Prepare for Hurricane and Tornado Season
Don’t get caught off-guard by severe weather. Ready your family and home for a storm.
Whether you live along the coast or in Tornado Alley, advance planning for hurricanes and tornadoes can help to protect your loved ones and valuables.
A hurricane can pack wind speeds of over 160 mph and can drop more than 2.4 trillion gallons of rain a day, according to National Geographic. And according to the National Climatic Data Center, on average more than 1,000 tornadoes occur in the U.S. each year. Learn more about how to ready your family and your home for these severe weather events.
- Make a communications plan. Identify an out-of-state contact for each family member to call and check in with in case you become separated. Make sure everyone memorizes the phone number.
- Get advance warning. Download a weather app or sign up for text alerts from your local weather service. In case you don’t have access to a television or radio, this ensures you still get severe-weather warnings.
- Preserve valuables. Store your important documents and valuable items in a fireproof and waterproof safe to reduce the chance they’re lost.
- Document your belongings. Keep an up-to-date inventory of your household belongings. Should disaster strike, this record makes it easier to put together an insurance claim.
Safety Tips for Hurricanes
- Plan an evacuation route. Select a safe route for your family should you need to evacuate your area. Many communities have designated routes and shelters.
- Know your area. Learn your property’s elevation level — this can help you evaluate your danger when storm surge or tidal flooding is forecast. Also identify levees or dams in your area that could pose a threat if breached.
- Secure your home. Shut storm shutters or board up windows with 5/8-inch marine plywood. Bring in anything from outside that the wind could pick up. Unclog rain gutters and trim shrubs and trees.
- Prepare for flooding. Walk everyone in your household through the steps for turning off your home’s gas and power if you need to evacuate quickly.
Safety Tips for Tornadoes
- Create a plan. Identify a secure place to meet if a tornado warning is issued. Also note the safest locations to seek shelter in case someone cannot reach the designated area.
- Talk with your children. Discuss what a tornado is, the difference between warnings and watches, which county you live in so they know when weather warnings apply to them, and the best places to take shelter.
- Practice. Run through your emergency plan occasionally. Remind family members how to administer first aid, use a fire extinguisher, and turn off water, gas and electricity. Be sure to discuss these tornado safety tips as well.
- Remove dangerous debris. Throughout tornado season remove dead or diseased limbs from trees, and pick up downed branches. If tornadoes are forecast in your area, bring in outdoor furniture, toys, grills, trashcans or other objects that high winds could pick up.
Create an Emergency Kit
An emergency kit is essential for every household. Include these items:
- Weather radio
- Extra batteries
- First-aid kit
- A list of emergency contacts
- Activities for children
- Battery-powered cell phone charger
Click here for a comprehensive supply list from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.