The official hurricane season goes from June 1st until November 30th, with the season peaking from August until October. Hurricane safety and being properly prepared for the peak season is vital. Waiting until a storm is on the horizon, can leave you in a lurch due to a shortage of supplies or cause you to go out in dangerous conditions. Below are a few tips to help you make sure your family is properly prepared should a hurricane affect your area.
- Put together an emergency kit.
- Make sure your entire family is aware of your emergency plan.
- Keep updated with weather forcasts
- Secure your yard and home. Make sure there aren’t items in your yard that could take flight and cause damage. Cover your windows.
- Stock up on water, pet food, nonperishables, and other essentials in case you are without power for an extended period of time.
- Evacuate if necessary. Don’t wait until the last minute to evacuate. Last minute evacuations can endanger yourself, your family, and rescuers who may need to come help you
Last but not least,
review your insurance policies.
2018’s hurricane season was a devastating one for most of the Carolina’s. We were first slammed by Hurricane Florence, which has been said to be the wettest storm to ever hit North Carolina. Hurricane Florence caused devastating amounts of flooding for the majority of the Carolinas. Some areas received as much as 3 feet of rain from the storm. Just a few short weeks after Florence, the Carolinas were hit by Michael. Michael was a dryer storm, but what it lacked in rainfall it made up for with powerful winds.
Estimates are that only 1 percent of inland homes and 10-20 percent of coastal homes in North Carolina carried flood insurance during last seasons storms. This lack of coverage left many families homeless and reliant on government loans to rebuild. Flood insurance is affordable and needed by everyone, even if you aren’t located in a high risk flood zone. Flood insurance is not only important for hurricane safety, but for year round preparedness. The beginning of 2019 caused significant flooding in many areas of Western North Carolina due to heavy rains that had nothing to due with hurricanes. Unfortunately, many of these families were also lacking flood insurance. If you have any questions about flood insurance or would like a quote, contact our office today.