How To Prepare For Florida Hurricane Season
As of this writing, the hurricane season is in full force in Florida. We have had several named storms and the threat will remain until 
November when hurricane season is considered over. How to prepare for the Florida hurricane season is something the geothermal experts at Symbiond Service talk with their commercial and private homeowner customers about.
Don’t wait until the hurricane is predicted to hit. You won’t be able to stock your home, nor will you be able to fill your car with fuel or even purchase items to protect your home. Hurricane season, coupled with the coronavirus pandemic, has lead to 2020 being a season fraught with uncertainty.
When you live in an area that is prone to natural disasters, you should always be prepared!
How To Prepare For Florida Hurricane Season
This is a short list of items to put into a disaster kit or a go-bag (in case you need to immediately evacuate). Your go-bag should be kept by the door. If you need to get out quickly, you don’t want to be rushing around the house trying to think of what you need to take in case you can’t come home for a couple of weeks. Don’t forget to make a go-bag for each person in your home as well as each pet in your home. Don’t be one of those people who abandons their pet in the midst of an evacuation. Pre-planning will address so many things!
Each bag should contain these items, but also include unique items you require:
- Medications
- Bottled water, enough to last for three days (for each person)
- Clothing
- Medical records for you and your pets
- Contact information for friends and family
- A printed map in case cell phone towers and GPS satellites aren’t available
- Make sure your vehicles are full of fuel
- Cell phone charger
- Toiletries
- Waterproof vessel for your important documents like insurance cards, homeowners’ insurance policy, legal documents you want to keep safe.
- First aid kits for humans and pets
- Shoes
- Water purification kit
- Foods that don’t require water, heat or electricity to preparation
- Blankets
If you’re going to shelter in place, fill the bathtubs with water — use this water to flush the toilets. Freeze additional bottled water and even bowls or cups with water. If the power goes out, the frozen water could keep foods cold.
Buy additional fuel for your gas/propane grill. You can cook on the grill if the power goes out.
Stock up on batteries. Have batteries on hand to power a radio and flashlights. Have flares on hand. Invest in a solar-powered radio and solar-powered cell phone chargers.
Practice your family evacuation plan. If you and your family get separated, where will you reconnect? How will you communicate?
Evacuation plan. You need to have this evacuation plan in place before disaster strikes and all of the roads are closed and cell phone communication is down. You need to decide:
- Where will you stay?
- Do you have pets? Are there local shelters that accept both humans and pets?
- Do you have friends or relatives with whom you can stay with your pets?
- Locate hotels or motels that are out of the danger zone that will accept you and your pets.
- What if the road you planned to travel is blocked? What is your backup plan?
Secure the home. Board up the windows. Turn off the gas and electricity. If you’re going to try and stay in your home, have a generator to power your home. Make sure you have the generator tested to assure it will work when you need it to. Remember, if the power goes off and there is flooding you may be “roughing” it for quite some time. Don’t risk your lives to stay in your home.
Above all, BE SAFE. Listen to weather reports and reports from officials in your area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about electronic air cleaners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Symbiont Service Corp. serves Englewood, Florida and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our special offers and get started today!
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