The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the peak occurring between mid-August and late October. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15 and ends November 30. While these are the common seasons for cyclones, storms can occur at any time of the year, even as early as April, for example.
Though hurricanes often come with some warning, preparing your properties and tenants well in advance is of the utmost importance. Natural disasters don’t wait on humans to be ready to respond. Being ready can help lessen the stress of an emergency situation. Heeding the tips below could save you thousands of dollars or may even save a life.
Prepare your property:
- Be sure trees and shrubs are welltrimmed so they are more wind
resistant. - Secure loose gutters and downspouts
and clear any clogged areas or debris to
prevent water damage. - Retrofit to secure and reinforce the roof, windows and doors. Garage doors
should also be braced. - Move indoors any exterior furniture, yard ornaments or play equipment
that could act as a dangerous projectile. Cover all windows. Permanent
storm shutters offer the best protection. A second option is to board up
windows with 5/8” plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Tape
does not prevent windows from breaking. - Move valuable items, such as rugs or art, move them away from windows
and to upper floors if possible. - Be sure the battery backup for your sump pump is working to prevent drain
backups. - Purchase a portable generator for use during power outages. Remember to
keep generators and other alternate power/heat sources outside, at least
20 feet away from windows and doors and protected from moisture; and
NEVER try to power the house wiring by plugging a generator into a wall
outlet. - Consider building a FEMA safe room or ICC 500 storm shelter designed for
protection from high-winds and in locations above flooding levels. - Hurricane Safety Tips from FEMA: https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
6 General Disaster Preparedness from Ready.gov
- Review your insurance policy and require tenants to carry renter’s
insurance to protect their belongings. Tropical Storms/Hurricanes coverage
and Flood coverage are both purchased separately, so check with your
agent to make sure you are covered appropriately for your area. - Consider providing basic supplies for an emergency preparedness kit in
your welcome packet, including a flashlight, batteries, and first aid supplies.
Tenants will also need medications and copies of critical information
if/when they need to evacuate. - Share resources to help tenants make an emergency plan including an
evacuation plan and a communication plan. Connect tenants with local
emergency management agency contact information with tenants. - Make a plan for contacting tenants in the event of an emergency. Be sure
they know how to best contact you or your property manager during an
emergency too. - During the event, stay tuned to your phone alerts, TV, or radio, for weather
updates, emergency instructions or evacuation orders. In any emergency,
always follow the instructions given by local emergency management
officials. Advise your tenants to do the same. - Communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency
notifications. Search the Internet with your town, city, or county name and
the word “alerts.” NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio and television
newscasts are several other reliable methods for obtaining the latest
information.
Ohana Legacy Properties wants you to be safe
during this storm season.
Like family, no one gets left behind or forgotten
