Hurricane Season officially begins June 1 and last through November 30. The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management urges residents to take four easy steps to prepare.
Get a Kit
Building an emergency essentials kit is the essential first step to preparedness. Avoid panic buying and empty store shelves by stocking up on important items over the whole year. It’s safer and less expensive than waiting until the last minute. Your kit should include
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• Seven-day supply of non-perishable (canned) food
• One gallon of drinking water, per day, for each member of your family, for seven days
• Cash – if power fails, ATMs may not work
• Portable battery or hand crank radio with the weather band
• Flashlights for each member of the family and extra batteries
• Personal items – medications, extra clothes, hygiene items
• Seven-day supply of food, water, and medication for your pets
Make a Plan
What will you do in a disaster or hurricane? Do you need to evacuate or should you stay home and ride out the storm? Make sure your plan answers important questions like:
• Are you in an evacuation zone?
• Where will you go if you do evacuate?
• How will you keep in touch with family members and others?
• Are there other people you are responsible for who may need your help?
For more information on making your plan, click here.
Stay Informed
Safety during hurricane and other disasters starts with having reliable information from trusted sources.
The Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) has a wealth of useful information and videos on how to prepare for a storm, and how to deal with the aftermath, available at www.ghba.org/disaster
The website, www.readyharris.org, is your one-stop-shop for preparedness information, evacuation maps, news, and links to important partners like the National Weather Service, Houston TranStar, and CenterPoint Energy. Bookmark ReadyHarris for easy access.
You can click here to sign up for ReadyHarris Alerts to get information on emergencies sent to you by email, text, or phone. Before, during, and after disasters, we’ll keep you up to date on what is happening and what resources are available for disaster recovery.
In addition, this service is available to residents who are deaf, hard of hearing, and blind though ReadyHarris Accessible Alerts. Alerts are sent as American Sign Language videos with English or Spanish subtitles and audio. They are also compatible with Braille readers. Click here to register.
Be Involved
Preparedness is a community effort. Each of us can be an important resource for our friends and neighbors when disaster strikes. The Harris County Citizen Corps offers multiple ways to be involved as well as basic training in disaster preparedness and response. Click here to learn more about how you can make a difference for your whole community.
A few minutes spent preparing can go a very long way in keeping you and your family safe – and not just during hurricane season.