Can you believe hurricane season is 2 weeks away? I feel like it was just yesterday when we experienced the biggest, most devastating hurricane yet here in Houston. Hurricane Harvey affected thousands in our city. Homes were flooded and destroyed, people were sailing on their boats trying to get to dry land, families with young children were trapped or had to evacuate their homes. It was a nightmare, to say the least. Our family, thankfully, did not experience any flooding or evacuation, but so many of our friends did and as soon as we could leave our house we began to help and do anything we could for those affected.
When is hurricane season?
June 1st – November 30th is said to be the window of time for possible storms or hurricanes. Since we weren’t as prepared last year we thought it would be great to prepare ourselves this year, just in case a hurricane were to affect us again. Being over prepared and proactive this year will keep us on our toes for this upcoming hurricane season. Below we have a list of a number of things that will prepare you and your family for hurricane season.
The Top 10 Things To Do To Prepare for a Hurricane
1. Evacuation Plan
Establish an evacuation plan with your family or whoever lives in your household. That means, know the zone you live in and the routes you can take if you need to evacuate. Make sure everyone knows the plan and is prepared.
2. Emergency Kit
This is so important to have ready and on hand, in case a hurricane was to strike. Better to be safe than sorry.
Have an emergency kit ready with:
- Water for each person
- Battery-powered radio
- Non-perishable foods
- Flashlights and batteries
- First aid kit
- Medicines
- Food or supplies for your pet or baby
- Whistle to signal for help
3. Stay informed
Once hurricane season actually begins on June 1st, make sure you are updated on any storms or possible hurricane watches. Stay updated with the news and whats going on.
4. Stock up on food and water
This is so important! If your family were to ever be stuck in your home, extra water and extra non- perishable food should be on hand. You may spend hours sometimes days trapped because weather conditions are too dangerous to go outside. So make sure you are stocked up on non-perishable foods. This is key, food that doesn’t need to be in the refrigerator to be edible.
5. Important files or papers
Store your important files or papers in a safe deposit box somewhere in your house that may not receive as much flood damage.
6. Protect windows
There are permanent storm shutters you can buy or just use one half-inch marine plywood that is precut to the size of your windows. This will help keep your house more intact if flooding were to occur.
7. Yard work
- Build trenches – a lot of people here in Houston already do this because they know how dangerous these hurricanes can be. Building them in front of your house will help buy time if flooding were to occur. It will help push back the water away from your home.
- Trim your shrubs and trees- this will make them more wind resistant and help prevent limbs from falling.
- Clear gutters – repairing loose and clogged rain gutters will help ensure that you won’t flood as easily.
8. Download the app
The city of Houston has a hurricane tracker app that all of us Houstonians should have. Its called the KRPC Hurricane tracker app. On this app, you will be able to track and see if a hurricane is approaching. The National Hurricane Center is in charge of mandating the trackings. This will be so helpful.
9. Get flood insurance
As many people found out the hard way last year, regular home insurance won’t do much for us. The price of flood insurance really is worth it because the risk of not having is too great.
10. Back up your electronics
This means your data as well as having another way to charge your electronics if power were to go out. Get extra batteries or if you need to buy a generator, it would be a good idea to be on the safe side.
All 10 of these things will really help you and your family be ready for any storm or hurricane that could possibly happen during this hurricane season. We learned so much about hurricanes and the way our city has tried to take all the precautions to prepare for them. We hope and pray that this hurricane season will not be like the last for us Houstonians. But we are in awe of the way our city reacted and took matters into their own hands by helping and supporting those who were extremely affected.
Here is a song that we wrote after Hurricane Harvey last year. It’s called “This Is Home” and it’s a reminder that we can make it through anything if we fight for one another.
Leave a Reply