Hurricane Season begins June 1 every year and ends November 30.
Coastal residents from the Gulf coast and Eastern Seaboard, as well as residents from the Caribbean to Martha’s Vineyard need to be prepared in the event of a hurricane.
If you live in a hurricane prone area creating a safety plan and understanding the time to execute the plan are critical aspects of being prepared.
Below are guidelines that should keep you and your family safe:
Evacuation Plan
• Have an evacuation plan in place and make all family members aware. Have primary and backup routes mapped out ahead of time.
• All family members should have emergency local and an emergency contacts list stored in their cell phone
• Have a safe destination – Find a relative, friend or hotel located out of the danger area
Last Minute Preparations
• Make sure all shutters have been closed and garage doors braced
• Lock all windows and doors
• If you have fireplace, make sure the damper is shut
• Move items close to the windows and doors to areas in the center of the home or higher levels
• Place towels, rags or blankets in front of the doors to help prevent water from entering,
• Tie drapes or pull the window shade up to keep them dry
After the Storm
• Monitor the situation through the radio or TV reports if possible. Wait for authorizes to give the OK to return home.
• Watch out for potential dangers such as:
-Down power lines
-Broken gas lines
-Unstable structure
-Emergency crews assessing damage
Assess your situation by looking for any damage to your home or property.
Work with local authorities to gain safe entry to your home and being the process of gauging your losses.
Contact your insurance agent or carrier immediately so property protection and repairs can begin.
If you start repairs, take photos and document all work done, keep any receipts for repairs paid out of pocket.
Notify family members:
Have a plan in place to notify family members of your well being. Often in disasters phone service is either down or overwhelmed with call volume.
*Information supplied by ACE Private Risk Services and is meant for advisory information. No Liability is assumed by reason of the information.
Author: Deneen Limburg, Senior Personal Lines Account Manager
