Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey Brainstuff, Lauren Vogelbaum.
Speaker 1: Here along the East coast of the United States down
Speaker 1: through Central America and the Caribbean, hurricane season is the
Speaker 1: period from about June through November when tropical storms are
Speaker 1: most likely to form in the Atlantic Ocean and make
Speaker 1: their way to land. If you've ever lived in a
Speaker 1: place that sees a lot of these storms, it probably
Speaker 1: takes a lot to rattle you. But whenever the National
Speaker 1: Weather Service issues a hurricane watch, it means that hurricane
Speaker 1: force winds are possible in the area within thirty six hours.
Speaker 1: That's winds of seventy four miles per hour or above,
Speaker 1: which is one hundred and nineteen kilometers per hour, which
Speaker 1: means it can't hurt. To batten down the proverbial hatches
Speaker 1: and fill up your car's gas tank just in case
Speaker 1: of an evacuation order. So what does that entail? You
Speaker 1: want to make sure that there's nothing in your yard
Speaker 1: or on your porch that could get picked up and
Speaker 1: flung by the wind. Toys, furniture, bikes, grills, and garbage
Speaker 1: cans can all become airborne projectiles during a hurricane. You
Speaker 1: can further protect yourself in your home by closing up
Speaker 1: storm shutters if you have them, or boarding up your windows.
Speaker 1: It's also good to make sure that you know what
Speaker 1: local shelter locations are available and withdraw some cash in
Speaker 1: case you need it during a power outage, which will
Speaker 1: take down ATMs. If a hurricane warning is issued that
Speaker 1: means hurricane force winds are expected within twelve hours. At
Speaker 1: that point, you might want to crank any refrigerators you
Speaker 1: have to their coldest settings so that any food in
Speaker 1: them will last a bit longer in case of a
Speaker 1: power outage. It's also time to start implementing whatever family
Speaker 1: plan you have in place. More on how to make
Speaker 1: one in a minute, but it's basically making sure everyone
Speaker 1: is accounted for and has the necessities packed in case
Speaker 1: an evacuation order comes through, and making reservations if your
Speaker 1: plan involves going to or meeting at a hotel or
Speaker 1: motel in a safe area should your area receive an
Speaker 1: evacuation order, leaving as soon as possible will help prevent
Speaker 1: getting stuck in traffic, but if you have time, disconnect
Speaker 1: some major appliances so that there's less risk of electrical
Speaker 1: shock when the power comes back and turn off the gas, electricity,
Speaker 1: and water before you leave. Make sure you have all
Speaker 1: important papers and documents with you, ID insurance policies, wills,
Speaker 1: as well as all medications you take or might need.
Speaker 1: You can also put together an emergency kit in advance,
Speaker 1: with basics like food, water, and flashlights. More on that
Speaker 1: than a minute too. If you have an emergency kit,
Speaker 1: it's always good to bring it, even if you're expecting
Speaker 1: to have supplies on hand at a shelter or other destination.
Speaker 1: The closest possible evacuation destination is ideal. The best case
Speaker 1: scenario is often a friend or relative who lives in
Speaker 1: your area but doesn't have to evacuate. If you don't
Speaker 1: have to evacuate, or if for some reason you can't,
Speaker 1: you might decide to hunker down and ride out the
Speaker 1: hurricane at home. First and foremost, remember that most people
Speaker 1: who get hurt during a hurricane get injured by flying
Speaker 1: debris and glass, So don't go outside. Even if it
Speaker 1: seems like the storm is over. You might actually be
Speaker 1: in the eye of the storm, and you could be
Speaker 1: stranded outside when the winds pick up again. Before you
Speaker 1: gather in a safe room in the interior of your home.
Speaker 1: Fill up a bathtub and any spare container is with water.
Speaker 1: You can use that tub water for washing and flushing
Speaker 1: the toilets. If you have a spare bathtub, especially one
Speaker 1: towards the interior of your home, you might want to
Speaker 1: leave it empty. Tubs are always a good place to
Speaker 1: take shelter if you cover yourself with blankets. If you're
Speaker 1: trapped in a building that's flooding, go to the highest
Speaker 1: level that you can, but don't climb into a closed
Speaker 1: attic where you could become trapped by riseing water. If
Speaker 1: you do encounter flooding water, don't walk, swim, or drive
Speaker 1: through it. Even just six inches that's fifteen centimeters, a
Speaker 1: fast moving water can knock you down one foot that's
Speaker 1: thirty centimeters of moving water could sweep your car away.
