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Preparing Your Safe Room

Prepare a room, closet, or hallway in the center of your house as your safe spot, where you'll ride out the worst of the storm. Or, if you are staying in an apartment building, you'll need to choose a room, closet, or hallway away from the windows and on a lower floor as your place to ride out the storm. This area should not have windows and should not be very large. Small areas are safer.

Make your safe spot comfortable. You may be there for some time, from a couple of hours to more than twelve hours in a large, slow-moving hurricane.

Take the following to your safe spot:

  • Coolers. A couple of coolers with food and drinks.
  • Water. A few gallons of water.
  • Light. Lanterns and flashlights.
  • Radio/TV. Portable radio or TV.
  • Batteries. Lots of batteries.
  • Plastic. Plastic sheeting in case of a roof leak.
  • Cushions. Pillows, cushions, or folding chairs to sit on.
  • Bedding. Bedding in case you are there through the night.
  • Games. Games, cards, something to do, especially for children.
  • Telephone. Connect your corded (not cordless) telephone to a long wire and run it to your safe spot so you can answer it from there.
  • Cell phone. Bring your cell phone and charger to the safe area. Keep in on charge as long as possible.
  • Mattress. Identify a mattress or two that you can easily grab if you need protection during a storm.
  • Refrigerator. Get what you need for your coolers before the power goes out or you turn it off, then avoid opening the refrigerator door.
  • Call your family emergency contact. Once you're organized- and before the wind starts to blow- call your out-of-town family contact and let them know you're staying home.



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Source: Norcross, Bryan. Hurricane Almanac. St. Martin's Griffin: New York. 2007.

Page Last Updated: 12/29/08 13:04

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