Hurricane Preparedness

Emergency Management &
Safety Solutions

Hurricane Preparedness:
Getting Ready for the Hurricane
BEFORE it happens!

Regina Phelps, EMS Solutions Inc.

June 2010

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Agenda
• Hurricanes: What are they and their risks.
• What you can do to get ready – now.
• What to do after a big storm passes through.

June 2010 www.ems-solutionsinc.com 2

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Hurricanes – What are they?
• A hurricane is a type of
tropical cyclone:
– The general term for all
circulating weather systems
(counterclockwise in the
Northern Hemisphere) over
tropical waters.
– In the western Paciﬁc, hurricanes
are called "typhoons," and similar
storms in the Indian Ocean are
called "cyclones."


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Tropical Cyclones Classifications
1. Tropical Depression - An organized system of clouds
and thunderstorms with a defined circulation and
maximum sustained winds of 38 mph (33 knots) or less.
2. Tropical Storm - An organized system of strong
thunderstorms with a defined circulation and maximum
sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph (34-63 knots).
3. Hurricane - An intense tropical weather system with a
well-defined circulation and maximum sustained winds of
74 mph (64 knots) or higher.


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What are the hurricane hazards?
• Storm Surge
• Wind
• Inland Flooding
• Tornadoes


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Storm Surge


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Wind
The intensity of a land falling hurricane is expressed in terms
of categories that relate wind speeds and potential damage.
Category Wind Speed Likely Damage
1 74 – 95 mph Minimal
2 96 – 110 mph Moderate
3 111 – 130 mph Extensive
4 131 – 155 mph Extreme
5 156 and up Catastrophic


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Inland Flooding


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Tornadoes

Downtown
Miami

Looking west
from the
MacArthur
Causeway


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Learn the Basic Terms
• A Hurricane Watch issued for your part of
the coast indicates the possibility that you could
experience hurricane conditions within 36 hours.
• A Hurricane Warning issued for your part of
the coast indicates that sustained winds of at least
74 mph are expected within 24 hours or less.


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Category One
• Winds 74-95 mph.
• No real damage to building structures. Damage
primarily to unanchored mobile homes, trees and
shrubbery. Some damage to poorly constructed
signs.
• Also, some coastal road ﬂooding and minor pier
damage.
• Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal.

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Category Two
• Winds 96-110 mph. Some rooﬁng material, door, and
window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to
shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down.
– Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and
piers.
• Coastal and low-lying escape routes ﬂood 2-4 hours before
arrival of the hurricane center. Small craft in unprotected
anchorages break moorings.
• Storm surge generally 6-8 feet above normal.


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Category Three
• Winds 111-130 mph. Some structural damage to small
residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtain
wall failures. Damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage
blown off trees and large trees blown down. Mobile homes
and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. Low-lying escape
routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the
center of the hurricane.
• Terrain continuously lower than 5 ft above mean sea level may
be ﬂooded inland 8 miles or more. Evacuation of low-lying
residences near shoreline may be required.

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Category Four
• Winds 131-155 mph. More extensive curtain wall failures with
some complete roof structure failures on small residences.
Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete
destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and
windows. Low-lying escape routes may be cut by rising water
3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane.
• Major damage to lower ﬂoors of structures near the shore.
Terrain lower than 10 ft above sea level may be ﬂooded
requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland
as 6 miles.

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Category Five
• Winds greater than 155 mph. Complete roof failure on many residences
and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility
buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down.
Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and
door damage. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours
before arrival of the center of the hurricane.
• Major damage to lower ﬂoors of all structures located less than 15 ft
above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation
of residential areas on low ground within 5-10 miles of shoreline may be
required.
• Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal.


