In Case of Emergency: Evacuating During a Hurricane

With hurricane season in full swing, it may be more important than ever to know how to guard yourself against harm. Natural disasters pose a threat not only to infrastructure and personal property, but to your safety as well. How can you protect yourself from the worst of what hurricane season has to offer? Let us take a moment to discuss what you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe this hurricane season.

Being prepared with an emergency kit and evacuation plan can be a good place to start. Although nature is unpredictable, national forecasting will alert you about the potential of a storm striking. The NHC can typically predict a hurricane with decent accuracy within 2-3 days, with 36 hours of warning on average. It never hurts, however, to be prepared in advance. 

You may have to face the decision of whether or not to evacuate. Evacuating, however, can be the best way to exercise due caution in a potentially devastating situation. Many homeowners choose to shelter in place during hurricanes, assuming that they will be safe because they have been in the past, but there is no guarantee that such luck will continue. 

If you have any reservations about evacuating your home in an emergency, consider the following:  

• How is the structural integrity of your home? Do you doubt whether your residence will be able to withstand the storm due to age, construction, or proximity to falling trees?
• What are your options in a worst case scenario? If your home sustains damage during the storm, would you be able to survive with what you have until help arrives, contact emergency services or family for assistance, and/or exit the home of your own accord?
• How is your health? Do you use medications daily, have a bad heart, or require frequent medical care? 

 Make your plan ahead of time, and, if you have options, try to stay somewhere with limited residents in the house, and ideally a spare bedroom to minimize the risk from COVID-19 exposure. While your property may be valuable, it is also replaceable. Your health and welfare are not. Be prepared, and stay safe! For more information on the difficult decisions we may face during hurricane season, feel free to give our office a call to schedule a meeting.