Photo Credit: InterNetwork Media/Getty

Text Size:

The official Atlantic Ocean hurricane season runs between June 1 and November 30 every year. But even in Florida - where hurricanes strike every year - one in three residents has no family disaster plan or survival kit. A stunning 74 percent have taken no steps to make their homes stronger. And some 17 percent said they would not evacuate their homes even if ordered.

But what should you do if a hurricane is coming? How can you improve your chances of survival? The Survivors Club has interviewed hurricane survivors and weather experts to assemble the following resources. The goal is to offer you a hurricane survival guide that can help you before, during and after a hurricane strike.

Consider the story of 80-year-old Mildred Sheffield who survived Hurricane Rita in September 2005. Sheffield was in bed when 116 mph winds began to whip through Jasper, Texas, bringing down two huge trees onto her home. Moments before the trees crushed her bedroom, Sheffield’s daughter-in-law helped her move to a safer spot. "I was on that bed right there, right underneath the tree here," Mildred said of her destroyed bedroom. "My head was right there ... If I had stayed there it would have probably killed me."

Check out these tips from FEMA.gov on hurricane survival.

It't important to remember that hurricanes don’t strike suddenly like lightning or tornadoes. It takes them a while to gain strength and make landfall, giving you time to take action and improve their chances of surviving and thriving. This list includes tips for surviving a hurricane, by preparing before the storm:

1. Create a household emergency plan. And keep it simple.
2. Know your escape routes. Memorize a primary route and a backup route that can take you 20 to 50 miles inland.
3. Information saves lives. Make sure you have a battery-powered radio at home with extra batteries.
4. Teach children how to call 911 for help.
5. Know how to turn off utilities.
6. Identify family meeting places in case you are separated. Choose a place in a building or park outside your neighborhood.
7. Develop an emergency communication plan. Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the family’s contact. Make sure everyone knows the telephone number of this contact.
8. Protect your home. Trim dead or weak branches from trees.
9. Keep an emergency kit in your home and vehicle which includes: A flashlight and extra batteries, a portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries, a first-aid kit, emergency food and water, a non-electric can opener, essential medicines, cash and credit cards, sturdy shoes, and a change of clothing.

Comments / Post a comment