Evacuation due to a hurricane brings many things to mind. You may think of being stuck in the car in awful traffic for hours. You may worry about leaving your home and possessions behind. And you may worry about where you are going to stay during the period of evacuation. Once you have formed an evacuation plan then you most of these concerns will be resolved, and you will be order to move forward quickly.
The first thing you should do is decide where you will stay during an evacuation. If you have family and friends in a nearby area, who are out of the evacuation zone, then you may consider staying with them. If you decide to stay with family, call and ask them now if it would be okay. You don’t want to be scrambling around making new plans at the last minute. If you make plans to stay at a hotel, then you will need to call and make reservations as soon as you decide to evacuate, because rooms will fill up quickly. You may consider going to a shelter, but do this only as a last resort, since they are often crowded and uncomfortable. Shelters also do not allow pets, so you will want to consider other options if you have any pets.
Before you go you will need to secure your home. Install the shutters and the door protections that your home needs. You may also want to move valuables that you are unable to take with you up to the second story in case there is minor flooding. I am not suggesting moving all your furniture upstairs, but I am talking about computers or photo albums. Once you have secured your home against the hurricane, it is time to leave. It can be difficult to leave your home behind, but your family is more valuable than the home. Once a hurricane hits there is not much you can do to protect your home, even if you do stay behind.
When you are evacuating there are some important things to take with you. You will want to take your family’s 72-hour kit. You will also want to take some extra clothing just in case you are not allowed back into your area right away. You should also take other important information with you. You should take birth certificates, photo identification and insurance information with you. Your local insurance office will be in just as much disarray as your home, and having your account number will help your insurance agency be able to assist you sooner. You may also want to take a small amount of cash with you.
Before you leave make sure you load up on fuel. In fact if you know a hurricane is headed your way, you might want to keep your tank as close to full as possible. This will save you time as you evacuate, because the sooner you leave, the less traffic you will have to deal with. Be calm as you leave, and be patient. The traffic may be bad, but avoiding the pending disaster is much more important.