Hurricane Preparedness Notice:
Before the Hurricane:
- Please be advised that if we have strong winds or a potential power outage, the elevator will be shut down. Please make arrangements to vacate the building or stay somewhere that you won't need the elevator.
- ALL ITEMS ON YOUR BALCONY OR PATIO MUST BE BROUGHT INSIDE.
- It is a good idea to close all blinds to avoid shattering glass (do not tape any windows) and to place rolled towels around the bottom of glass doors and windows.
- If you need any assistance, please advise the management company.
After the Hurricane:
- In the event of a hurricane, if you sustain any damage please contact the management company immediately.
- The elevator will be turned on as soon as possible.
- Beware of outdoor hazards. Watch out for loose or dangling power lines and report them immediately to the proper authority.
- Walk or drive cautiously. Debris-filled streets are very dangerous. Snakes and poisonous insects are a hazard. Washouts may weaken road and bridge structures and might collapse under vehicle weight.
Please visit our Municipalities Link for ease in finding your city. You will find valuable information for hurricane preparation and other helpful links.
All Hurricanes Are To Be Taken Seriously Whether It Is A Rain or Wind Event. Storm Surge Causes Flooding, Tornadoes Are Not Uncommon. Use Common Sense, Hurricanes are Serious Business They Can Cause Injuries, Death and Great losses of Personal Property. Work Hard be Prepared and We Will Come Through These Events In Good Shape.
CURRENT HURRICANE EVACUATION PROTOCOL:
It is important to be reminded that if an evacuation order is issued by the County or State for our area, residents must adhere to the evacuation order and vacate their unit. Anyone who remains in their unit after an evacuation order is in effect does so entirely at their own risk.
Additionally, an evacuation order may prevent emergency services from responding to calls in our area. It is imperative that all residents understand that the Association will honor the evacuation order and its main concern once an evacuation order is in effect is to protect the condominium.
Hurricane Preparedness:
In an effort to assist you in preparing for this hurricane season, we ask that all residents please read the following information thoroughly and be properly prepared in the event of a hurricane. The hurricane season is June through November. However, the Emergency Preparedness Division has record of a hurricane every month of the year except for February. You are encouraged to contact the local Emergency Preparedness Division or local Red Cross Chapter to verify the needs of your household during the event of a hurricane. A "hurricane watch" means a hurricane may threaten an area. A "hurricane warning" means a hurricane is expected to strike an area.
When a Hurricane warning is announced:
- Listen to the County Warning System on the radio. Do exactly as advised. Make plans to relocate outside the affected area. Have current information on the location of the Red Cross shelters and directions to get there. If there are ill or disabled persons in the unit, contact their doctor for instructions. If relocation is required by the County Warning System, do so early to avoid traffic jams and dangerous winds. Be sure to take necessities such as prescriptions, bedding, enough food for 24 hours, flashlights, and a battery-powered radio.
- Make arrangements for your pet(s), as pets are not permitted in any public shelter. See Pet Plan.
- Clear off balconies, terraces, and patios. Place rolled towels around the bottom of glass doors and windows.
- Close all blinds to avoid shattering glass. Do not tape any windows. However, windows may be boarded from the outside only.
- Fill the bathroom tub with water. This water may be used for drinking should the water supply become interrupted or contaminated. It may be poured into the toilet bowl to induce flushing.
- Stock up on daily necessities. Items such as the following are a must: non-perishable food, bottled water, first aid kits, blankets, can opener, batteries, battery powered NOAA weather radio, prescriptions, diapers, baby food, extra eyeglasses, hearing aids, and battery powered lanterns. Back up batteries for each item requiring a battery is also a must.
- Remove fragile objects from wall shelves. Store in closet and off the floor to safeguard from storm vibrations.
- Unplug any electrical/computer equipment, cover with plastic, and raise off the ground (if applicable(.
- Locate a safe room or the safest areas in your unit. Your safest room is probably an interior bedroom, bath or hallway without windows or glass doors.
- Have a land line standard phone that doesn't require electricity.
- Fill all vehicles with gas. In the event of loss of electricity, the gas pumps will not operate.
