By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
How to prepare for a hurricane
PackingTheCar
Think about what you will need for several days away from home as you pack your vehicle for an evacuation. - photo by Photo provided.

The onset of hurricane season is a good time to take some necessary steps to prepare yourself and your family.
Follow these guidelines from the National Weather Center today:

• Determine safe evacuation routes inland

• Learn location of official shelters

• Make emergency plans for pets

• Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators, battery-powered National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio and cell phones

• Buy food that will keep and store drinking water

• Buy plywood or other material to protect your home

• Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts

• Trim trees and shrubbery

• Decide where to move your boat in an emergency

• Review your insurance policy

Some considerations while planning

• Georgia Public Radio, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), Georgia State Patrol (GSP) and the Georgia Public Broadcasting System, will provide updates on road and traffic conditions in the event of a hurricane.
In our area, tune in to WSVH 91.1 FM. You can also call 511 from your cell phone for real-time travel information. 

• Because of its geographic position, Georgia is susceptible to hurricanes from both the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

• I-16 becomes a one-way road (Westbound only) from Savannah to Dublin when a mandatory evacuation from the Georgia coast is in effect.

• Hurricane Katrina, the costliest natural disaster and one of the five worst hurricanes in U.S. history, was only a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

• The word “hurricane” is derived from the name of an ancient Maya god named “Huracan,” meaning “heart of sky.”

• Hurricanes can produce widespread torrential rains for hundreds of miles inland. Between 1970 and 1999, more people lost their lives from freshwater inland flooding associated with land falling hurricanes than from any other weather hazard related to these storms.

Sign up for our e-newsletters