurricane winds are imminent, the National Weather Service will issue this alert.
All of this information can be found on the National Weather Service’s website and you will also hear about it through your local news media.
2. Have a plan and an emergency kit ready
Understand your home’s vulnerability to the hurricane and locate the safest room in your home. If your home is not in the safest area, make sure you have a safe place to go within your community. Make sure you and your family have communicated where to meet and establish an out-of-state contact through whom you may communicate if local phone signals are blocked.
You will need to have an emergency supply kit. Your kit should include items that you will need to survive until help arrives are safe conditions are restored, including:
- Drinking water. The federal government suggests at least 3 days worth for each member of your family, but other sources suggest two weeks or more. As a general rule of thumb, each person will require 1 gallon of water per day.
- Food. Again, the federal government suggests at least 3 days of non-perishable food, but you can begin to build a reserve of two weeks or more.
- Flashlight and extra batteries. It’s amazing how dependent we are on electricity, so if it goes out, you need to have an alternative source of light.
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio. This serves as a great connection to news sources if the electricity powering your television were to fail or be disrupted at any point.
- First aid kit. In case of injury, be prepared with first aid essentials; have the resources to clean and treat at least minor wounds on your own.
- Additional items that may come in handy. Work gloves, dust mask, and a whistle are all great additions to any emergency preparation kit.
3. Follow instructions
If you are asked to evacuate your area, you should follow this counsel without delay. You will need to make sure that you can be mobile in the event of a pending hurricane. In addition to standard items necessary for your stay in another location, you will need essential documents, such as medical and insurance information. Uploading this information to a secure web storage space as a part of the hurricane preparatory process will allow you to access your essential information through any internet connection. Orggit is currently the only website that consolidates all of your most essential information (such as copies of wallet contents, passport, insurance information, etc.) in one secure place, acting as an online platform for information organization and storage.
These are the basics for best preparing oneself for a hurricane; additional information can be found on the EPA website. Practicing your plan and getting more formal training, such as taking disaster preparedness classes, are your next steps to weather the storm.
