Preparing for a Severe Storm There are many things that you can do to prepare for a severe storm. By preparing, you will be able to minimize the damage inflicted by the storm. There are many areas in the United States that provide ideal environments to live in most of the year. However, during part of the year severe storms threaten destruction on buildings and the nearby forests. For example, one area that faces severe hurricanes quite often is Florida. Florida often experiences these severe storms between the beginning of June and the end of November. Occasionally a rogue storm will hit the area during a different time of the year, especially in Chicago where storm damage is prominent. September tends to be the month the presents the most risk for a severe hurricane. Despite modern technology which can sometimes predict the severity and direction of travel of hurricane, mild storms can turn more ferocious and dangerous in a moment. These severe weather occurrences often feature fantastic lightning shows, tornadoes, and flooding. As a result, it is very important to fully prepare yourself, your family, and your home for a potential storm damage so that you can minimize the damage that is dealt. Due to the fact that you have a general idea of what to prepare for, you will be able to prepare much more effectively.
Be Prepared It is important to know when you should buckle down for a major threat and when you should be generally prepared. You can gain this knowledge through watching the news and weather report stations. Even if the warnings turn out to be nothing most of the time, it is still very important to be fully prepared as this could affect the health and safety of your family. With a general knowledge of what to expect you may also want to invest in your own personal storm tracker. This way if you do not have access to a radio or a television you will be able to track the storm as it progresses. Even a hurricane that is predicted to go in one direction can change its path at any moment. If it begins to head your way, you may want to know in enough time to be able to evacuate yourself and your family so that you do not have to face the danger. When a severe hurricane does begin coming
towards your town, you will want to make sure that you have completed the necessary preparations a full two days before it arrives in case it arrives sooner. Of course, this is not always possible, but you will need to complete as many preparations as you can. As it nears, watch out for various signs that it is close.
Signs of an upcoming storm These signs may include thins like tornadoes. As the strong winds move in, it is best to stay inside because the wind will pick up various objects and throw them down the street. These flying objects can be quite dangerous if you expose yourself to them. One of the first things you should do to minimize the amount of objects that will be flying around is clean up your lawn. Be sure that you put away lawn mowers, lawn furniture, grills, toys, and anything else that can be moved. If you do not already have a permanent shed, you may want to consider getting one so that you can tie all of these objects down. You will be doing others a service by making sure that your things do not fly away as they and their homes will not be exposed to it. If there are objects that could be picked up by the wind, but which are too heavy for you to move, you will want to make sure that they are firmly tied or attached to the ground. The next thing you will want to do is firmly secure your windows and doors. Windows are made of glass and they are particularly vulnerable to flying debris. As a result, you will want to use tape to cover them in a criss cross pattern. If they do get hit by something and break, they will not shatter and pieces will not fly all over the room if they are taped. Additional reinforcement can be added by nailing plywood to the outside of your home. Screen doors are also prone to damage and should be removed and stored indoors or in a shed. Door jams should also be reinforced and doors that are not used often should be boarded up. Make sure that you leave one or two doors unblocked so that you can easily leave your home if it suffers structural damage. Make sure that you have an emergency pack with food, water, a first aid kit, important documents and so forth packed so that you can leave if needed at a moment’s notice. A little preparation can make a bad situation much better.