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7 Tips to Prepare for the Hurricane Season
Ray Cogan
With the 2021 Hurricane Season approaching, here are some tips to prepare you and your family for such an event.
The Hurricane Season typically picks up towards the end of Summer into the Fall. While we're up in Maryland and don't experience strong hurricanes with much regularity, there is plenty of reason for you to have a plan in the event one makes landfall nearby.
The team at Lindquist Insurance has put together a list of 7 different tips to get you thinking ahead. Being ready for a hurricane can make the difference, especially after seeing how quickly grocery stores can be wiped clean of necessary supplies over the last year.
While this list isn't exhaustive, we hope it serves as a bit of a starting point for you. If you have tips you'd like to share, please leave them below in the comments. Without further ado - let's start off with our list!
1. Check your first aid kit for expired products (or buy a first aid kit!)
A first aid kit is incredibly important to have, but make sure yours that's been sitting around doesn't have expired products. Acetaminophen and similar OTC drugs have an expiration date, and Band-Aids may lose some of their stickiness with time. By making sure your first aid kit is ready for action, you can feel secure in knowing that it'll be ready for you when you need it. We'd recommend checking your first aid kit annually. Set a recurring reminder on your phone's calendar app!
2. Make sure you have batteries, flashlights, and maybe a portable charger or two in-case of power outages.
Flashlights are no good with dead batteries! Make sure you'll have access to fresh batteries so you'll have the ability to see if the power goes out at night. In a similar vein, portable chargers may be useful not just to power your cell phones flash feature, but keep in contact with friends and family that want to make sure you're okay.
3. Prepare an evacuation plan.
Over the past few decades, there are a handful of storms that have displaced Maryland residents from their homes. While it isn't likely, it is a distinct possibility that you might want to think ahead on. Do you have some family that lives further inland, or maybe an old friend? It may be worth having a conversation about the storm season and whether or not they might be willing to spare a room or couch in the event that you and your family decide it's in your best interest to leave your home. With the right insurance coverage, and the ability to take important documents and photos with you, your safety comes first. Everything else is replaceable.
4. Audit the Outside of Your Home!
5. Drinking Water Tips.While it may not be common knowledge, different building materials have different weak points when it comes to extreme weather events. While shingles and siding might seem like obvious weak points, brick can turn porous with the combination of rain and high wind speeds. While there may not be much you can do to protect the outside of your building from damage other than collecting and discarding yard debris, it may help you when thinking about water damage that may make it's way inside.
6. Tarps, plywood & your electronics.In the event of a power outage or other infrastructure failures during a severe storm, water from the tap can be contaminated. The CDC recommends a gallon of water a day, for three days, for each family member and pet in the home. It may be worth cleaning the bathtub to store water in the event of a bad storm that you can boil in the event that your supply runs out. Of course, with these drinking water tips also comes the tip to get non-perishable foods that are easy to prepare.
7. Breathe.Having a few pieces of your "Get out of Dodge" kit ready and at your disposal will make it all the easier to hit the road if you're trying to cover up windows and suspicious spots on the roof. A few tarps and pieces of plywood for the rooms you definitely do not water in. Following that, you'll want to unplug electronics, get them up off of the floor and away from external walls. While a broken window and the water damage are definitely not something you want, an electrical fire while you're away and emergency services are preoccupied is something you'll want to avoid.
There are plenty of things you can do to prepare for a hurricane. Maintaining your home is a great way to make sure your home escapes as much damage as possible. We'd hope you'd have adequate home insurance coverage as well. In the past year we've seen how fast housing can raise in value, and we've also seen building materials skyrocket in prices, perhaps even surpassing your coverage limits. In the event of a total loss, you'd want to be protected with guaranteed replacement coverage. To make sure you have the coverage you need, give us a call at (301) 694-0008 and breathe easy knowing you're covered.
We hope this list helps you start to think about what you might need to prepare for a hurricane this season. Got hurricane tips you'd like to share? Let us know in the comments section below. If you've got some friends or family looking at a potential landfall, go ahead and send them this article. Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to check out our other blogs for more stories that might be interesting to you!
At Lindquist Insurance, we understand the unique needs of couples and are committed to helping you find the best coverage options. Our team of experienced agents is ready to assist you in navigating the complexities of insurance planning.
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