North Carolina’s hurricane season typically starts in early June and runs through late November. Hurricanes can create unavoidable dangers, but not every injury that occurs during or after a storm is simply an unavoidable consequence of severe weather.
Property owners, businesses, contractors, and other parties may still have responsibilities to maintain reasonably safe conditions in appropriate circumstances. Creating a hurricane preparedness kit can go a long way toward protecting what matters most. But remember: if you suffer a storm-related injury, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you understand your legal options.
What Should a Hurricane Emergency Kit Include?
A well-stocked emergency kit can help you avoid unnecessary risks when power outages occur, roads are impassable, stores are closed, or medical care is difficult to access.
In addition to basic food and water, your kit should include supplies to treat minor injuries and manage medical needs until emergency services are available.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, your family’s hurricane preparedness kit should include supplies to last three to seven days.
Here’s what to get:
- A list of primary and alternative evacuation routes
- Cars with full tanks of gas
- One gallon of water per person per day
- Nonperishable foods
- Prescription drugs and necessary medical supplies
- Bandages, antiseptic, pain relievers, and other basic first aid supplies
- Flashlights and extra batteries
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- Cell phone chargers and backup batteries
- Manual can opener
- Personal hygiene and sanitation supplies
- Cash
- Extra keys
- Copies of identification, insurance policies, and other important documents
- Pet food, medications, and other pet supplies
What Do Hurricane Victims Need Most?
After a hurricane passes, your immediate priority should be staying safe and meeting your loved ones’ basic needs. The threat does not end just because the storm has passed.
Flooding, unstable structures, damaged personal property, live wires, debris, and other hazards can cause serious injuries.
While many hurricanes make landfall along North Carolina’s coastlines, their effects can stretch far inland. Hurricane Helene devastated the state’s mountain communities, causing catastrophic flooding and other hazards.
Many people did not expect the disastrous effects or understand the anticipated scale of the damage, which is why hurricane preparedness matters so much.
If you don’t have a lot of time to prepare before a storm hits, here’s what matters most:
- Identifying a safe place away from floodwater and structural damage
- Getting a supply of clean drinking water and food
- Necessary medications and medical care
- Reliable information from local emergency officials
- Avoiding standing water, fallen wires, and damaged roads
- Checking your home for electrical, fire, and structural hazards (if safe to do so)
How to Create a Hurricane Preparedness Plan and Reduce Injury Risks
You need to know how to prep for hurricane season before it actually hits. Doing so makes it easier to act when a storm arrives.
Your hurricane preparedness plan should cover where you’ll go, how you’ll communicate, and how to lessen potential safety hazards.
You should:
- Know your evacuation route. Identify more than one way to leave your area.
- Choose family meeting locations in case household members become separated.
- Create an emergency contact list with local and out-of-area contacts.
- Keep important documents accessible and in plastic bags, including identification, insurance information, and medical records.
- Plan for any special needs pertaining to your pets, medications, and mobility.
- Follow evacuation orders from state and local officials. Don’t wait until conditions worsen.
If you were injured in a hurricane but think someone else’s negligence contributed to your injuries, contact Kornbluth Ginsberg Law Group, P.A. for a free consultation.
