Be Prepared for Hurricane Joaquin

While we don’t yet know exactly what track Hurricane Joaquin will take, officials up and down the East Coast are encouraging everyone in the state to be prepared.

By Thursday morning, Hurricane Joaquin has intensified into a strong Category 3 hurricane, and appears to be heading toward landfall somewhere along the East Coast.

The storm will have impacts all along the East Coast this weekend. The exact impacts of Joaquin on specific areaswill depend on its exact track and strength, but if it passes close by or makes landfall, flooding rains, damaging winds and coastal flooding are possible.

From knowing what zone you live in, knowing the risk, being prepared and staying informed, officials are urging residents to be ready just in case.

Know Your Risk

A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 74 mph. Hurricanes are categorized based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. This scale estimates potential property damage.

The primary hazards associated with hurricanes include:

• Storm Surge
• Heavy Rainfall & Inland Flooding
• High Winds
• Tornadoes
• Rip Currents

Be Prepared

To prepare for a hurricane, emergency officials encourage all individuals and families to do the following:

Build an Emergency Kit:

Every home and business should have a stocked basic Emergency Kit that contains items and supplies that would help support you and your family during extended power outages or while you cannot get to a store. While some items are commonplace, such as bottled water and food, each kit should be customized to the needs of your family and should include medications and medical supplies, children’s items, and food and supplies for pets. To learn more about what a basic Emergency Kit should include please see our printer friendly checklist: Emergency Kit Checklist.

Create A Family Emergency Plan:

Develop a Family Emergency Communications Plan in case family members are separated from one another during an emergency. This plan should also address reunification after the immediate crisis passes.

• Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the Family Emergency Communications Plan contact person. During and immediately after a disaster occurs, it is often easier to access a long distance telephone number than a local one. Also, calling outside a disaster area is usually easier than calling into the same area. Text messages and the internet often have the ability to work in the event of phone service disruption or congestion.
• Keep a list of important contact phone numbers (particularly if your cell phone is lost or dead). Make sure everyone knows the name, address and telephone number of the Family Emergency Communications Plan contact person. Children should know their parent/ caregiver’s full name, home address, and an emergency contact number.
• Create a personal support network and a list of contacts that include caregivers, friends, family, neighbors, service/ care providers, and others who might be able to assist during an emergency.
• Designate two meeting areas for family members – one within your neighborhood, and one outside of your community (as an alternate location in case you can’t get home).

Create A Plan to Evacuate

Hurricanes may require evacuations, particularly for those who live or work in Hurricane Evacuation Zones. If you live or work in an evacuation zone, you should plan for and be prepared to evacuate during a hurricane as part of your emergency plan.

Listen to local and state officials and weather forecasts before and during a hurricane for evacuation information.

If evacuations are necessary, local and state officials may use the evacuation zones (Zone A, Zone B or Zone C) to identify areas to be evacuated.

Create A Plan to Shelter-In-Place

During hurricanes, if you do not evacuate, you will likely “shelter-in-place.” As part of your emergency plan, officials say you should consider what you would need or would need to do in advance of sheltering in place. This includes building an emergency kit and preparing your home and property for a hurricane.

Stay Informed

• Sign up for your community’s emergency alerting system to get local information.

• Carefully monitor the media and follow instructions from public safety officials as a storm approaches.
• Be aware of severe weather warnings and watches, which can be obtained from media sources, the National Weather Service, a NOAA all-hazards radio.