UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension
Hurricane Season Begins

Para la traduccíon al español, marque aqui.

 

Now is the time to review your Family Disaster Plan
(click here for the PDF file from the Red Cross)

If a Tropical Storm or Hurricane Watch or Warning
has been issued, stay near your television to get updates
or listen to your radio, and obey advisories promptly.

If No Evacuation Has Been Ordered

  • Collect your Family Disaster Supplies Kit, along with blankets and sleeping bags, and keep them with you.
  • Call your emergency contact person to report your plans.
  • Keep children and pets indoors.
  • Make sure you have cash and your car has a full tank of gas in case you must evacuate.
  • Make sure a battery-powered radio is nearby.
  • If you are not told to evacuate, stay put! The roads should be available for others who need to leave 

What To Do Outside

  •  Make sure all windows are protected with shutters or plywood.
  • Store away lightweight objects which could become missiles in high winds.
  • Anchor down objects that cannot be brought inside.
  • If you are in a mobile home, check your tie downs and evacuate immediately.  

What To Do Inside 

  • For drinking, fill food-grade containers with water from your tap and place them in the refrigerator.
  • For sanitary use, thoroughly clean the bathtub with bleach and fill with water.
  • Place all your valuables and records in a waterproof container and store on the highest floor of your home.  

If An Evacuation Has Been Ordered  

  • Determine, to the best of your ability, if you can indeed reach your evacuation destination and leave in plenty of time to get there.
  • Turn off all your utilities, such as water and electricity.
  • Pack your Family Disaster Supplies Kit plus extra blankets and sleeping bags.
  • Call your emergency contact person to report your plans.
  • Lock the windows and doors of your home before leaving.
  • Tune your car radio to a news station to hear updates on evacuation routes.
  • Be sure to follow the recommended evacuation routes to avoid flooded roads and washed out bridges.
  • High winds and flooding are common. Beware.

In A Mobile Home  

  • Leave your mobile home immediately and take shelter elsewhere.  

If Relocating To An Evacuation Shelter
You can ensure a more comfortable stay by packing the following often forgotten items:  

  • Prescription medication
  • Pillows, blankets
  • Books and games for the kids

If In Your Home, Be Wary Don't disregard an evacuation notice, even if a tropical storm or hurricane doesn't make landfall. 

  • High winds and local flooding are common.
  • If along the immediate coast and in danger of a serious surge, follow evacuation orders.
  • If you have not evacuated and it is too late to do so, find a room, closet or alcove without windows on an upper floor in which to find refuge until the storm officially passes.
  • If not in a location susceptible to a coastal storm surge and evacuation has not been advised, go to an interior room on the lowest floor of the building to protect yourself from wind-related damage, much as you would in a tornado situation.
  • Never let a false sense of security lull you into passivity. Even if the winds die down, it could simply be the eye passing overhead. This is the calm before the other half of the storm which could whip up with a vengeance.

Information you need to know before, during, and after a disaster 

Weather related Pages

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Para la traduccíon al español, escoja la bandera española arriba. Spanish flag
El servicio tradutor utilizado aqui puede hacerle publicidad a una variedad de bienes o servicios. La Universidad de Florida y el Servicio de Extension de IFAS no tiene ningún control sobre aquel publicidad, ni aproba los bienes o servicios así ofrecidos.

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