Tips for Hurricane Preparedness

6/12/2020 (Permalink)

For help with storm damage, call the office team with SERVPRO® South Pasadena.

If you live near the coast, you probably cringe at the thought of Hurricane Season. No worries, your friends at SERVPRO® of South Pasadena are here with some helpful tips to keep your family and home prepared!

10 Tips for Hurricane Preparedness:

1. Build or buy a disaster supply kit. Your kit should contain water (Rule of Thumb: 2 gallons per person, per day for at least 3-4 days), at least a 3 day supply of non-perishable foods, a can-opener, a first aid kit, flashlights/candles, crank radio, flare guns or whistles to signal for help, extra clothes, cash, a local map, and any specialty items for infants, elderly, or disabled family members.
2. Create an evacuation plan. If your family is not together at the time of the emergency, where is a safe, accessible area for everyone to meet? Where will you go? What do you need to bring with you? What is the best route to avoid traffic? Make sure all family members are aware of your evacuation plan and assign tasks to each family member to help get your family out of harm's way as quickly as possible.
3. Fill your bathtubs with water. This water can be used to flush toilets, cleaning and washing. Keep a bucket or other large container for scooping the water you need.
4. Make a list of emergency contacts. This would include your family physician, insurance agent, key family members, and of course, your friendly neighborhood SERVPRO®!
5. If you do not plan on evacuating, board your windows and other openings with plywood. This provides protection in the instance your window is broken during the storm and from any flying debris.
6. Place sandbags in any areas you would like to prevent water intrusion. Your home’s garage is the most vulnerable area against wind and water. Placing sandbags at your garage doors and any other vulnerable areas will help keep the damage at a minimum.
7. Secure any outdoor furniture or toys that could get blown around or float away. If you have a pool, you can toss any water-friendly toys or patio furniture into the pool. Once the items are under water in the pool, they won’t be able to float out or blow away. This practice is commonly used by hotels to prevent their pool-side furniture from being lost in the storm. If you do not have a pool, move the outdoors items into the garage or under a tarp that is anchored to a secure spot.
8.  Turn your refrigerator and freezer on the coldest setting. This should help keep the food cold during a power outage. Should your power go out, avoid opening the refrigerator if you can. If you must open it- open it quickly, grab what you need, and close it immediately.
9. Place valuables or items that can easily be ruined by water into containers and on higher ground. Remove anything from the floor, bottom cabinets/shelves, and furniture that could get ruined by the flood waters and stack them on something off the ground, such as a bed or table.
10. Know who you need to call in the instance you’ve had a loss at your property and need to make a claim. Keep your insurance agent and adjuster information stored or written down in your disaster kit. Calling your agent or adjuster’s direct line VS the 1-800 number can lead to a quicker response.

For help with storm damage, call the office team with SERVPRO® South Pasadena at (713) 472-4162, or visit out website: https://www.SERVPROsouthpasadena.com/