Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
ESPN 690
Hurricane safety: 16 tips that could save your life during a storm
By Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk,
2 days ago
Here are some safety tips from Ready.gov that could save your life during a hurricane.
Evacuation
1. If you are ordered to evacuate, you need to evacuate. The best way to stay safe is to be away from the storm’s landfall. The orders to evacuate are issued based on historical flood maps and the strength of the storm.
2. A Category 5 hurricane will bring “catastrophic damage,” officials with the National Hurricane Center warn, adding that “a high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
3. If you are in a mobile home, leave. Mobile homes will not survive a Category 5 hurricane.
4. Do not leave your pets at home, especially if they are outside.
If you stay
If you choose not to evacuate, or cannot leave, here are a few things you should do:
1. Get in a more secure room in your home – a closet or a bathroom without a window.
2. Stay on the bottom floor of your home unless the water is rising.
3. Do not go into your attic to escape rising water, you could get trapped. If you absolutely have to get in the attic to survive rising water, make sure you take an ax with you so you can cut a hole in the roof to escape.
4. If you are in an area that will flood, turn off the electricity at the main breaker before water gets into your home to reduce the risk of electrocution.
5. Of course, do not try to go outside during the storm. Pieces of buildings, roofs, trees and other objects will be flying through the air.
6. Do not use candles as a light source; flashlights are what you need to use.
During or after the storm
Do not use a generator during a storm.
Never use portable generators inside a home, in your garage, in your basement, or a crawl space.
Generators produce carbon monoxide and if they are inside your house, your home can fill up with carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide will kill you if you breathe too much of it. If you are using a portable generator to power appliances in your home following the storm, make sure you have a carbon monoxide alarm. Appliances should be plugged directly into a generator. Do not hook the generator to your household electrical system. You can hurt yourself and kill utility workers when they begin to reconnect electricity to homes.
Do not get anywhere near standing water. It could contain live electric wires. If you come in contact with it, you could be electrocuted. If you see wires on the ground after the storm, assume they are live.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0