Hurricane Preparedness for the 2021 Season
Believe it or not, the 2021 Hurricane Season is just around the corner beginning on June 1st and lasting through November 30th. This season is predicted to be especially active too with forecasters predicting 17 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes in the Atlantic. While many of us Floridians have been through this year after year, it’s never a bad idea to run through a quick checklist to make sure you’re prepared.
Supply Kits
According to a recent article published by ABC Action News Tampa Bay, preparing a supply kit each year should be on everyone’s to-do list at the beginning of each Hurricane season. Experts encourage you to keep at least seven days worth of supplies and include the following:
– Water — Have enough for one gallon per person, per day for at least three days.
– Food — You want at least a three day supply of non-perishable food for you and your pets.
– Diapers, formula, bottles and wipes for your baby.
– A battery-powered or hand-crank radio.
– A flashlight and extra batteries.
– A cellphone with chargers and a backup or external battery.
– A whistle to signal for help.
– A first aid kit.
– Garbage bags.
– Moist towelettes for personal sanitation.
– Manual can opener.
– Prescription medications.
– Matches.
– Blankets and pillows.
– Important family documents.
Luckily, the state of Florida has a Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday. It begins May 28th and runs through June 6th. During this time, you can purchase select items for your Supply Kit and pay no sales tax. This is a great time to purchase those generators or flashlights which will definitely be useful in the event of a storm.
Evacuation
If you have to evacuate your home, there are several things you can do ahead of time to make the move a little smoother during such a stressful time. It’s important to know your evacuation zone, know where to go if you do have to evacuate and have your evacuation route planned. If possible, try to take just one car and make sure that you have a full tank of gas as well.
Preparing Your Home
Taking the time to prepare your home for a potential storm is crucial in helping to prevent damage or injury. Take a walk around your house and check if the following could be done:
– Trim trees to remove loose or dead branches.
– Secure loose outdoor items (i.e patio furniture, kid’s toys, etc.) to prevent these objects from becoming flying debris in high winds.
– Clean out your rain gutters.
This is also a good time to clean out a garage or a shed so that you can have space to store said outdoor items. Finding that you have a bunch to toss and need to make space? Bin There Dump That Tampa Bay offers exceptional service which can help get that cleanout project started. We make renting a Tampa dumpster rental fast and easy and we also have a wide variety of dumpster rental sizes from which you can choose. Please visit our website at www.tampabtdt.com or call us at 727-475-1080 where one of our professional dumpster rental consultants can assist you with scheduling a dumpster delivery for your project.