Emergency Plan Manual

27 ADDITIONAL SAFETY HIGH WIND SAFETY ACTIONS - before hurricane season * Find out if your home meets current building code requirements for high-winds. Experts agree that structures built to meet or exceed current building code high-wind provisions have a much better chance of surviving violent windstorms. More info visit ibhs.org . * Protect all windows by installing commercial shutters or preparing 5/8 inch plywood panels. More info * Garage doors are frequently the first feature in a home to fall. Reinforce all garage doors so that they are able to withstand high winds. More info * If you do not live in an evacuation zone or a mobile home, designate an interior room with no windows or external doors as a “Safe Room”. More info * Before hurricane season, assess your property to ensure that landscaping and trees do not become a wind hazard. - Trim dead wood and weak / overhanging branches from all trees. - Certain trees and bushes are vulnerable to high winds and any dead tree near a home is a hazard. - Consider landscaping materials other than gravel/rock. HIGH WIND SAFETY ACTIONS - as a hurricane approaches * No mobile / manufactured home is safe in hurricane force winds. Those residents should evacuate to a safer structure once local officials issue a hurricane evacuation order for their community. * Once a hurricane warning is issued, install your window shutters or plywood panels. More info When a hurricane warning is issued for your community, secure or bring inside all lawn furniture and other outside objects that could become a projectile in high winds. * Listen carefully for safety instructions from local officials, and go to your designated “Safe Room” when directed to do so. * Monitor NOAA Weather Radio. * Do not leave your “Safe Room” until directed to do so by local officials, even if it appears that the winds calmed. Remember that there is little to no wind in the eye of a hurricane.