The Hurricanes Support Center

Every person is unique, but when you face a natural disaster like a hurricane, you are never alone.  Countless men, women and children have experienced the tragic nature of a hurricane and have survived and thrived. The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge.

TSC has scoured the Internet and assembled the links to the very best hurricane resources: articles, blogs, forums and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional and other challenges you may face.

As you'll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this Hurricane Guide even more helpful to survivors like you.

Just Found Out

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Dealing with Hurricanes

• The National Hurricane Center
• The Miami Museum of Science
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Big Picture

The precise mechanics of what causes all hurricanes is not yet completely understood.  However, tracking satellites can spot hurricanes from their earliest inception and track their path of destruction across the oceans and on land. The official Atlantic Ocean hurricane “season” is between June 1st and November 30th, although hurricanes can and do form outside of that six month window.  

While there is no set number of hurricanes that form each year, and there is no way to predict ahead of time how many hurricanes will hit land or precisely where they will hit or what strength those hurricanes will be, hurricanes cause a great deal of property damage and loss of human life almost every year. Because of their unpredictable nature and their incredible power, hurricanes are considered one of the most dangerous of all natural phenomena.

NASA’s Hurricane Information Site

Your Hurricane Experience

Understanding the implications of your hurricane experience will depend greatly on where you live, your insurance specifics and the total damage you have sustained.

FEMA Guide to Hurricane Preparedness [PDF File]

Keep in touch with your insurance provider after a hurricane:

Disaster Insurance Information

Your World

Surviving a hurricane -- especially a “direct hit” -- can be a blessing – physically. However, the emotions associated with surviving a hurricane can be overwhelming during and after the experience.

Surviving Hurricane Katrina [PDF File]

You can probably expect an outpouring of support after a hurricane. Friends, family, local organizations and charities will likely offer a helping hand as soon as they can.  Keep in mind, however, that hurricanes do a lot of damage to the infrastructure, and it may be days before rescue can get to you. The aftermath of a hurricane can be almost as devastating as the storm itself.

Sea Grant Rhode Island: Dealing With the Aftermath of a Hurricane

Hurricane Myths

• Hurricanes only form during hurricane season
• Open windows to equalize air pressure and keep your house from exploding
• Only costal areas are at risk from hurricanes

Information and Recommended Links for Survivors

• Explaining hurricanes to kids
• Everything you ever wanted to know about hurricanes
• Up-to-the-minute hurricane tracking

Local Organizations That Can Help

If you attend a local church, or if you have a family member or friend who does, the church may be able to provide assistance, such as food and clothing, immediately after a hurricane (or be able to connect you with resources who can provide help), but keep in mind that many families like yours could be asking for help at the same time.

FlockFinder.com: Churches by State

The National Organization for Victim Assistance can provide help and advice for what you can do after a hurricane to get your life back on track.

NOVA: Help for Victims and for Friends of Victims

Professionals Who Can Help

After a hurricane you may require a number of different types of assistance.  This FEMA report details virtually every type of assistance you’re likely to need.

FEMA Report: Help After a Disaster [PDF File]

Talking about a disaster – venting – can be a much-needed therapy after a disaster such as a hurricane.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a list of mental health professionals broken down by state.  This can be an excellent starting point in your search for someone you can talk to and who can help you make sense of what is basically a senseless act of nature.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Mental Health Organizations by State

Creating a Support Circle

• Set up your TSC Survivor Profile
• Join support groups of other survivors or set up your own
• Interact and provide updates on your profile or our forums

The Emotional Roller-coaster

Surviving a hurricane can be emotionally challenging. Some people find that dealing with the emotional aftermath of the event is more of a hardship than the hurricane was itself. To best process the emotions you're experiencing, and to be prepared should another natural disaster strike, learn what causes hurricanes, and how people dealt with hurricanes in the past.

Books Survivors Recommend

• Suffering Katrina: Personal Stories From Hurricane Katrina's Survivors
• Hurricane Force: In the Path of America's Deadliest Storms
• Divine Winds: The History and Science of Hurricanes

What Survivors Wish They'd Known

Communicating with Insurance Providers

In recent years, the insurance industry has taken a huge hit thanks to several large hurricanes.  In response to massive claims that threatened to bankrupt some of the world’s largest insurance providers, the insurance industry is looking to new pricing models.

