Getting Ready for a Tropical Storm or Hurricane

A hurricane or tropical storm can cause significant damage from high winds, storm surge, and flooding. In Daytona Beach, FL, hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Here are some tips on how you can prepare for and stay safe during a hurricane.

Getting Ready

Planning is essential to keeping your family safe when a hurricane or tropical storm strikes. Here’s what you need to do to get ready:

• Be aware: Sign up for local and national emergency alerts, and access NOAA alerts via a battery-powered NOAA radio, an app, or online.
• Create an emergency plan: Compile a list of emergency phone numbers, decide where family members will meet, know your evacuation route, and keep important information in a waterproof container (back up the data on a flash drive, the Cloud, your phone, or a hard copy stored off site).
• Gather supplies: Remember that some supplies are limited due to COVID-19, so allow extra time to collect emergency supplies. Pack the following in a duffel bag or plastic bin that fits into your vehicle: a seven-day supply of water (one gallon per person) and nonperishable food items; manual can opener and plastic eating utensils, cups, and plates; flashlight, batteries, matches; pet supplies and a sleeping bag or blanket; and cleaning supplies for use in a shelter or when you return home. Put gas in your vehicle in case you have to evacuate.
• Pack an evacuation “go kit”: Include medications, first aid kit, baby items, and eyeglasses and contact lens and solution; cell phone, charger, and laptop; a change of clothes and personal hygiene items, including hand sanitizer and face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19; and cash or traveler’s checks.
• Protect your home: Clean out clogged downspouts and gutters to prevent flooding; put away trash cans, gardening tools, and lawn furniture; close hurricane shutters or board up windows with 1/2-inch plywood; and unplug small appliances and turn off propane tanks.

During the Storm

Listen for information and alerts. If you’re told to evacuate, follow instructions as to when and how. Follow these additional guidelines to stay safe:

• Stay indoors.
• In the event of a power outage, use flashlights, not candles.
• If you evacuate to a community shelter, practice CDC guidelines for COVID-19: social distancing, hand sanitizing, and wearing a face covering.
• Don’t drive through floodwater.
• If floodwater traps you in your home or a building, move to a higher floor. Do not move to a closed attic because you can become trapped by rising floodwater.

After the Hurricane

Continue listening for additional alerts and updated instructions, including information about storm surge, flooding, and extended rainfall. Let family members and friends know that you are safe. If you evacuated, return home only after authorities have said it is safe to do so. Here are some other things to keep in mind:

• Don’t wade in floodwater or enter a building that has water around it.
• Use texts or social media to communicate to avoid overloading phone lines.
• Take pictures to document damage to your home and belongings.
• Wear rubber gloves and boots during cleanup.
• Discard food, including canned items, that was not kept at the proper temperature.
• Don’t drink tap water until you’re confident that it’s safe.

If your home or business has sustained flooding, water, or storm damage from a hurricane, ServiceMaster Professional Services is the restoration company you can trust. Licensed and insured, we have the expertise and skills to return your home or business to normal. We serve Daytona Beach, Deltona, Port Orange, Palm Coast, and surrounding communities.