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Getting Ready WAY Before a Storm


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Assemble Your Family Kit
• Water, at least one gallon • Battery Powered Radio
per person per day • Extra Batteries
• Non-perishable food (and • Cash
manual can opener!) • Medications and Eye
• First Aid Kit Glasses or Contact
• Battery Powered Lenses
Flashlight • Extra Keys
• Tools • Camping-type supplies


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Assemble Your Family Kit (continued)
• Extra clothing, rain • Personal hygiene
gear, and sturdy shoes items
• Change of bed linens • Entertainment items
• Specialty items for (books, games, toys)
babies, children, • Important papers such
people with special as insurance,
needs, and senior passports, wills, etc.
citizens (in waterproof
packaging)


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Don’t Forget Pet Planning
• Pet Supplies
– Water and Bowl
– Food and Food Bowl
– Identiﬁcation tags and
photograph
– Immunization records
– Medications
– Carrier
– Leash

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NOAA Weather Radio (NWR)
• NWR broadcasts National Weather
Service warnings, watches, forecasts
and other hazard information 24-hours
a day.
• NWR requires a special radio receiver
or scanner capable of picking up the
signal.


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Kit Assembly
• Pack everything in air tight containers.
• Keep supplies all together in a back-pack,
duffel bag, or other easy-to-carry receptacle.
• Plan on supplies to last 3-14 days.
• Date everything so that you know when
items must be replaced.


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Evacuation Planning
• Evacuation
– Learn if you live in an evacuation zone.
– Look at a map and identify two different routes to
evacuate your neighborhood.
– Learn two different ways to evacuate your home.
Teach and practice with all members of your
household.
– Identify NOW where you will go if you need to
evacuate.
– Identify NOW where you will take your pets.

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• Know your
evacuation plan
and routes.
• Know where the
shelters are and
which will take
pets.


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Develop Your Family Communication Plan
• Make sure all members of your family know each others’
phone numbers (landline and cell).
• Post emergency numbers in a common area such as the
refrigerator.
• Identify two meeting places for your family in case you
cannot return home: one should be near your house (a
tree or mailbox) and one should be in your neighborhood
(a school or place of worship).
• Identify an out of state contact who will let your friends
and family know that you are all right.

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Other Preparedness Activities
• Know your insurance coverage—ﬂood insurance is
often not covered by homeowners insurance.
• Make a plan now for your boat. Do NOT ride out a
storm in your boat. Make sure your boat AND
neighboring boats are tied up properly.
• Make sure everyone in your home knows how to
use 911.
• Take ﬁrst aid, CPR, and disaster preparedness
courses.
• Pool-owners—Add extra chlorine and turn off the
electricity.

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Register with “One Storm”
• A free, easy service.
– Give them your email address and
zip code.
– They have a great planning section
to build your family plan – no
charge.
– They will send you notices as a
storm progresses.
– www.onestorm.org


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It’s Coming!


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Before the Storm – Its Coming!
• Fill up the gas tank in your car.
• Bring in all loose items outside of your home,
including bicycles, patio furniture, children’s toys,
and even satellite dishes.
• Turn refrigerator and freezer to coldest settings.
– Only open when absolutely necessary and close
quickly.
• Prepare your windows and doors with shutters
or shielding materials.

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More “It’s Coming” Activities
• If you stay home, have plenty of emergency food
and water.
• Store water for toilet ﬂushing.
• Buy or freeze extra ice. Keep three bags per
person if space allows.
• Block ice will keep longer in a cooler than
crushed or cubed ice.
• Do not drain your swimming pool.
– Lower the water about 12 inches.

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More “It’s Coming” Activities
• Moor boat securely or move it to a designated safe place.
Use rope or chain to secure the trailer. Use tie downs to
anchor trailer to the ground or house.
• Monitor local media for evacuation and shelter-in-place
orders from emergency officials.
• If power is lost, turn off major appliances to reduce power
“surge” when electricity is restored.
• Avoid open flames, candles, and kerosene lamps as a source
of light. Use a flashlight.
• If officials order you to evacuate your home, do so
immediately.
– Never stay in a Manufactured Home if asked to evacuate.

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Evacuations


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Hurricane Evacuations
• If you are electrically dependent or
live in a mobile home, you must
always evacuate during a hurricane.
• If you live in an evacuation zone and
there is an evacuation order of that
zone, you must evacuate.
• If you feel your structure if unsafe
in hurricane winds, you should
consider evacuating.

