Are you ready for the next disaster? If your answer is no then chances are you need a plan.
September is National Preparedness Month (NPM) and serves as reminder that we must be prepared for any and all types of emergencies and having a plan for yourself, family and friends will go a long way to achieve this. This year’s theme is “disasters don’t plan ahead. You can”.
Hurricane Ready
Protecting Family, Pets and Property.
To do this you need to:
- Have a shelter in-place plan
- Have an evacuation plan
- Have a communication plan
- Have preparedness kits
- Prepare your property ahead of time
- Be prepared to evacuate
- Protect important documents
Hurricane readiness starts with you. Be UConn Health ready, be hurricane ready.
—Bryan Gran
Looking at Hurricane Harvey and its catastrophic impact to Texas emphasizes the importance of planning and being prepared. Signing up for alerts and warnings in your area, having a communications plan, knowing your evacuation routes, meeting locations, sheltering plan and securing important documents are just a few of the many things you can discuss with family, friends, and your co-workers.
Now is the time to make a plan, or if you have one take the time to test it and update it as necessary. For more information on making a plan visit https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan.
When you know a hurricane is coming and it’s time to put your evacuation plan into place, what’s next?
- Once you receive notification to evacuate take action and begin necessary movement to put your plan in place.
- Listen and more importantly take directions from government officials as many others will be receiving the same instructions, roads may be closed and hazards may exist that you are not aware of.
- Know where you’re going and how to get there.
- Make a kit and ensure you include important documents and those items needed to sustain you.
FEMA also has a guide on preparing specifically for a hurricane.
–Bryan Gran