Will The Next Storm Catch You Off Guard?

1/28/2021 (Permalink)

Most of the time we will have advanced warnings for some types of severe weather, but there are times when storms manages to catch us off-guard.

Fortunately, there are things you can do and safety tips to follow that will ensure your family is prepared for these various severe weather occurrences.

Severe Weather Planning Tips

A great place to start is to put an established family emergency plan in place.

Be sure to that this is regularly practiced and reviewed if your family does have an emergency plan in place, especially as the seasons and weather change to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do.

If you have not yet created a family emergency plan, here are some helpful hints to take into consideration when doing so:

1. Emergency Alerts and Warnings

We will always have radio and television broadcast alerts available to us, but thanks to today’s technologies, it is very easy to receive emergency alerts and warnings on your smartphone that is equipped with a weather app or Google. You will quickly receive emergency alerts, which can provide you with valuable time in severe weather situations.

2. Storm Shelters

Living in an area where tornadoes are common means you’ll want to seek shelter in the lowest part of your home, preferably a basement if you have one. If there is no basement, find an interior room on the lowest level that is away from windows and doors. There are other reasons a storm shelter is needed besides tornadoes, and by visiting ready.gov you can learn more about those situations.

3. Evacuation Routes

Do you know your evacuation routes? You should always have multiple routes mapped out that can serve as an evacuation route since things such as hurricanes, flooding and fires can force you from your home in a hurry and one route could become impassable. Make sure you remember your furry family members when evacuating and find out if there are places to stay with your pets along the way.

4. Keeping in Touch

Reliance on cell phones is our first choice for communicating with our family members, but there will be times when that won’t be possible. Cell phone towers don’t always withstand a storms fury and power may also be lost, you may lose or leave your cell phone behind, and, if there is no power, you will not be able to charge your batteries.

Make sure there is an emergency communication plan completed for your family and designate a safe meeting place for your family in case you get separated.

If a storm does cause damage to your home or business, don’t hesitate to call your friends at SERVPRO of West Bradenton/Anna Maria Island (941) 747-2333 to get the cleanup and restoration process started.