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Letter to the editor

Staying or fleeing, just be prepared

By Times Staff Writer
Published June 1, 2005

It's June 1. Are you prepared for hurricane season? If not, it's not too late to make hurricane preparations, says Gary Vickers, Pinellas County's emergency management director. Because hurricanes generally don't strike Florida in June - most hurricanes hit in August or September - you still have time to get ready.

1. First and foremost, Vickers said, determine if you live in an evacuation zone. If you live on the water, in a flood-prone area or in a mobile home, chances are you will be among the first to leave. Decide where you would go; options could include a local shelter, a hotel or friends or family. This step just requires planning. If you decide to flee to a hotel, don't drive halfway across the state. Several people in the Tampa Bay area went to Orlando last year, only to be hit by winds. Choose a safe hotel or motel nearby.

2. Refresh your disaster evacuation kit. If you don't have one, make one. The biggies: two weeks of prescription medication, two weeks of nonperishable food, lots of water 1 gallon per person per day is a good guideline and battery-operated radios and flashlights (no candles!). More suggestions can be found on www.tampagov.net or www.redcross.org If you evacuate, take the kit with you. And take copies (and originals) of all important papers such as insurance policies, birth certificates and auto titles.

3. If you own a home, decide what you will do to cover your windows, even if you don't live in an evacuation zone. Measure your windows and buy plywood to board up before the storm hits. Or invest in aluminum shutters. Decide how you will reinforce your garage door.

4. If you do not live in an evacuation zone, designate a "safe room" in your house to ride out a storm. "It's the place to go during the worst of a storm," said Vickers. "An interior room, a small, interior bathroom or a closet." The room should be windowless.

5. Trim those trees. Decide what you will do with outdoor furniture and lawn decorations. Such things become projectiles in a hurricane, threatening your neighbors.

6. Finally, if you have pets, figure out what you will do with them if you evacuate. Leaving them home with food and water won't work. Leaving them in the car while you are in a shelter is also not okay. Most shelters do not take pets. Some hotels do. Finding a solution "may require spending money," said Vickers. This FEMA Web site has more ideas: http://www.fema.gov/library/hsus03.shtm

[Last modified June 1, 2005, 00:39:12]