Hurricanes are powerful storms that can leave a lot of damage after they have moved on. This article will tell you what to do during a hurricane.
The news is forecasting a huge tropical storm that will hit your area and is urging residents to evacuate before it even becomes an official hurricane. You however, either cannot or will not leave your home defenseless. When choosing to stay and brave it out, this is what you should do during a hurricane.
Note: This article assumes you have gathered the supplies you will need and properly prepared the place where you have decided to take shelter.
The first thing to do during a hurricane is to monitor the water levels. If there is a steady rise of water into the home or building, you will need to be prepared to head for the upper levels if necessary. A very slow rise should be watched or checked on every 15 minutes. A steady or fast rise means you should start moving to higher ground right away. To mark water lines, use a florescent or glow in the dark chalk, as power will likely be out during the height of the danger.
The second thing to do during a hurricane is to monitor the weather. This can be done with several portable devices that are designed to be effective during power outages. Listen for reports of tornados and walls of water in your area and then take cover or move to higher ground. During such a storm, you will not want to be outside at all, for any reason. This means if a wall of water comes, do not go running out of your home. Go to the attic.
The third thing to do during a hurricane is get ready and monitor for other problems. In these mostly evacuated neighborhoods, looting and break-ins are a fact but these criminals usually avoid homes with clear signs that someone is still there. This does not mean to remove the boards over your windows. Simple lights showing through the cracks are enough, even if it is just candlelight. Other problems you may face include neighborhood fires from damaged or flooding electric lines and equipment, loose pets that may be aggressive, and the lack of emergency personnel, once the hurricane has made landfall.
If there is more than one person, keep track of the above things in shifts so that there is always someone watching for problems and always be fully ready to flee if your shelter starts to collapse. However, flooding is the biggest threat, so you’ll need to be able to go to an upper floor or level, even if it is very small. The roof should not be used except as a last resort and not before the winds have died down or the threat of the water will be replaced by flying shrapnel.