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Why evacuate?
• Prolonged interruption of power, water, and sewer systems
• Interuption of communications
• Interuption of public services including police, ﬁre, and EMS.
• Debris blocked streets:
– delayed delivery of food, water, supplies.
– employees unable to report to work.
– Isolation.
• Damage to property and assets.
• Injury from hazards:
– live downed power lines.
– contaminated water/environment.

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Evacuations
• Once an evacuation order is given, do not
wait. Evacuate immediately.
• Try to stay with friends or family outside of
the evacuation zones.
– Hotels will ﬁll up quickly and hurricane
evacuation centers (HECs) are a last resort.
– If you must go to a HEC, take all of your
disaster supplies because it is likely that
nothing will be provided.

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Hurricane Evacuations
…run from the water, hide from the wind
• Remember the objective of a hurricane evacuation
is to locate a building strong enough to withstand
hurricane force winds and to escape storm surge.
• The objective of a hurricane IS NOT to escape the
storm.
– You do not have to travel many miles; this often adds
dangers to your evacuation.


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Emergency Responder Resources
• Fire-Rescue & Police Department Resources will
eventually be evacuated from the beach or barrier
island when a mandatory evacuation order has been
announced.
• Water may eventually be cut-off to the beach or
barrier island to protect the City’s water supply once
a mandatory evacuation order has been announced.
• No Fire-Rescue or Police Department resources will
remain on the roads once sustained tropical storm
force winds arrive.

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Shelter-In-Place


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Shelter-In-Place
• If you do not live in an evacuation zone or unsafe
structure, it is safer to shelter-in-place.
• Find an interior room with the fewest doors and
windows, on the first floor if possible.
• Close and lock all doors and windows.
• Take your emergency kit and pets with you.
• Monitor local media for specific instructions and an
all-clear.
• If you do not live in an evacuation zone or unsafe
structure, it is safer to shelter-in-place.

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Shelter-In-Place (continued)
• Identify a 1st ﬂoor interior
room with no windows like
a bathroom or closet OR a
1st ﬂoor exterior room with
load-bearing walls and the
fewest windows.
• Make sure to bring your
Disaster Supply Kit with you.


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Be Smart!
• When do injuries and
deaths occur?
– Just before the storm.
– During the storm.
– Right after the storm.


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It’s All Over – Clean Up Begins


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After The Storm Has Passed
• DON’T DRIVE
through ﬂoods!
• As little as 6 inches of
water can take
control of your car.
• Damaged roads and
bridges can collapse.


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Water Safety
• Monitor the local media
for boil water alerts
• Throw away all food,
cosmetics, or
medications that have
come into contact with
ﬂood waters.


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Generator Safety
• Follow the instructions that accompany your generator.
• NEVER use portable generators indoors, even if you have
ventilation.
• If you feel sick, dizzy, or weak while using a generator, get
fresh air immediately.
• Turn the generator off & let it cool before re-fueling.
• Plug appliances directly into generator or use heavy-duty
outdoor rated extension cord.
• Never try to power the house wiring by plugging the
generator into a wall outlet.


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Health
• Monitor health
(physical and mental)
well being:
– Yours
– Family members
– Neighbors
– Friends
– Volunteers


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Stay Away from Running Water & Large
Puddles
• There is high risk of
drowning and power
lines may be down.
• Never touch any type of
power lines.
• Electricity can travel
through the water AND
through the ground.


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Survey the Damage
• Use a battery powered ﬂashlight to search
through damaged property.
• Be vigilant for gas leaks, downed power lines,
fragile structures, and animals seeking refuge.
• Keep receipts.
• Call your insurance company.


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Questions?


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THANK YOU!

Regina Phelps, CEM, RN, BSN, MPA
Emergency Management & Safety Solutions
San Francisco, California
415-643-4300
www.ems-solutionsinc.com


Hurricane Preparedness

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