Every year hurricane season in Florida starts on June 1st and carries on for the next 5 weeks, with storms being especially severe in August and September. As with every hurricane season, regardless of if a severe storm touches down in Florida, knowing the fundamentals of how to be prepared can potentially save your life.
Here are four helpful ways to ensure your preparedness and your safety during hurricane season:
1. Create Hurricane Kits
It's very important to create a hurricane kit of needed supplies in case you are made to evacuate, items that are easy to bring along with with, or to be able to utilize these items if you're able to stay at home but lose power and water.
Preparedness means assembling these kits [with enough supplies for each family member in your house and for at least 2-3 weeks] before hurricane season arrives in Florida. There is often a run on supplies at the first sign of danger, so have these things on hand and put together for a disastrous situation will ensure that you have everything you need.
You need to create your kit in a bag that you could easily take with you in the instance that you're evacuated. The most recommended items to include are:
Non-perishable food items [enough to last at least 7 days]
Clean drinking water [enough to survive at least 7 days]
First-aid kit [make sure to include any prescription medications you will need]
Personal hygiene items and sanitation items
Flashlights [+ extra batteries]
Pre-charged travel/portable phone chargers
Waterproof container for cash and important documents
Manual can opener
Lighter or matches
Books, magazines, and small games [like decks of cards]
Special needs items: pet supplies and baby supplies, if applicable
Cooler and ice packs
A strategy for evacuation and for when household members have been separated
2. Check Your Homeowners Insurance Coverage
Coverage A | Dwelling
Be sure to check with your Insurance Policy Agent to fully understand how much insurance coverage you have to protect against hurricane damage, and what exactly it does cover.
Richard Dean Insurance recommends our Homeowners Insurance: Coverage A - Dwelling Insurance
This specific type of homeowners insurance protects against the damage and possible loss of your home in the event of a covered peril such as a hurricane, wind, hail, lightening or fire.
It’s important to insure your home for its current replacement value. Our agency does a complete dwelling replacement evaluation of your property to make sure we have just the right amount of dwelling coverage on your Florida home.
3. Securing Your Home and your Belongings
It is equally as important to know how to protect your home and your belongings during hurricane season in case of heavy winds, storm surges, and flash floods.
Cover all of your windows with metal hurricane shutters or sheets of wood
Although tape may prevent glass from shattering everywhere, be warned that tape does not prevent the window from breaking in general
If at all possible, apply protected straps to securely fasten your roof to the structure of your property
Make certain that all shrubs and trees are trimmed ahead of time and to clear rain gutters
Reinforce your garage doors
Bring in all outside furniture, trash cans, decorations, and anything that isn't tied down
If winds become strong, stay away from windows and doors and shut, secure and brace internal doors
4. How to Deal With Electricity Outages
In the event you should be left without water or electricity because of a storm during hurricane season there are a few things to consider that can help you for hurricane preparedness.
Gas: Make sure the gas tanks in all your cars are full far in advance of an approaching storm. Most people wait until the last moment, hurry to find a gas station to fill their cars and generators, and subsequently the gas stations run out early.
ATMS: It's always good to have extra cash available in the event that no ATMS are accessible or working.
Cell Phones: Charge your cell phone, and travel / backup chargers and limit use after electricity goes out.
Water: Fill a bathtub and large containers with water for washing and flushing toilets.
Food: Turn your refrigerator temperature down and freeze any food or drinking water that can be frozen if you expect a power outage.
Still have more questions? Reach out to one of our knowledgeable and friendly agents today to check on how much coverage you have with your insurance policy. Or give us a call for a free quote to get set up with homeowners insurance!