Trying to predict the number of landfalls to set insurance rates

Your experience with an insurance provider will be unique to your policy, your area and your insurance company. You can move forward more expediently knowing what to expect and how to best deal with your insurance provider.

• After the Storm: Tips for Dealing With Your Insurance Company
• CNNMoney.com: Hurricane Insurance - 5 Tips

Dealing with Hurricanes: Information and Recommended Links for Co-Survivors

How you can help

As a co-survivor, the best thing you can do immediately is help with basic needs. Losing or experiencing damage to a home is a devastating experience.  It will leave a survivor overwhelmed with emotions and literally buried under mounds of tasks and unanswered questions. Offering food, shelter, an extra vehicle or clothing will allow the survivor to go about the business of recovery. But keep in mind that it’s not just adults who need help recovering after a hurricane.  Children have an especially difficult time making sense of such a huge and devastating natural disaster.  Learn how you can help kids cope:

Baylor College of Medicine’s Tips to Help Kids Cope With Hurricanes

What to say

• “I'm so sorry for your loss.”
• “What do you need right now?”
• “This is a tough situation, but I know you and I will survive it.”

What not to say

• “You knew you were living in hurricane country.”
• “Hey, it's just a house.”
• “You know, half the time insurance doesn’t cover any of this.”

Things you can do for a survivor every day

• Parents may need help caring for their children. Offer some of your time to take care of the kids so the parents can focus on other aspects of their recovery.
• Sharing activities such as dinner and a movie will provide a much needed distraction from the overwhelming tasks of recovery. Helping the survivor find balance between work, recovery and recreation will help greatly.
• If you have the time and the skills, help with the rebuilding process. If clean-up and construction is not something you can help with, perhaps you can offer financial assistance.
• Ask what you can do.  

How to build a support network

• Set up your TSC Co-Survivor profile
• Create a support group for your friend or family member
• Interact and provide updates

How to help a survivor deal with day-to-day challenges

• Work/School – Transportation can be a problem after a hurricane. Helping survivors to and from school and work will greatly help reduce the mental and emotional stress of surviving a hurricane.
• Ask what you can do to help alleviate the stress that the family is feeling.  Don’t presume to tell them what they need – ask.

Recovery /Recurrence

Statistically, your chances of being in a hurricane are small. However, if you live in an area where hurricanes are common, the threat is always present. And while the chance of being in a second hurricane is also small, the fact remains that each year thousands of people will suffer their second or even third hurricane disaster.  Find out what your chances of being hit by a hurricane are:

Top 50 Cities and Islands Ranked for Hurricane Strikes

If you live in an area where hurricanes are common, there is nothing you can do to prevent a hurricane from hitting your home, but there are things you can do to prepare for a hurricane and to minimize the damage that most storms will cause.

Tips From FEMA on What to do Before, During and After a Hurricane

With climate changes, it is almost impossible to know where hurricanes will strike in the future and whether they will be larger and more destructive as further changes in our climate take place.  That makes the decision on whether to rebuild after a hurricane even more difficult.  

Rebuilding After a Hurricane [PDF File]

Hurricanes Ike and Katrina won’t be the last of the hurricanes to ravage American cities.  But no matter how devastating hurricanes are, there are always inspirational stories from survivors which exemplify the best in the human condition.

Hope and Faith After the Storm

Give Back

What helped you while you were dealing with the hurricane experience, rebuilding your life, and then back on track? Take a look back at your journey and share with other what helped you and what you wished you would have known/done during your hurricane experience. You can create a profile, reach out to other survivors, join support circles or share your story by following the links at TheSurvivorsClub.org. 

It isn’t just property that is destroyed during a hurricane.  Human lives are lost.  These people are not just statistics, they are members of families and their loss is devastating.  The grief and the feelings of “survivor’s guilt” can be overwhelming for some people.  

The Stages of Grief Following a Hurricane