State offers hurricane safety tips

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· Make certain you have enough fuel for your car.

· As you travel, keep listening to the radio for additional instructions.

· Watch for washed?out roads, earth slides, broken water or sewer mains, loose or downed electrical wires and falling or fallen objects.

· Don’t try to cross a stream or pool of water unless you are certain that the water will not be over your knees, or above the middle of your car’s wheels, all the way across. If you do decide it is safe to cross, put your car in low gear and drive very slowly to avoid splashing water into your engine and causing it to stop. Also, remember that your brakes may not work well after the car has been in deep water. Try them out a few times when you reach the other side.

If High Wind Occurs

· Garage doors are frequently the first feature in a home to fail. Reinforce all garage doors so that they are able to withstand high winds.

· If you do not live in an evacuation zone or a mobile home, designate an interior room with no windows or external doors as a “Safe Room.”

· Most mobile / manufactured homes are not built to withstand hurricane force winds. Residents of homes not meeting that level of safety should relocate to a nearby safer structure once local officials issue a hurricane evacuation order for their community.

· Once a hurricane warning is issued, install your window shutters or plywood panels.

· When a hurricane warning is issued for your community, secure or bring inside all lawn furniture and other outside objects that could become a projectile in high winds.

· Listen to local radio and television broadcasts for safety instructions from local officials, and go to your designated “Safe Room” when directed to do so.

· Do not leave your “Safe Room” until directed to do so by local officials, even if it appears that the winds calmed. Remember that there is little to no wind in the eye of a hurricane.

If Inland Flooding Occurs

· In high flood-prone areas, keep materials on hand like sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting, plastic garbage bags, lumber, shovels, work boots and gloves.

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