Kaitlyn Orred
Hurricane Season is upon us, spanning from June 1st to November 30th. Last year reminded us just how much havoc an extremely active hurricane season can bring. Although last season’s catastrophic storms like Iota, Eta, and Laura are in the past, we could face similarly dangerous storms this year as well.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2021. Forecasters predict a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. However, experts do not anticipate the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020. “Now is the time for communities along the coastline as well as inland to get prepared for the dangers that hurricanes can bring,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
Here are 5 steps you can take to prepare for a hurricane:
1) Plan Your Evacuation
- Be familiar with evacuation areas, evacuation routes, and shelter locations. It's suggested that you practice evacuating during good weather, so you know what you're doing. If you can't access a shelter, your next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room in a sturdy building on the lowest level. All of this information is provided by your local government.
2) Buy Supplies & Backup Electronics
- Make a “hurricane kit” with needed supplies for at least three days, including water, food, blankets, clothing, medications, first aid kit, battery-powered radio, flashlight, batteries, and a whistle.
- Keep extra batteries and chargers available
3) Check Insurance Coverage
- Tenants and homeowners should contact their renters or home insurance provider to buy flood insurance. If you own a car, contact your auto insurance company and move your car into an offsite location or secured building.
4) Make Copies of Important Documents
- Make copies of proof of ownership documents of any property, including your home, car, boat, etc. Put these documents in your hurricane kit or another safe location. You can also make password-protected digital copies.
- Store important data at an off-site location so it can be recovered if something happens to the physical device.
5) Protect Your Home
- Inspect your home to confirm there’s no damage that a hurricane could increase, and repair any issues with overall structure like loose shingles or damaged roofs.
- Declutter drains and gutters, and cover windows and doors with plywood to prevent them from blowing open. If you live in an area especially at risk of hurricanes, consider hurricane shutters.
6) Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
At Text-Em-All, we're here to help you deliver emergency evacuation reminders - fast. Here are some ways you can use us to communicate during an emergency.
- Emergency Management Notifications: Businesses, local governments, senior living facilities, and schools need to communicate with large groups of people as fast as possible. During Hurricane Harvey, senior living facilities used us to communicate with staff and residents about evacuation plans, and with residents' families about their loved ones whereabouts.
- Staffing Check-Ins: Last year, the United States Postal Service sent out voice broadcasts using our survey broadcast feature to check each employee's status, whether they were safe, injured, or needed help.
- Emergency Staff, First Responders, CERT: We can help you organize volunteers and emergency staff to help with evacuating residents, providing medical attention, and post-storm recovery services. Use us to fill requests for hundreds of nurses and emergency staff.
- Business Closures: Tell staff and customers how you plan to handle the emergency, and provide updates.
- Service Interruptions: Notify customers of a service disruption like changes in trash pickup. Last year, trash companies used us to notify customers of a service disruption as well the alternate plan for pickup.
