How to Prepare for a Hurricane Evacuation Before Mandatory Evacuation

Why wait until after there is a mandatory evacuation to start preparing to leave town? Here are some ways you can plan for an evacuation so that when the time comes to leave town you are ready to go.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Plan where you are going. If you have friends or relatives in a near enough but far enough away city ask in advance if they will let you stay during an evacuation. Get their address and contact information and keep it with all your other hurricane evacuation supplies. If you don't have anyone to stay with get names and numbers of hotels or shelters or campgrounds where you can go.

2. Map your evacuation route. Many times the main roads are packed so plan ahead for this. For example, if you are evacuating from New Orleans consider taking the 90 (Chef Menteur) instead of the I-10. Either have your evacuation route saved in your GPS or highlight it on a paper map. Also, plan for pit stops. Plan to stop in cities or places that are familiar to you or close to the highway.

3. If you have pets buy carriers now. The stores are often very crowded before an evacuation. They also run out of hurricane evacuation essentials such as pet carriers. Make sure the carrier you have is the right size for your pet.

4. Plan what you are bringing with you and what you are leaving behind. For items that will not fit in your car or that you are unable to take with you, you should plan to protect these from possible hurricane damage. I recommend buying air tight plastic bins to store items in. Also, buy plastic (the kind that painters use to protect areas that they do not want painted) and cover the furniture/appliances. Also, move items to higher locations (top of fridge, top of shelves, etc.) in case of flooding.

5. Empty your refrigerator in case of a power outage. Try to finish milk and other items that may spoil. You may want to pack a cooler and bring some of the items on the road with you.

6. Always plan for the worst and hope for the best. Many people who evacuated for Katrina brought only enough clothes/toiletries for a weekend and had to buy all new items.

7. Make sure to bring all of your identifying documents - birth certificates, social security cards, medical cards, etc. These are difficult to replace, especially when you are out of your home town.

8. Have a back-up plan. Things may not go according to plan A and you may not have time to think up and implement plan B on the spot. Have plan B (and even plan C) ready to go.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't forget photos! These cannot be replaced if destroyed!
• Stock up on extra water
• Don't wait until the last minute to evacuate - it will take you much longer to get out of the city.
• Use text messaging to communicate with others. Text messages are smaller and easier to transmit and have a better chance of getting to their destination.

Resources

• New Orleans Hurricane Preparation

[kims3003]

on 11/20/2009 VERY USEFUL INFO AND SUPER JOB AT WRITING