Hurricane Video Tips

MORE HURRICANE SAFETY TIPS 

Preparing a Business

Each business owner should prepare or review their own Preparedness and Recovery Plan. ‘Business as usual’ will not happen without good planning.”

• Review your property insurance with your insurance agent. Take photographs or make a video of your business establishment, both inside and outside. 
• Determine and establish a written Hurricane Preparedness Plan for your business and its contents. Coordinate this plan with local and state officials.  Specify the conditions under which the plan will be implemented.
• Test your plan, reviewing it annually. Establish an employee-training program on your Hurricane Plan.
• Make plans for protection of your computer files, including an off-site back-up system to secure and safely store data.
• Protect corporate records, keeping duplicates at an alternate location.
• Well in advance, acquire emergency protective equipment and supplies. Heavy plastic sheeting, duct tape, sandbags, emergency generator, chain saw and large pieces of plywood will help protect your property.
• Bring in display racks and other objects, such as trashcans that might cause damage if airborne.  Remove outdoor signs, especially those that swing or are portable.
• Move merchandise, equipment or furniture away from windows or skylights. Elevate boxes or equipment, if possible.
• Turn off electricity and disconnect all electrical appliances and equipment (except for refrigeration equipment), in case there is a power outage.  An ensuing power surge could be damaging to connected equipment.
• Inform all employees on when and how you will notify them to report back to work.
• Develop an employee identification system, such as picture ID badges. This may help employees gain access to the area after a hurricane.
• If possible, make arrangements to pay employees in cash.  It may be several days before banking institutions are operational.

Preparing a Car

During a storm, cars and trucks are safest in a covered garage, or away from trees that might topple over.

But many vehicles end up getting damaged after a storm, when drivers try to navigate deep puddles of standing water.

Never drive through standing water of an unknown depth. Here's why:

• Engine intake system. Water in the intake system ultimately gets into the cylinders, in which pistons compress air. But water doesn't compress, and the resulting pressure inside the engine can bend piston rods or crack the engine block. Either essentially ruins the engine.
• Transmission. Water makes the gears slip
• Brakes. If the rotors are extremely hot, exposure to water can warp them. The result is your car will vibrate when you try to brake. Water may get into the brake lines and cause brake failure immediately or later, when you least expect it. Experts suggest that, after rolling through deep water, drivers pump their brakes to squeeze water from the pads.
• Interiors. Water in the driver and passenger compartment ruins carpets, upholstery and the foam in the seats.
• Electronic systems. Many manufacturers install automobile computers in the floorboards and under the seats. Water damage to these components can result in all sorts of electrical and electronic problems.
• Hidden damage. If your vehicle has been damaged by flooding, you should not start the engine. That could cause further damage. The best thing is not to drive the car at all and call a mechanic and have the vehicle towed in for an inspection.

The longer the water stays in the vehicle, the greater the potential for damage.

If your car is flooded:

• Check with your insurance agent to verify extent of coverage before repairs begin.
• If your car stalled because of flooding, have a mechanic look at it before you restart it. A car might start up after a dousing, but problems with certain systems — water in brake lines, for instance — might not show up until later and cause dangerous failures while you're driving.
• The engine, transmission, brakes and power steering are the most vulnerable systems. Electrical systems also are extremely subject to damage, and water-sensitive components might need to be replaced.
•  At the very least, oil and filters need to be changed; the oil pan is usually the lowest portion of an engine, and water may have seeped in.
• If you clean the wet interior of a car yourself, take out all the carpeting and let it dry thoroughly. Damp carpet left in cars can cause rust months later. Keep in mind that some parts of a car are inaccessible to the average car owner. Door locks, window regulators, wiring harnesses and heating and air-conditioning components often are tucked into small spaces and can fail at later dates.
• Restoring a car severely damaged by a flood might not be cost-effective. Check the market value of your car against the estimated repair bill before any repairs.

Preparing a Boat

No one should ever attempt to ride out a storm in a boat. To protect themselves and their craft, boaters need to plan ahead.

That means updating your boat- and car-insurance coverage as soon as possible. Some policies cover hurricanes, but others might add coverage for an additional cost.

Develop a detailed plan of what to do with your boat and automobile if a hurricane approaches.

Ideally, the best place to secure a boat is indoors, such as a garage or storage facility away from flood-prone areas.

The next best option would be getting the watercraft out of the water and anchoring it with tie-downs in an open area without trees nearby.

If your boat is on a lake or river and you can't take it out of the water, then make it as watertight as possible, and check to make sure the batteries are fully charged and the bilge pumps work.

Make sure the boat lines are double-secured and preferably covered so they won't rub through.

Keep in mind that the winds are going to come from all directions.

If your boat is docked on the coast, the Coast Guard recommends moving it out of a storm's projected strike zone at least 72 hours in advance. That means a boater needs to be extra vigilant about watching for approaching storms during hurricane season. 

