NORTH CAROLINA — Severe weather can strike at any time, so preparing now will keep you from being caught off guard if a storm threatens.
Download: FEMA's Family Emergency Communication Plan
Each year the National Weather Service stresses the importance of completing a written hurricane plan. Writing your plan down will help keep you from making crucial mistakes when things get hectic as a storm approaches. Here are some tips from the National Weather Service:
- Document all of your valuables and possessions with a camera or video camera well before the storm.
- Gather all vital documents, like passports and medical records, and put them somewhere that you can quickly access.
- Make planning and preparedness a family affair to ensure everyone knows what to do.
- Don’t forget to include your pets in your plan.
- Every plan should include gathering non-perishable emergency supplies and assembling a disaster supply kit.
- Share your plan with others in your family, and have an out-of-state friend as a family contact who knows your plan and where you will go during a disaster, so all your family members have a single point of contact.
That is all great advice that can make a real difference when it comes to getting through a storm and dealing with the aftermath.
My advice? Make it fun!
Get the whole family together and have an official meeting where everyone gets involved with adding things to the written plan. It’s also a great way to ensure everyone remembers that plan if a storm threatens.