What is your Family's Weather Plan?

3/22/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Greater Northern Charleston is Ready 24/7 for any weather related emergency you may experience.

While we often receive advanced warning for some types of severe weather, there are also those times when severe weather manages to catch us off-guard.

There are steps you can follow and safety tips to take that will ensure your family is prepared for just those severe weather occurrences. 

One of the most important ways to ensure your family’s safety in severe weather is to have an established family emergency plan at the ready.

If your family already has an emergency plan, be sure to practice so everyone remembers what to do! 

If you’ve not yet created a family emergency plan, there are some things listed below to take into consideration when creating it:

1. How will emergency alerts and warnings be received?

Thanks to today’s smartphone technology, it is easy to receive emergency alerts and warnings on your smartphone through many weather apps. But if there is no smartphone available, you can still receive warnings through the radio or television.

2. What type of storm shelter do you have?

In areas where tornadoes are common, ideally, you’ll want to have a basement, but if that is not possible, then find an interior room on the lowest level that is away from corners, windows, doors and outside walls. Tornadoes are not the only situations requiring a form of storm shelter, and you can learn about more of the situations where they are necessary by visiting ready.gov.

3. What is our evacuation route?

Put together a map of various evacuation routes and keep it handy in the event of hurricanes, floods or fires, which can force you out of your home in a hurry. Multiple routes are wise to have just in case one is impassable, and be sure to account for your pets and find out if there are places to stay with them along your route.

4. How will the family stay in touch?

You’re going to want an alternative communication plan for your family because reliance on cell phones can fail you in some circumstances. Cell phone towers can be damaged, phones could be lost or left behind, and phone batteries will not be able to be recharged if power is out.

Put a family emergency communication plan in place and choose a safe meeting place for your family so that you can all meet there if separated.

If a storm does cause damage to your home or business, don’t hesitate to call your friends at SERVPRO® of Greater Northern Charleston to get the cleanup and restoration process started. Feel free to call 24/7, 843.552.1226.