Tornadoes, derechos, sandstorms, hurricanes… whatever type of wind event is headed your way, it can be extremely dangerous to be caught off guard.
While wind events of any kind can be dangerous to anyone in their path, being ready to respond to an incoming storm will boost your chances of not only staying alive, but keeping much of your home and loved ones safe as well.
How to Prepare for a Wind Based Disaster.
Put Your Emergency Plan into Action.
As soon as you receive word that a wind event may be brewing, check on your neighbors and enact your emergency plan.
Stay Inside.
Do not venture outside once danger appears to be approaching. During high wind events, make no exceptions to this rule.
Heading outside during high wind events can have lethal consequences: flying debris kills,
If you have a basement or cellar, you’ll want to make your way inside, as it’s one of the safest places to be. If not, hunkering down in a windowless room on your ground floor should be part of your plan.
Secure the Goods.
Long before there’s even a cloud in the sky, survey your property and remove any items that can be lifted and carried by the wind—and become an airborne projectile.
Secure anything that cannot be removed, then remove and store everything else.
Board Up Windows.
If you are able, board your windows with 5/8” plywood, cut to fit. If boarding windows is not an option, duct tape them. Add long lengths of duct tape to both sides and close all curtains and blinds to not only prevent glass from breaking, but to reduce how much becomes a flying hazard.
As we stated earlier, seek refuge in a room without windows for the duration of the storm, preferably a basement or cellar if you have one and made it there before the storm gets too close.
Stay Informed.
Keep yourself updated on the ferocity and duration of the storm by tuning in to a NOAA radio channel. This will give you accurate and usable information on the storm’s progress.
Let It Be.
After the storm has passed, we often see downed trees and utility poles. Stay away from any pole with cables attached until authorities have deemed it safe, and do not attempt to remove downed trees alone.
Learn the Basics of First Aid, CPR, and Put Together a First Aid Kit.
Sometimes wind events can make roads and highways undrivable for emergency vehicles, which means you may be hard to reach if injured and in need of urgent medical attention.
Knowing how to provide CPR, as well as the basics on how to treat wounds and injuries could save the life of you or a loved one.
The Red Cross has CPR training as well as a free to download app that we recommend having on your smartphone in times of emergency.
We’re knocking on wood that your disaster preparedness never gets put to the test, but being prepared doesn’t stop here.
Learn about how to pack your own preparedness kit and how you can prepare for floods, severe wind events (tornadoes, tropical storms, hurricanes), earthquakes, and other disasters here.
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