Have a plan. Have a kit. Pay attention.
Those are the three key guidelines for family disaster readiness, not just for a hurricane, but for any emergency.
No generic blueprint fits all. Every family’s needs and concerns will differ, which is why it is important to sit down as a family, develop a plan and review it at least annually.
Officials urge people to remember when they have gone camping. What did you need to get along on your own in the woods. What did you take to be self-sufficient?
Consider three basic elements
• How will you respond to various emergencies?
• Will you need to stay or leave?
• What do you need to get along comfortably for as long as a week without aid from others or access to normal supply chains, electricity and water?
For most emergencies in Hampton Roads, the threat of flooding determines who should stay and go. Figure out what conditions would force you to move inland. If your home is safe from flooding in minimal hurricanes, you probably are better off staying put.
But if you are told to evacuate, do it quickly so you are not trapped on crowded highways as conditions worsen.
Prepare supplies, be ready
Whether you stay or go, you need to prepare the supplies necessary for survival and make certain you have all your important documents. Make sure your supply kit is assembled and easy to grab and carry with you on short notice.
As a family, discuss all contingencies, from a home fire to flooding. Identify multiple escape routes from your home and, if needed, make sure you have drop-down ladders for escape from a second- or third-floor window.
Make sure members of your family know where and how to turn off utilities, such as electricity, natural gas and water.
Write out and frequently update a list of emergency phone numbers and keep copies near every phone. Teach children how to use 911. And consider elderly and disabled family members and pets.
An emergency might occur while your family is spread across the region. How will you communicate? Where will you assemble? Do you know your school’s plan for your children? Have an out-of-town contact anyone in your household could call to get information on what your family is doing.
Set a plan and follow it
Don’t make excuses when the time comes. If it was smart to use when you planned it, it’s smart to use when the threat is real.
Have trigger points in your plan, and when you reach those points, do what you said you would.
There are too many variables to leave planning for the moments before – or during – a disaster.
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WIND AND RAIN
having lived in Texas for many years I learned to respect the force of wind and rain.I saw first hand what a major storm can do.I lived in a cracker box home which was not the ideal place to weather a major storm.We had attempted to evacuate and made it only 20 or so miles when the traffic back up had us return to the realitive safty of our home.The sound of the wind howling coupled with the sound of trees cracking was frightening.We had a tin roof and when hail and storm debries contact that surface it makes on heck of a racket.After we managed to get out to survey the damage and the sight that I first saw was a 60 foot shrimp sittng just down the street from us in the middle of the road.Two miles from water.This was 1964 and I wasd only 10. There is a lot to be said about wind and rain.
Isabel Lesson
Get some cash out for basic stuff for the week - just like food and other aid, you will need cash at some point. If all the power is out like it was with Isabel, your sweet little VISA won't get ya anywhere.
And don't buy vienna sausages.... I still have nightmares about those little suckers after that hurricane.
I keep a . . .
I keep a hybrid wedge and a ball retriever, becasue you always need to be prepared for any hazard.
Why rely on government
What happend to self reliance? I see several comments about the gov and what they did and didnt do but what about paying attention to your area and the old saying history repeats itself? And yes I have seen devistation I lost my hometown in 1992 thanks to Andrew. In reality if you compair all the storms from Florida to Massachusetts( hurricane bob) you have to not only consider wind but water. The flooding is what destroyed and caught Louisiana off guard not the wind, andrew caused wind damage but not flooding. Look into all aspects when prepairing for storm season look at where you live are you near a canal are you near the shore more deaths are related from the flooding after a storm then the wind itself ( except in terms of tornados) If you have a massive tree take it down now, I know many wont want to hear it but you can check FEMA website as well as the NOAA website for more information and NEVER EVER EVER SAY it wont happen to this area because IT WILL AND CAN its just when Mother Nature decides its time not us
To Chesapeake
"The price of flood insurance is federally regulated NOT the policy."
WRONG-ALL POLICIES ARE STATE REGULATED. FLOOD IS VIA FEMA.
Don't like it? Don't live in a flood zone. I live in coastal NC where I have to have a seperate wind and hail policy. This is the states fault for strong arming insurance companies who will not offer me coverage now. The cost is equal to my "hazard" ins. You stated that you have to pay extra for contents on a flood policy so it is available. You just think it cost to much. If you really want to get no acts of god covered just move to coastal NC.
The biggest problem in LA was that many people disputed a flood caused the damage. Many had no flood insurance. Others felt their was broader coverage under the "hazard" than the flood. Others claimed they didn't see it coming. I saw the flood, and I saw it coming because I have TV and a brain. I am sick of subsidizing people who live in a tidal pool. Your comments are not thought out well.
Why they are called right wingnuts
No one with any sense would try to defend the bush administration's incredibly incompetent response to the Katrina disaster.
While the state and local governments must share some of the responsibility, they never had the resources to fully respond. The scope of the disaster required a strong, federal response.
Instead, we got the bush's administration's usual incompetence.
