How to prepare for hurricane season

Peyton Duplechien • 26 Aug 2019 • 2 min read

The 2019 hurricane season has already begun. Are you ready?

Hurricanes can be devastating and unpredictable. Whether you’re in the eye of the storm, being impacted by strong winds and rain from the outer bands, or impacted by a stalled inland tropical storm, hurricanes wreak havoc. There’s still time to prepare using the following tips.

For residents

  • Protect your property
  • Board up your windows or install hurricane shutters
  • Remove or secure debris
  • Sandbag if flooding is a concerned
  • Secure or raise water heaters and gas tanks

Make a plan

  • Familiarize yourself with your location’s evacuation routes
  • Find out where local shelters are, if needed
  • Include your pets in any shelter/evacuation plan
  • Discuss and share the plan with family members

Make an emergency preparedness kit with the following basic items

  • Water
  • Non-perishable, three-day food supply
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Battery powered radio
  • First aid kit
  • Medications
  • Tools
  • Copies of personal documents
  • Cell phones and chargers
  • Emergency contact information
  • Extra cash

For business owners

  • Protect your property
  • Board up your windows or install hurricane shutters
  • Have your roof evaluated to see if it can withstand high winds and heavy rain
  • Remove or secure debris
  • Sandbag if flooding is a concern
  • Secure or raise utilities such as water heaters and gas tanks
  • Secure electronics
  • Protect documents and information
  • Back up digital documents
  • Seal printed documents in waterproof containers
  • Save all important documents in a safe, off-site location if necessary or possible.
  • Keep a preparedness kit onsite

These items should be kept on hand in case a hurricane strikes while you are on the premises

  • Battery operated radio or TV
  • Non-perishable, three-day food supply
  • Water
  • Flashlights and batteries
  • First aid kit and manual
  • Generators and gas for generators

Get a live answering service to handle calls

Before, during and after disasters, service industries will face for an influx of calls from customer who need your help. Whether it’s tree removal, burst pipes, AC units damaged – major storms create many issues. Do you have enough employees on hand to handle service requests and answer phone calls?
For businesses who have lost power and phone lines will suffer from not being able to answer customer calls. How many days can you afford not to available to your customers?
VoiceNation’s live answering service is equipped to handle disaster recovery. We have an army of highly trained, professional operators who will get your calls and messages to you instantly. Be prepared with VoiceNation by your side. To learn more, give us a call at 877.679.3777.