Generator Safety

Be sure to observe these guidelines when using a gas-powered generator:

• Always observe the manufacturer's instructions for safe operation.
• Run your generator outdoors in a well-ventilated area. Never run a generator indoors.
• Protect your generator from exposure to rain. Operate under a canopy, if possible.
• Make sure your generator is on a level, stable surface.
• Keep combustible materials away from generators.
• Never plug the generator directly into the main circuit for your home.
• Keep up with your generator engine's maintenance schedule for peak performance and safety.
• Check the oil daily, or after every eight hours of operation.
• Before refueling, turn engine off and let cool at least two minutes.
• Keep gas fresh. Add a gas stabilizer when planning to store your generator unused for 30 days or longer.

Portable generators can be hazardous if used improperly. The two biggest risks are carbon monoxide poisoning from the toxic engine exhaust and electrocution from connecting the generator to the home electrical wiring system.

To avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning:

• NEVER use a generator indoors or in attached garages.
• Only operate the generator outdoors in a well-ventilated, dry area, away from air intakes to the home, and protected from direct exposure to rain, preferably under a canopy or carport or in an open shed.
• To avoid electrocution:
• Plug individual appliances into the generator using heavy duty, outdoor-rated cords with a wire gauge adequate for the appliance load.
• Observe the generator manufacturer's instructions for safe operation.
• Do not plug the generator into a wall outlet.
• If connecting the generator into the house wiring is necessary, have a qualified electrician hook up the standby electrical system, or have the local utility install a linking device if available.
• If at all possible, avoid connecting the electrical output of the generator into the house wiring. Instead, connect individual appliances that have their own outdoor-rated power cord directly to the receptacle outlet of the generator, or connect these cord-connected appliances to the generator's electrical outlet via a suitable, outdoor-rated extension cord with a sufficient wire gauge to handle the electrical load.
• Never store gasoline in the home.
• Gasoline, kerosene and other flammable liquids should be stored outside of living areas in properly labeled, non-glass safety containers.

Preparing Your Windows

Whether your home is old or new, it may not be able to withstand the fierce winds of a hurricane or tornado. Falling debris can shatter windows and strong wind can cause any weak places in the home to give way.

Plywood is a 'hot' commodity for those of who decide to stay. Boarding up windows that will take the brunt of the wind and rain is the wisest decision. If board is not available, protect your windows from the wind by criss-crossing them with layers of duct or packing tape. This will be enough protection for light-to-medium winds, but learning how to build and install plywood hurricane shutters is your safest bet. If you can afford it, have them installed by a professional.  The easiest and most effective way to protect windows and glass doors is to install storm shutters. Building supply stores sell many kinds of storm shutters.

Preparing Your Yard

Before the storm

• Make sure shed doors are closed tightly: otherwise, they could end up blowing off their hinges and becoming dangerous projectiles.
• Bring in flags and awnings.
• Hurricane safety tips for your vehicle: don't park cars under trees (especially if you may be in the car when the storm strikes!).
• Firmly stake tall garden plants that could snap in high winds.
• Store lawn ornaments away, such as gazing balls. Not only is it a matter of saving the ornaments, but they can become dangerous projectiles in a storm!
• Remove house ornaments that are not secure, such as fall wreath displays.
• Check pool covers to ensure that they are secure.
• Harvest any fragile items in the garden that are mature enough to be picked, including flowers to be used for cut flower arrangements. There's no point in letting the storm wreck them.
• Remember that storms sometimes bring flooding in their wake, and that means potential erosion problems. If you live on a steep slope or close to a body of water, among the hurricane safety tips you must contemplate is evacuation (remain aware of what local authorities are recommending). In areas of your yard where water is known to pass through, remove any items of value.

Well Before the Storm

• On the subject of erosion control and hurricane safety tips, a French Drain is one way to provide your yard with adequate drainage. Of course, the time to do so is not the day before a storm is due to arrive!
• Another hurricane safety tip that must be acted on well in advance of storm season is the removal of unstable trees or tree limbs that hang precariously over a home. You may consider hiring tree service professionals to remove such trees or limbs. This is one of the more important hurricane safety tips here, since falling trees and limbs pose a hazard to your person, too. Consider hiring a pro if this isn't a job you think you can handle yourself.

Preparing Your Valuables

It’s a pretty tough task to hurricane proof your valuables.  But you can speed payment of an insurance claim by following this advice. 

• Take videos or photos of your belongings before a hurricane. Business owners should do the same.
  Move methodically from room to room with a video camera. As you zoom in on an object, state for the video its cost and where you bought it. If you're using a still camera, keep a list of item prices and where the items were bought. 
  

• Take inventory of your closets, bureaus and storage areas. List everything, including shirts, socks, shoes, silverware, bath towels, bed sheets, pots, pans and gardening tools. The more documentation in your claim, the faster it should be settled.

• Keep all receipts, especially for big-ticket items such as refrigerators, stoves, television sets, DVD gear, stereos, computers and photocopiers.

• Keep all lists, photos and records in a dry, safe place off the premises. Make two copies of your video and photos, keeping one at home and the other at a separate site, perhaps a safety deposit box. Update the video, photos and documents occasionally, especially after holidays.