INSIDE PREPARATION
Leave a message with neighbors if you will be leaving your home. Also, inform at least two family members who live outside your area what your hurricane plans are.

Children should be advised of what is going on. The more they know, the more confident they will be. Let them help you in your preparations. Make sure you are calm enough not to frighten them. Make sure they understand how important it is for them to listen to adults during the storm.

Take pictures and videotape the house inside and out. Include individual pictures of valuable items. Make a detailed inventory listing (price, date purchased). Keep original in your safe deposit box and a copy with you in your "safe place".

Important papers should be stored in waterproof containers: copy of insurance policies, income tax records, picture albums, home inventory, and home videos. Bring with you to your "safe place".

Medication should be stored in a waterproof container.

Furniture should be moved away from all windows, cover with plastic and draw all drapes.

Pictures/Paintings - wrap in plastic garbage bags.

Computer, TV and Stereo - Unplug and wrap these items in plastic garbage bags.

Video Batteries - Recharge for filming after the storm.

Cards, Games and Books - Gather for entertainment without electricity.

Water - Fill all available containers. You will need 4 quarts per person per day (2 quarts for drinking, 2 quarts for sanitation). Wash containers and rinse with bleach. After they are dry, fill with tap water.

Bathtub and Sinks - Clean, sponge with bleach and let dry. Caulk the drains with a silicone caulk and let dry. Fill with water to be used for sanitary purposes only.

Refrigerator and freezer set to coldest setting. Freeze water filled containers to help keep foods frozen longer. Fill refrigerator with containers of water for storage and to keep the refrigerator cooler longer. Correct temperatures can be maintained for 48 hours in the freezer and 2 hours in the refrigerator if left unopened.

Ice Chest - Fill with ice to put coldcuts, condiments and drinks in after the storm. This will keep the refrigerator and freezer colder longer by not frequently opening the door.

OUTSIDE PREPARATION

Garbage Can - scrub clean and dry out. Use for waterproofing items such as charcoal, cat litter, etc.

Tape windows - this past practice is no longer recommended. All tape does is prevent windows from breaking into small pieces. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Hurricane Center and the American Red Cross jointly recommend that all windows must be protected with substantial hurricane shutters or covered with 5/8 inch plywood to prevent windows from breaking at all.

Jalousie Louvers - insert newspaper between louvers to prevent rain seepage.

Screen Enclosures - Remove panels as well as the aluminum door and panels.

Sliding Glass Doors - Brace by tapping wedges in the top track.

French doors - Brace with 2 x 4’s.

Ornamental Shutters - Remove. Attic: Remove valuable items and close the attic door.

Roof Turbines - Remove and install covers with screws, Otherwise cover the turbines with plastic and tie down securely.

Chimneys - cover with caps.

Plumbing Vent Stacks on the roof should not be closed. They allow sewer gases to escape.

Gutters and downspouts should be cleaned out. Loose ones from outside should be gathered and brought inside.

Dead Tree Branches and Coconuts - Prune trees so the wind can blow through the branches without snapping them. Remove dead branches and coconuts. Do these items only if you have a place to store the debris.

Lock all windows, exterior doors and gates.

Turn off water at the meter to prevent contaminated water from entering the home.

Outside Antenna - Remove after disconnecting the television and the power source.

Storage Shed - Tie down with straps or thick rope using ground anchors. Lock door.

Air Conditioning Unit should be wrapped with plastic.

Pool Pump Motor - wrap with plastic.

Swimming Pools - Drain approximately one foot of water from the pool (saturated grounds or changes in pressure can force a drained pool out of the ground). Add at least three gallons of chlorine for each 5,000 gallons of water (a 15 x 30 pool contains 15,000 gallons of water). Cut off the electricity to the filter motor, then remove it or wrap it in plastic. Cut off electricity to the pool lights. Do not put the patio furniture in the pool (it can damage pool surfaces).