Are You Prepared for Hurricane Helene?
My youngest nieces and nephew like to repeat back to me how I reiterate the value of preparedness, and, with Hurricane Helene headed our way, there’s no better time than now to think about preparedness.
𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬...
✔️ Make sure your vehicles’ gas tanks are full of gasoline.
✔️ Visit your bank to replenish cash that you’ll have on hand.
✔️ Run the dishwasher to clean up any dirty dishes before you have to go days with them sitting around.
✔️ Consider running a last load of laundry.
✔️ Be sure to take a shower as it might be your last hot shower for a few days.
✔️ Fill a cup with water, stick that in your freezer and, once frozen, top with a penny; seeing whether the penny drops into the water after your power goes out will help you determine the impact on your frozen foods.
Amidst the chaos, stay safe, and do your best to remain calm.
Once the storm passes, if you have been affected, capture some notes… Now is the time to write out everything you will need to do throughout the recovery process. Capture this in a space shared with your roommates or family members, like a task management app or a photo album of photos you take, including photos of damage as well as of written notes. Most importantly, as “your brain is meant for thinking, not remembering”, record your conversations (or, at least, notes about your conversations) with service providers, insurance companies, neighbors, loved ones and anyone offering assistance. Please don’t beat yourself up for not remembering things; capture that somewhere outside your brain so you’ll have the info as needed .
Further, in the aftermath of a storm, give yourself permission, time and grace to work through the grieving process. You are mourning both what you loved and lost in your city or town as well as dreams you had for your home that may be altered going forward.
Likewise, here are 6 ways to boost preparedness for a myriad of potential emergencies:
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀. You’ll need to fill your tank with gas and visit your bank for cash. As you gather flashlights with extra batteries, candles, your weather radio and a first aid kit to keep handy, be sure to charge all your devices fully, including back-up batteries. Then, once the electricity goes out, use your mobile devices sparingly to conserve battery power longer.
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱. Locate your fire extinguisher and learn how to operate it. Find your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors; mark on your calendar when to replace their batteries and learn which sounds indicate what. Double check your insurance coverage.
𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Decide where you will go and who should be contacted if you must evacuate. Make a list of what essential equipment must be taken from your business’ premises. Cull together the items you’ll need to take, keeping them in a quick-grab bag by an exit.
𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀. Make sure you use a hosted exchange server. Utilize hosted VoIP for your business’ telephone needs. Download apps from the web, rather than installing them directly by CD or the manufacturer, which will more seamlessly enable updates to the latest versions. Save important information to a cloud storage solution.
𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀. You will need to send notifications to customers, vendors, employees, friends and family members so you’ll need the most accurate phone numbers as well as email addresses to reach each of these partners in any emergency situation.
𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻. Establish from where employees can obtain updates, like where to return to work if there is a back-up location and how payroll will be facilitated. Include what clients or prospects will need to know.
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