Staying connected with your community
and keeping on top of weather reports is the most effective way to do
this. This way, you will be alerted to hurricane watches and
hurricane warnings without delay. The difference between a hurricane
watch and a hurricane warning is simply in the time anticipated for
the hurricane to arrive. For a hurricane watch, this is a time frame
of 48 hours; for a hurricane warning, 36 hours.
Make it a habit to check weather
reports daily from a reliable source, like environment Canada, in
addition to a radio station that gives frequent updates as the
weather changes. This is key because hurricanes move so quickly that
they cannot be anticipated very far in advance. You don't want to
miss out on preparation time simply because of a delay in learning of
a hurricane's approach.
Next, you will want to stock your home
with supplies for several days. We'll look at what supplies you
should have on hand in our next post. It's worth mentioning, though,
that while you're out picking up your provisions, you should make
sure to come home with a full tank of gas.
Once you get back home, remove any
loose items that the wind could pick up from your yard and secure
them in a sheltered area. This can help prevent these items from
becoming damaged, and from causing damage as well when they are
hurled at high speeds against your property.
As understandable as it is that you
don't want to leave your home in a time of crisis, be prepared to
evacuate if this is what your authorities advise. Listen to the
radio, stay in touch with others in the area, and try and learn of
evacuation advisories as soon as you can. If you have been advised to
evacuate, have a household plan that includes which members of your
family will be responsible for what portions of the evacuation, what
you will take with you, and where you will head to. Reviewing and
rehearsing these plans long before the need arises can minimize the
panic of actually carrying them out when the time comes.