Severe Weather / Hurricane Disaster Safety

A natural or man made disaster can occur at any time in Atlanta, Georgia. Some disasters give a warning, such as a storm preceding a flood. Others, such as earthquakes, give little or no warning. Once a disaster happens, the time to prepare is gone. Storm damage to residential and commercial properties in Atlanta, Georgia can often occur during periods of violent winds, a torrential downpour and hurricanes.

• Know the hazards that are present in your area.
• Review your insurance policies and confirm that you have adequate cover against each type of disaster you are vulnerable to.
• Take a household inventory and store copies in a safe location or online. Cataloging your belongings with a home inventory might sound tedious, but how easy would it be for you to recall all the contents of your home if you lost everything? Taking a home inventory can help you determine if you have enough insurance and can save you time and headaches when filing a claim following a disaster.
• Prepare a disaster plan. Your plan should start with having somewhere safe to go. Think of someone who could house you and your family and talk to them about what might happen in the event of a disaster. Then talk to everyone who lives in your home about what to do if there’s an emergency and you are unable to return.
• Have a communications plan. Consider that your family may not be together if a disaster strikes. How you will get to a safe place? How will you contact one another? How will you get back together? You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance.
• Have an evacuation plan. In some cases when you need to evacuate, there may not be a lot of time. Plan how to evacuate your home quickly and make sure everyone knows the evacuation plan. Make sure everyone has a list of emergency contact numbers they can phone.
• Practice the steps that are needed to disconnect your home’s gas, water and electricity and make sure you understand these. If you are able to, learn basic first-aid procedures, which will allow you to assist others during a natural disaster.
• Before any disaster, you should inspect your home and eliminate any potential hazard. In an emergency, ordinary items in your home can cause injury and damage. Anything that can move, fall, break or cause a fire is a potential hazard.
• Community connections are important. Make sure you know your neighbors. Swap phone numbers and keep an eye on elderly or disabled neighbors, or people with children – they might need extra help during a natural disaster.
• Make sure to regularly check safety devices in your homes, such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
• Speak to your local authorities and emergency services and learn about your community’s emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes, and locations of emergency shelters. Local emergency services will also be able to advise you on the most common types of disasters that affect your area.