Know Evacuation Routes

• 1). Know the evacuation routes and if your area has been advised to evacuate do so. Keep a sleeping bag, change of clothes for all family members and a full tank of gas in your vehicle to ensure that you have a way to leave when advised to do so.
  
  
• 2). Get enough water to last each person for seven days. A good rule of thumb is to provide one gallon of water per person for seven days.
  
  
• 3). Select enough food to last up to seven days. Items should be non-perishable and include canned goods and packaged foods that are easy to open and eat. You should also make sure that you have enough food for babies, the elderly and those who are on a special diet. Keep plenty of paper plates and plastic utensils on hand. A manual can opener will ensure that you can open canned goods easily and without electricity.
  
  
• 4). Purchase a flashlight and battery operated radio. Make sure that you have enough spare batteries on hand. The radio will be useful after the storm and will notify you of future weather conditions and any emergency warnings.
  
  
• 5). Add baby wipes and other personal hygiene products to your kit. The baby wipes are excellent for cleaning when access to running water is gone. Using an alcohol based hand sanitizer will also prevent the spread of dangerous germs that tend to increase after hurricanes.
  
  
• 6). Keep a first aid kit well stocked and include any prescription medications as well as physician information in the kit.
  
  
• 7). Seal important documents in a waterproof bag and store in your waterproof locked box. You should also include medical records for pets and keep spare keys to vehicles and your home in the box as well.
  
  
• 8). Get cash or credit cards. Banks may be closed during the aftermath of the hurricane and access to ATM machines might be limited.
  
  
• 9). Use a cell phone and keep it fully charged with an additional spare battery. Landlines may be down after a hurricane and your cell phone will serve as your primary means of communication.
  
  
• 10
  
  Keep a basic tool kit on hand.