The real ignorance comes from right wingnuts who refuse to accept that the bush administration has set new lows for honesty, accountability and competence.
I love the ignorance...
georges61555 wrote:
I have never been more ashamed of our Government than I was at the Katrina devistation.
Considering the federal government did what it was supposed to do, George, I would say your comments are uninformed and ignorant. In order for the feds to mobilize, the Governor had to declare a state of emergency, which she did after the fact (this can be done days in advance of a major hurricane). The mayor waited till the last minute to mandate evacuations, which could have been done on the hundreds of school buses (you know the ones shown in the "pictures of horror").
You hear a lot about the people "stuck" in NO, but you hear nothing of the thousands that DID evacuate, came back and re-built without a government hand-out (yes, my sister-in-law's father was one of these individuals).
Wayne, I give up
"HOW MANY PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS SAID, "OH GOVERNMENT SAVE ME!"
I give up how many people said "Save Me"? How many days did our Government ignore the devistation of Katrina? How many days did those people have to live in filth, how many died, how many displaced, how many lives were totally disrupted, how many people lost everything they had?
I have never been more ashamed of our Government than I was at the Katrina devistation. Pictures of that horror will live with me forever.
Hazel
to clarify earlier comments:
Hurricane Hazel was a Cat 4 when it went aground at the SC/NC border. It was well inland before it made it to VA. It was still very strong, but not a 4 when it was here. 78 MPH gusts were recorded in Norfolk (unofficial gust in Hampton at 130).
We have never had a Cat 4 hit out area. (well, maybe the 1821 storm)
As someone who went down and worked after Katrina, this area has no concept of what a strong storm can/will do. We have NEVER experienced a strong storm in our lifetimes here. Are we ready? Of course not. You cannot be ready for a Katrina. Anybody who has seen the damage first hand knows this. You can only prepare to leave, you cannot really prepare property to survive.
Sound familiar?
The price of flood insurance is federally regulated NOT the policy. My flood insurance policy only covers the structure from a flood only. The cost is the same as hazard insurance (in my opinion hazard insurance should cover ANY act of God/nature). The contents including carpet is not covered unless you pay more. In New Orleans the hazard policy underwriters told homeowners that the damage was caused by flooding. The flood policy underwriters told the homeowners that the damage was caused by wind. Neither pays until the issue is resolved. How long does it take for the claim to be settled? Ask someone from New Orleans.
New Orleans
HOW MANY PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS SAID, "OH GOVERNMENT SAVE ME!"
Weather is still a guessing game.
The bottom line is: You're on your own.
I just hope....
That these goof-ball weather guessers have some sort of professional attitude and give accurate accounts of what is goint. Not the same silly triple-viper-double-dopler-super-sweep video games they usually play. Watching how they dance around the screen when we have a thurder storm, it's scary that we might have to rely on them to give important information. Instead of playing with the mouse, telling us how your fancy million dollar radar is the best, please give us information we can use. When it come time for a major storm, it's not important who was "first", or who "took action", but how informative the information is.
Storms
As one who responds to disasters and has seen what they do I assure you this area is not ready as most of the officials and citizens have not experienced even a minor storm nor have taken the storm situation seriously. Likewise, should a category 3 hurricane or greater threaten this area I suggest you leave early as very few cities along the evacuation route have designated shelters of last resort. You will most likely we caught on the road with no place to go if you do not leave early – I’m taking days not hours.
If you elect to stay I suggest you have supplies for a week not the recommended 72 hours. More important don’t depend upon local help as they too are not prepared.
It is highly recommended you have a plan and notify relatives outside the area of your intentions. Develop a relationship with your neighbors and plan on helping each other.
Just dumb
I have flood insurance. It covers the entire amount of my homes replacement cost. It is not just federally regulated, but it is backed by the goverment and your tax dollars. How you came to the conclusion the lobbyist for an industry affects a federal program from FEMA is beyond me. It sounds like you live in a flood prone area and may have some sour grapes? It's kinda' silly to move into a flood zone and then complain about the GOVERMENT PROGRAM which made it possible for you to get your loan.
The real worry is...
that the insurance company lobbyist have weaseled their way out of paying for damages caused by acts of nature. Do you really know what your flood insurance policy covers? The answer is, "not much" and it cost more than your hazard insurance policy. Don't worry it's federally regulated...
Hurricane Hazel
Hazel hit our area in 1954 and was a Category IV storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. In Norfolk, it tore a battleship free and shoved it ashore. I remember hearing about many (then new) homes that lost roofing shingles and siding. And that's when houses were built with wood.
Our current buidling codes are *very* worrisome to me. Using OSB only on the corners, with insulating boards nailed directly to 2x4s on 16" centers and then covering the whole of it with vinyl siding seems VERY FOOLISH, especially in an area prone to hurricanes. Such homes have no structural integrity to withstand severe weather.
If we ever have a severe storm again (like Hazel), there's going to be a whole lot of plastic piled up somewhere. Most vinyl siding (which is principally Polyvinyl Chloride, or PVC) is rated only to 100 mph.