It’s hurricane season! Are you prepared? 5 Steps to Take

June 1st is the official start of Hurricane season for the Eastern region of the United States. With the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy still fresh in our minds, and with thousands of people in our Southern New Jersey region still re-building, hurricane preparedness is top-of-mind for many.
But if you’re not sure where to start, read on!

EPA Interactive Storm Surge Map

Hurricane preparedness falls into two basic categories: taking steps to preserve human life and safety, and taking steps to preserve property.

Preserving life and safety is covered in depth by NOAA, FEMA, and the American Red Cross. They recommend that every family and business have a disaster plan.

Creating an effective plan takes into account:

• family members with special needs
• seniors and small children
• pets
• And making a disaster supply kit.

But, if you’re not sure how to prioritize your own Hurricane Prep, follow these 5 steps:

1. First, go shopping and get your hurricane preparedness supplies now. Don’t wait until the storm’s on your doorstep or you’ll be waiting in long lines. By the time you get to the front of the line, the supplies you desperately need for the hurricane and the aftermath might be gone.

2. Next, find out today if you live in an evacuation zone.  Figure out ahead of time where you’re going to go, how you’re going to get there, and how you’re going to meet up with other family members. If you don’t live in an evacuation zone, you can be the evacuation destination for a family member, friend or colleague!

3. Third, take photos of your property, before a storm threatens. And create a Personal Home Inventory.  The Insurance Information Institute offers a free cloud-based app that stores the information for you. If your home or business suffers damage, your data is stored safely off-site. This can help you back up your insurance claim.

4. After that, visit your insurance agent and make sure you’re fully covered. Whether you own or rent your home or business, make sure you have flood insurance.

5. Then do whatever you can to strengthen the infrastructure of your home or business. This includes putting shutters on windows and strengthening the foundation to protect it from over the ground flooding.

And one last thing …

Part of creating a hurricane preparedness plan is knowing who you can trust after the storm passes.

PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services helped hundreds of families and businesses over the years in our Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region. We were actively involved in response and recovery after Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Hurricane Sandy.

You can make us part of your hurricane preparedness plan by programming our number into your cell phone now: 877-750-7876

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