As hurricane season draws near, preparedness should be your first line of attack. Keeping a list of resources that will help you in an emergency can save your life, keep you informed, and help you make the best decision for your family. Here are our top resources for hurricane preparedness.
Learn about Hurricanes
Getting informed about the science behind hurricanes can help kids and grownups alike feel a little less anxious. Here are a few great websites to learn about how hurricanes form.
- WeatherWizKids.com is a great resource to teach children about hurricanes using simple-to-understand language and clear graphics
- National Geographic has a whole page dedicated to hurricanes, from their formation to real-time information about active tropical storms and hurricanes.
Preparing an emergency kit
These sites offer tips, checklists, and guidelines for preparing emergency kits for your home or vehicle. Preparedness is the most important step for weather emergency planning, and these sites will make sure you include everything you need.
- Ready.gov has a helpful “Build a Kit” website with some important resources and information on an easy to read checklist. The site has basic emergency requirements, maintenance tips, and storage locations that make planning a disaster-pack easy.
- NOAA’s National Hurricane Center has an equally helpful page with additional links to further preparedness information, including a helpful risk analysis section that identifies your plan’s weak points.
Preparing your house
In advance of a storm, securing your home can reduce damages on windows, broken vehicles, and water damage. These sites give reliable information on concrete steps you can take to protect your home from the storm.
- USA Today has a useful article on affordable ways to prepare your home for hurricanes.
- CBS News has another useful series of tips with a more long-term, big-picture focus.
- FEMA has a great PDF document whose 7th page deals with flood and wind preparation.
Tracking websites
If you want to keep an eye on a tropical storm, hurricane, or weather formation, here are some reputable websites that give up to date information to help you make a decision about evacuation.
- CNN’s storm tracker offers an up to date tracking page with useful, easy-to-interpret graphics.
- The National Hurricane Center has a slightly more technical graphic, but it has probably the most accurate information.
- If you’re on Twitter, the National Hurricane Center’s Twitter account provides real-time updates as well.
Recovering from a storm
After a storm passes, you’ll need to take steps to properly dispose of debris, file insurance claims, and return your life to order in the aftermath of the weather.
- Ready.gov’s recovery page offers a comprehensive overview of your next-steps after a weather event.
- DisasterSafety.org has a great recovery page that was during Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.
- The EPA’s hurricane page has a recovery section, as well as information specific to each past hurricane to give you an idea of what recovery has looked like from past weather events.
Though we hope this hurricane season passes without incident, these tips for preparing and recovering from a hurricane should give you some peace of mind during this year’s storm season.
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