June 1st is the official launch of hurricane season in Canada and so far this year we have been lucky to not have experienced an event. As the weekend approaches, Hurricane Dorian is on the radar, no pun intended! Are you ready for this potential hurricane/cyclone?
If you have been following the sustainability series over the last few weeks parts five to seven spoke to fire extinguishers, first aiders and first aid kits and emergency response. In part with emergency response, we talked about emergency response plans and in particular listed natural disasters as one of the events to plan for.
A hurricane is classified as a natural disaster with high winds and heavy rains which can lead to property damage and possible flooding. Are you prepared?
Here are some hints and tips on protecting your property, and preparing for extreme weather:
- Put away or anchor any outdoor furniture, equipment or material that would easily blow away.
- If your area is susceptible to flooding, sandbag the area.
- Back up electronic documents to remote servers.
- Unplug and turn off work equipment, machines or office equipment that don’t need to be running.
- Protect buildings against overland flooding, where possible.
- Raise up valuable items in the event of flooding including important documents such as tax, bank, lawyer, accountant, supplier, and insurance information. Place these documents in a waterproof container.
- Keep the following items on hand:
- Flashlight
- Wind up to battery operated radio
- Portable phone chargers for cell phones
- To save battery power turn off Bluetooth, WiFi, and location services
- Three – day non-perishable food and water supply
- Create an overnight bag in the event you need to leave for a few days
- Include medications, personal documents in a plastic bag, change of clothes and jacket, small first aid kit, poncho, personal care items, extra car keys and house keys, dust mask, paper & pen, family photos, pet supplies, etc..
- Coolers and containers for water
- Blankets, pillows, chairs
- First Aid kit
- Fire Extinguisher
- Tool kit with basic tools
- Camera to document damages
- Flares or a way to signal for help
- Tarps, plastic bags, duct tape
- Cleaning supplies, antiseptic wipes or hand sanitizer
- Generator
- Top up vehicle gas tanks
- Extra gas for vehicles and generator or other equipmentReference: HurricaneSafety.org
