10 Hurricane Prep Tips From Experts Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch Healthy Living News 10 Hurricane Prep Tips Experts Say You Must FollowPack a go-bag, ready your home, keep your kids and pets in mind as you plan — and read on for more advice. By Angela HauptJuly 9, 2021Everyday Health ArchiveFact-CheckedIf there's a storm in the forecast, a game plan made well in advance can help reduce stress and keep you organized.AlamyWe’re only a month into the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts through November, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting it will be an active one. This week, Tropical Storm Elsa became the first major storm of the season to hit Florida’s mainland, blowing in heavy winds and rain. Experts say it’s vital to be prepared for hurricanes, which can be “dangerous and destructive,” as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts it. Here are 10 tips for safety preparation. 1 Pay Close Attention to Weather Reports This will help you know what steps to take to secure your home and when to evacuate, says Irwin Redlener, MD, the founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University in New York City. In addition to the weather reports, monitor your local public health officials’ advisories. As a storm approaches, “what you need to do is start getting ready to protect yourself, your family, and your pets,” Dr. Redlener says. “Are you ready to go? Is your gas tank filled up? Do you know where the shelters might be? Do you have a place where you could go out of town, at a safe distance?” The Red Cross has a free emergency app available on the App Store and Google Play. The app sends notifications to people in areas affected by natural disasters, and you can use it to search for local shelters. It also helps you monitor areas where family members live, says Michael de Vulpillieres, an American Red Cross spokesperson based in Brooklyn, New York. When and if you do receive evacuation orders from your local officials, you should leave home promptly. Because evacuating often happens on short notice, it’s important to learn evacuation routes ahead of time and practice them with your family, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Ready program. 2 Take Steps to Ready Your Home If you have a yard, balcony, or terrace and there are high winds in the forecast, secure anything that could blow away, de Vulpillieres says. Lawn furniture, for example, could blow through your windows and harm you or your home. “Bring them inside, bring them into your garage, or put them under your deck,” he suggests. It’s also a good idea to declutter drains and gutters, and to consider installing hurricane shutters, according to FEMA. 3 Prepare to Shelter at Home by Stocking Up on Essentials Like Nonperishables Medications and Water Redlener suggests having enough food and water at home to last you three days. Emergency food options include ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables (make sure you have a can opener); protein or fruit bars; dry cereal or granola; peanut butter; and canned juices, FEMA says. And make sure you have at least one gallon of water per day per person in your household. Beyond your food supply, it’s important to have a flashlight, first-aid kit, battery-operated radio, and extra batteries, de Vulpillieres says. Also ensure that you have enough medicine on hand, especially if you are managing a chronic condition, as well as specialty items for infants and pets. Regarding medications: If yours are temperature-sensitive, such as insulin for diabetes, be sure to pack a cooler that will help keep the medication viable.One more thing, de Vulpillieres says: “Extra cash is something good to keep on hand, because in the event of a major emergency power outage, you might not have access to ATMs.” 4 Pack a Grab-and-Go Emergency Bag Keep an emergency kit ready at all times so you can easily grab it if you need to quickly evacuate your home. It should include mostly the same supplies you’re prioritizing for sheltering at home, de Vulpillieres says. For example: water, food, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, local maps, a manual can opener, phone chargers, and a whistle to call for help, according to the U.S. government website Ready. You should also pack important paper documents, or make sure you have digital copies of them on a thumb drive that you take with you. Saving those digital copies on a cloud service, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, is another option. Redlener suggests including paperwork that involves your mortgage and banking information. Also on the list: identification (such as your birth certificate, passport, and driver’s license), insurance policies, and medication prescriptions, all stored in a portable waterproof container. Ryan West, a foundation administrator with Love City Strong, a disaster preparedness and response group in the U.S. Virgin Islands, suggests making preparedness a yearlong endeavor. “In January, you can reevaluate what your go-bag looks like, and in February, you can make sure you have all your important documents backed up on a thumb drive,” he says. “March and April could be shoring up your house.” That helps make being prepared less daunting, he says, so you don’t have to do a hundred tasks at once, and in a hurry. 5 Get Your Kids Involved in the Prep On the topic of go-bags, West suggests allowing your kids to pack their own kits, which will give them the opportunity to add the items they treasure the most, like special stuffed animals. This can help keep children calm during a frightening time, he says. He points to the Red Cross Pillowcase Project, in which students in grades three to five receive a sturdy pillowcase to build their emergency supplies kit. Families can easily replicate the activity at home. 6 Make Plans for Your Pets “What we've seen a great deal of in previous storms, including Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 in the Gulf, is that people need to make sure their pets are safe,” Redlener says. “People are deeply attached to their pets.” If you have a sense of what shelter you might go to, Redlener says, call ahead and ask if pets can be accommodated. Same goes for hotels. It’s helpful to designate a neighbor or friend who could care for or evacuate your pet if you’re unable to, FEMA suggests. As you pack your pet’s emergency kit, Redlener says to include a three-day supply of pet food as well as vaccination records, which will sometimes be required if you’re staying somewhere with your cat or dog. Familiar items, like favorite toys and bedding, can also help calm your pet. RELATED: 8 Ways to Protect Your Dog From Warm-Weather Health Hazards 7 Collect Sentimental Items It’s really important, Redlener says, to pack memorabilia: photographs of your family, for example, or a beloved piece of jewelry. “Once you start hearing about the possibility of a major storm in your region, start making a list and gathering those things that you're going to want to take with you,” he says. That way, “if the house is wrecked, you won’t lose things that are irreplaceable.” 8 Keep COVID-19 Precautions in Mind “Everything that happens now is under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Redlener says. Pack lots of extra masks for you and your family members, as well as soap, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes. That’s particularly important given the chance of being evacuated to a shelter, which could be so crowded that social distancing is difficult. Redlener recommends bringing your COVID-19 vaccination records. RELATED: Your COVID-19 Summer Safety Guide 9 Brush Up on Weather-Related Safety Musts Driving through a flooded area can be extremely hazardous, as just six inches of water can cause serious accidents, notes the National Weather Service. If you encounter flood waters, “turn around, don’t drown,” de Vulpillieres says, referencing a commonly used emergency preparedness slogan. “Be mindful of your surroundings,” he says. “Downed trees and electrical wires are risks and can cause bodily harm. If it’s pouring rain and you’re driving to evacuate, you want to be careful when you see standing water, because that water could be much deeper than you think it is, or maybe there's a current running through it.” Pay close attention to your surroundings, he says, and don’t risk driving through a flooded road in order to get somewhere quicker. FEMA notes that tropical storms can cause tornados; if you’re under a tornado warning, shelter in the center of a small interior room, such as a bathroom or closet, ideally on the lowest level of a sturdy building, FEMA recommends. 10 If You re Stressed Out Take a Breath As a Virgin Islands resident, West is familiar with the anxiety that preparing for a hurricane can cause. As you get ready for a storm, make sure to pay attention to — and tend to — your mental health, he says. “We know that mental health matters always, but more than ever if you're a disaster survivor, or if you live in a disaster-prone area,” he says. The first step is simply acknowledging how big and overwhelming and scary a storm feels. “We don’t talk about that enough,” West adds. Once your home, family, and supplies are ready, West suggests practicing mindfulness, and making time for yoga, meditative breathing, or stillness activities. 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