With June 1 kicking off hurricane season, now is the time to put a plan in place — not when a named storm is bearing down on the Florida peninsula and Osceola County.
Here are a handful of tips from organizations who make it their mission to plan for, and recover from, catastrophic storms.
FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
Develop an evacuation plan.
If your property is at risk from hurricane impacts such as major flooding, you need an evacuation plan that you can enact when officials say it’s time to go. Plan where you would go and how you would get there. Residents do not need to travel hundreds of miles, as the destination could be a friend or relative who lives in a well-built home outside flood-prone areas. Plan several routes, and be sure to account for your pets.
Determine family meeting places, and make sure to include an out-of-town location in case of evacuation. Write down on paper a list of emergency contacts, and make sure to include utilities and other critical services, as the internet may not be accessible during or after a storm.
If you don’t have a vehicle, check with local officials — locally, the Osceola Council on Aging is a resource — to see what transportation options they may have available.
FROM THE OSCEOLA COUNTY AND ITS EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
Assemble your supplies.
Whether you’re evacuating or sheltering-in-place, residents will need supplies not just to get through the storm but for the potentially lengthy and unpleasant aftermath, county officials say. Have enough non-perishable food, water and medicine to last each person in your family a minimum of three days, and as many as seven days, including water. Keep in mind, electricity and water could be out for weeks. Put a battery-powered radio and flashlights in the supply keep. Residents might even consider a portable crank or a solar-powered USB charger for cell phones.
To prepare a plan for your family and/or business, including how to stay safe during a hurricane or tropical storm, visit Florida’s Disaster Preparedness site at https://bit.ly/323mpkg
For the latest weather updates, including storm tracking and forecasts, visit and follow the National Weather Service in Melbourne (www.weather.gov/mlb/) and the National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov). The Osceola County Office of Emergency Management also provides resources on its website, https://readyosceola.org
Do this now — to receive real-time updates via phone, text or email simply text the word #AlertOsceola to 888777 on your mobile device or online at https://alertosceola.org
FROM FEMA
Get your insurance policies in order.
Residents should call their insurance company or agent and ask for an insurance check-up to make sure they have enough cover to repair or even replace the home and/or belongings. Home and renters insurance doesn’t cover flooding, so residents will need a separate policy for it. Flood insurance is available through residents’ companies, agents, or the National Flood Insurance Program at floodsmart.gov. Flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period, FEMA officials say.
Take the time before hurricane season begins to document your possessions: photos, serial numbers, or anything else that you may need to provide your insurance company when filing a claim. Making a video walk-through of the whole house and storing the file on an external (thumb) drive covers this.
Strengthen the home
Now is the time — before it gets brutally hot in mid-summer, or when the stress of an impending storm sets in — to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricane impacts. Trim trees. Install storm shutters, accordion shutters, and/or impact glass. Seal outside wall openings.
