SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Today, with the start of 2022 hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages Puerto Rico residents to get their families and property ready. To be proactive and take preparedness steps right away, that will enhance all response process that may undertake these severe weather events.
“Living in the Caribbean area, we have learned that it only takes one to pose a great threat to our lives and irreparably damage our properties. To get ready for the hurricane season should be a planned exercise and second nature for every one of us,” said Orlando Olivera, FEMA’s Caribbean Area Office Coordinator. “It is not just major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher) that we need to worry about, but as we saw in February, any kind of severe weather events can also cause significant damage.”
Knowing your risk, getting prepared, and staying informed are just a few steps you can take to get ready for hurricane season.
Know Your Risk: To search for general information about risks in your area, visit www.ready.gov. Check out NOAA’s historical hurricane tracks tool for additional hurricane information.
Get Prepared: Act now, do not wait until the last minute to stock on groceries and supplies. Make sure you have family evacuation and communications plans, update your emergency supply kit, and evaluate your flood insurance needs.
- Know your zone. Evacuations are more common than people realize. Learn your community’s evacuation routes and shelters, know exactly where to go. Remember: if a hurricane threatens your community and local officials say it's time to evacuate, don't hesitate -- go early.
- Complete a family communication plan. Plan how you will reunite your family and loved ones and anticipate where you will go for different situations. Get together with your family and agree on the ways to contact one another in an emergency, identify meeting locations, and make a Family Emergency Communication Plan.
- Download the FEMA app. The FEMA App includes disaster resources, weather alerts, safety tips, and push notifications to alert people to prepare their homes and families. The app also provides a customizable checklist of emergency supplies, maps of open shelters and recovery centers, and weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
- Check your insurance coverage. Not all hurricane-related losses are covered under traditional policies. Most homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover damage or losses from flooding. Review your policy and contact your agent to ensure that you’re adequately covered and be aware of any changes. If you’re not insured against flood, talk to your agent, or visit www.floodsmart.gov. Renter’s insurance policies are also available and should be considered as a way of protecting your belongings.
Stay Informed: Identify reliable sources of information before a hurricane event. Sign up for alerts from your local emergency management office so notifications, including evacuation orders, go directly to your phone and email. Monitor local news for hurricane watches and warnings in your area and follow directions of local officials. Make sure you have a battery-operated or hand-crank radio available should the power go out.
Additional information is available at www.ready.gov/hurricanes and www.fema.gov which offer tools and resources to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergency events.
Follow FEMA on social media at Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico, and www.twitter.com/FEMAregion2.
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