Speaker 1: Turn around and try another route. But okay. Back to
Speaker 1: family plans and emergency kits. For a family plan, you're
Speaker 1: looking to make sure everyone in your household knows what
Speaker 1: to do and where to go in case of a hurricane.
Speaker 1: So identify a safe room in your house where everyone
Speaker 1: can gather. If you're sitting at a storm, it should
Speaker 1: be an interior room. Preferably a bathroom or in the basement.
Speaker 1: Stay flexible, though, and be ready to move to an
Speaker 1: upper floor in case of flooding, but also think of
Speaker 1: safe places to meet in the event of a hurricane
Speaker 1: if you're unable to stay in your home, whether it's
Speaker 1: a motel, a friend's house, or a shelter, the shorter
Speaker 1: the trip the better, but if you have pets, make
Speaker 1: sure they can accommodated. Memorize evacuation roots to get there
Speaker 1: from your home, office, or school, and have all emergency
Speaker 1: phone numbers stored in everyone's cell phones. This should include
Speaker 1: an out of state friend or relative that the whole
Speaker 1: family can use as a point of contact. For your
Speaker 1: emergency kit, you should include enough water and non perishable
Speaker 1: food for each person for three to seven days. Everyone
Speaker 1: should have a gallon of water per day. You'll also
Speaker 1: want a week's worth of clothing, medications, BATA supplies, and
Speaker 1: pet items, and any personal hygiene items that you each use.
Speaker 1: After that, some basic tools and other supplies that may
Speaker 1: come in handy, including flashlights and batteries, a first aid kit,
Speaker 1: a weather radio, a multi purpose tool, cell phone chargers,
Speaker 1: a manual can opener, paper cups, and plates, plastic utensils,
Speaker 1: water purification tablets, moist tablets, and garbage bags. You can
Speaker 1: also include copies of important personal documents, insurance paperwork, and
Speaker 1: your pet's vaccination records. A ninety nine percent of your
Speaker 1: job will be complete once you've secured your home, figured
Speaker 1: out your plan, and stocked your emergency kit. At the
Speaker 1: start of hurricane season every year, double check your supplies
Speaker 1: and replace batteries to ensure that you'll be ready to
Speaker 1: hit the ground running if a tropical storm does come
Speaker 1: your way. Once a storm has passed, it's always tempting
Speaker 1: to go outside and see what's going on, but wait
Speaker 1: until the authorities give the all clear signal, and even then,
Speaker 1: watch for hazards like downed power lines, damage structures or
Speaker 1: trees that might fall, and broken glass or other debris.
Speaker 1: If you need to start cleaning up, wear protective clothing, shoes, gloves,
Speaker 1: and goggles. Don't touch electrical equipment if it's wet or
Speaker 1: if you're standing in water. Turn off the electricity at
Speaker 1: your home's main breaker, and don't wade in flood water.
Speaker 1: There could be downed lines or dangerous debris that you
Speaker 1: can't see. The phone lines could be down or overloaded
Speaker 1: at this time time, try text or social media to
Speaker 1: talk to loved ones. Document property damage with your phone
Speaker 1: or another camera. Contact your insurance agent as soon as
Speaker 1: you can to report any damage. By the way, you'll
Speaker 1: want to read your homeowner's insurance policy closely before a
Speaker 1: storm hits. A flood damage isn't usually covered, so you'll
Speaker 1: probably need to take out a separate flood insurance policy
Speaker 1: from the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program. If you
Speaker 1: live in a hurricane country, depending on how long you
Speaker 1: are without power, inspect the food in your freezer to
Speaker 1: see if it's safe to eat. Don't drink tap water
Speaker 1: until told it's okay to do so by the authorities.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, boil water at a roiling boil for
Speaker 1: one minute, or use water purification tablets. If you have
Speaker 1: a portable gas powered generator, use it outside on a
Speaker 1: dry and level surface. Never use it indoors, and never
Speaker 1: pour gas into it while it's running. And of course,
Speaker 1: once you safely get through a storm, it's important to
Speaker 1: make sure that you're ready for the next one. During
Speaker 1: the off season, make sure your plans are updated and
Speaker 1: your emergency kit is refreshed, and if you own your home,
Speaker 1: make sure you keep up with any repairs, tree or
Speaker 1: landscaping work and window protection that you'll need for the
Speaker 1: coming season. And hey, stay safe out there. Today's episode
Speaker 1: is based on the article how to Prepare for Hurricane
Speaker 1: on HowStuffWorks dot com, written by Alison Cooper and John Partano.
Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how
Speaker 1: Stuffworks dot Com, and it is produced by Tyler Klang.
Speaker 1: But four more podcasts my heart Radio. Visit the iHeartRadio app,
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