If you live along the coastline of the U.S. it is recommended that you obtain and follow a hurricane preparedness guide so that you know what to do if and when a storm should hit. This disaster preparedness list should include how to get ready for a hurricane and how to prepare your home for a hurricane. This advice is given due to the fact that hurricanes have been known to kill more people than any other type of storm and because half of the most costly hurricanes have occurred since 1990. This includes Hurricane Katrina which was the third deadliest storm in U.S. history.
Most hurricanes occur in the Atlantic Ocean between June and the end of November. September is the busiest month for hurricanes, followed by August. If a hurricane is imminent, then forecasters will issue watches and warnings. A hurricane watch is issued when the storm is 24 to 36 hours away and a hurricane warning is issued when the storm is less than 24 hours away from hitting an area. Hurricanes do not occur every year. The average is five hurricanes over a three year period with one of those storms being classified as a major storm with winds clocking in at over 110 miles per hour.
Another reason to have and to follow a hurricane preparedness guide and to prepare for a hurricane is to avoid the storm surge. Waves reaching over 20 feet in height and over 100 miles in length are what kill over 90% of people during a hurricane. Furthermore, one hurricane can stir up millions of miles of air and dump almost 2.5 trillion gallons of rain over the areas that it hits. Therefore, it is important to know how you can prepare for a hurricane.
A storm can last over water anywhere from 10 days to a few weeks before travelling over land. When watches and warnings are issued, it is time for residents to begin to follow the hurricane preparedness guide. They should put up any aluminum storm shutters and close any accordion storm shutters they may have on their home?s windows. In addition, they should roll down their rolling storm shutters. This will ensure that their home is ready for the winds which will be over 74 miles an hour.
Once the storm has passed, you can then evaluate any damage and decide what needs to be changed in your hurricane preparedness guide. In addition, you can also look into any additional storm protection your home may need including colonial hurricane shutters and any hurricane shutter repair you may need.