Hurricane season begins each year on June 1 and doesn’t end until November 30, and this year could be another active one. Although hurricanes do not happen as frequently as other natural disasters, like tornadoes, they can be far more destructive. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help protect your family, home, or business from hurricane damage.
Plan Ahead
Preparing for a significant storm event, such as a hurricane, begins with planning in advance. Unlike a tornado, hurricanes typically come with an advanced warning.
Every home should have an emergency kit stocked with basic supplies that will last at least three days. Please refer to the graphic below for examples of essential items that should be located in an emergency kit. In the event you do not feel safe in your own home, research local storm shelters in advance to know where to go in the event of an impending storm.
Prepare Your Home
When a hurricane is approaching your community, there are several steps you can take to better prepare your home before impact. Some of these steps include bringing outdoor furniture inside, securing all other outdoor items, creating an inventory of items in your home, filling bathtubs with extra water, and covering windows when possible.
Stay Informed
It is important to stay tuned to local radio and television stations, The Weather Channel, and the National Hurricane Center for risk information in your area. If you lose power, tune in to a local or NOAA radio station using the battery-powered radio in your emergency kit. This will help you stay current on the status of the storm and any evacuation notices. In the event of prolonged power outages, we will also provide daily information on restoration efforts and progress. We encourage you to follow Dixie Electric on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the most up-to-date outage information.
In addition to these tips, I would also like to encourage you to check on your elderly or disabled neighbors to assist them in their preparation efforts. Additional preparedness tips are available at the Dixie Electric website.
We may not be able to prevent a hurricane from affecting our area, but we can help you prepare for such an event. By preparing before the season begins, you can reduce the storm’s impact on your family, home, or business. As always, we are making our preparations here at Dixie Electric and will be ready to respond.