- Carry all important paperwork and personal identification with you in a waterproof bag.
- Post emergency telephone numbers by your phones.
- Determine evacuation routes and a place for family members to meet.
- Cars should be parked in your garages, if applicable, due to the possible threat of projectiles
- Locate the exit stairway nearest to you and count the number of steps from your door to the exit (in case lights are out in the hallway).
- Have an out-of-state family member/friend as a contact for your family, so all your family members have a single point of contact.
During the Hurricane:
- Continue to listen to the County Warning System on the radio. Do exactly as advised by the announcer.
- Stay indoors in your safest room. If the calm eye of the hurricane passes through the area, continue to stay indoors unless it is absolutely necessary to leave or directed to do so by local officials. Remember there is little to no wind in the eye of a hurricane.
- Stay away from glass windows and doors.
- if the electricity goes off, use flashlights instead of candles or kerosene lamps. Use caution when cooking when flames are present. A gust of wind through a door or window could start an accidental fire and the fire department may not be readily available while hurricane winds are blowing.
- Use the telephone for emergencies only. Jammed phone lines may obstruct emergency calls for police, fire departments, doctors, and the Red Cross Disaster units.
- Conserve refrigeration. Open the refrigerator/freezer door as little as possible. occur in the right-front quadrant of the hurricane. However, they are also often found elsewhere embedded in the rain bands, well away from the center of the hurricane.
- If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs or are under a tornado WARNING, take shelter immediately!
| If you're in: | Then: |
|---|---|
A structure (e.g. residence, small building, school, nursing home, hospital, factory, shopping center, high-rise building) | Go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Do not open windows. |
A vehicle, trailer, or mobile home | Get out immediately and go to the lowest level of a sturdy, nearby buildings or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes. |
The outside with no shelter | Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding. Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location. Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safer shelter. Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries. |
After the Hurricane:
- Beware of outdoor hazards. Watch out for loose or dangling power lines, report them immediately to the proper authority. All emergency numbers are in the front of the white pages telephone book.
- Walk or drive cautiously. Debris-filled streets are very dangerous. Snakes and poisonous insects will be a hazard. Washouts may weaken road and bridge structures which could cause them to collapse under vehicle weight.
- Open the refrigerator only when necessary. Food will spoil in the refrigerator if power is off more than a few hours. Freezers will keep food several days if doors are not opened after power failure, but do not refreeze food once it begins to thaw.
- Do not use water until authorities have issued a safe water area. Use the emergency supply in the tub or boil water. Report broken sewer or water lines to the proper authority.
- Take extra precautions to prevent fire. Lowered water pressure in city mains and the interruption of other services may make firefighting extremely difficult after a hurricane.
- Notify your insurance carrier in the event of losses and where you may be reached. Be patient. It takes a team effort to clean up after a storm. Responsibility for the cleanup falls to numerous local, state, and federal agencies. A local disaster coordinator/director (the mayor, county judge or their representative) will be on hand to help in this effort. The community's cleanup will be assisted by the property management staff
Should damage to the property occur, management will perform a unit by unit inspection to assess the damages. A schedule will then be prepared to complete the necessary repairs. All life-safety issues will be responded to accordingly.
Be prepared and be safe!
Important Terms:
Tropical Storm Watch - Tropical storms are possible in this area.
Hurricane Watch - Hurricane conditions are possible in the area. Watches are issued 48 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical storm force winds.
Tropical Storm Warning - Tropical storm conditions are expected in the area.
Hurricane Warning - Hurricane conditions are expected in the area. Warnings are issued 36 hours in advance of tropical storm force winds.
Eye - Clear, sometimes well-defined center of the storm with calmer conditions.
Eye Wall - Surrounding the eye, contains some of the most severe weather of the storm with the highest wind speed and the largest precipitations.
Rain Bands - Bands coming off the cyclone that produces sever weather conditions such as heavy rain, wind and tornadoes.
Storm Surge - An often underestimated and deadly result of ocean water swelling as a result of a land falling storm, and quickly flooding coastal and sometimes area further inland.
