It’s hurricane season – be prepared

Hurricane season in the Atlantic began June 1 and stretches for six months, until Nov. 30. It’s time to make sure you’re prepared.

Start off by learning what your risks are for storm surge, flooding and wind based on where you live. Take heed of the alerts announced by the weather services, town or village: a hurricane watch means conditions are favorable for the development of a serious storm, so you should be alert, be aware of the threat and prepare for action. A warning means the threat is imminent. That’s when you should grab your emergency kit and take immediate action.

Hurricane watches are usually issued 48 hours before a storm, giving you time to make last-minute preparations and evacuate. Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center advise beginning evacuation when the first watches are issued, or even earlier. For a major storm, like Hurricane Sandy was, they advise leaving five days prior to the storm’s arrival so you can get yourself and your loved ones out of harm’s way and find shelter.

Take the time now to develop a plan. Where will you and your family go in the event of a storm? Plan a safe evacuation route, learn the location of emergency shelters or, if you plan to stay with friends or relatives, establish an evacuation timetable with them. Because the call to evacuate could come when children are in school and parents are at work, be sure to plan for sheltering apart.

Designate a person outside the area to act as communications coordinator. When possible, have every family member check in with that person instead of trying to reach one another. Phones — landlines and cells — may not work once the storm hits, and there may be no or only spotty Internet connections. There may be no electricity, so be sure to alert your contact person before you begin your evacuation, and check back in as soon as you can. Make evacuation plans for your pets as well.

Take clear photos of everything in your home for insurance purposes. Post pictures of important documents and household property to a “cloud” service if you have one, or put them on a flash drive and mail that or hard copies to someone outside the hurricane zone. Include copies of your driver’s license, passport ID page or other photo ID, insurance forms, copies of your credit cards, bank account information, important phone numbers and addresses, birth certificates and deeds. You could do that now.

Make a “go bag,” and keep it stocked and up to date. Include prescriptions for all medications you take, as well as an ample supply of all of them. Be sure the bag has an extra set of house and car keys, cash, bottled water and non-perishable food such as granola bars, a flashlight and extra batteries, a weather radio, lightweight rain gear, a Mylar blanket for sleeping and warmth, at least one change of clothes, and waterproof matches and candles or hurricane lamps and oil.

If you’re staying home, be sure to have water — at least one gallon per person per day, and to be safe, plan for at least 10 days. Have canned food and a non-electric can opener, plus Sterno to heat food, but only use it if it’s safe to do so. Have flashlights and batteries, a battery or crank radio, a whistle for each family member, iodine tablets or bleach for purifying water, soap, toothbrushes and any child or pet care supplies.

Gas up and move your vehicles to high ground. A generator will supply power for light, heat and cooking, but it must be out of the reach of storm surge and floodwaters, and never used indoors. Move as much as you can out of the basement or crawl space, but also be aware that high winds may damage or destroy the roof, so don’t store your precious belongings in the attic. Empty the garbage, and if you have a propane grill that will be protected, make sure the tanks are full. Take down any overhanging tree branches and cut down suspicious trees.

Before the storm surge comes, turn off your house’s main breaker, and the gas. Back up the contents of your computer to the cloud, and unplug it and your TV.

The No. 1 thing Sandy survivors we’ve talked to said they would do in the event of another storm is leave. At the very least, parents said, they would take their children and families away from the trauma and stress of the storm.

We all hope we never have to endure another Sandy. But hope alone won’t stem a storm tide, quiet the winds, feed the kids or document an insurance claim if anything like Sandy II blows in.