Hurricane Preparadness

• Look over your insurance policy to insure it provides adequate coverage.
• Check the storm surge history and elevation of your area.
• Make an inventory of possessions.
• Photograph your house and all the rooms inside for insurance purposes.
• Make sure your roofing is properly fastened and secure. Make all necessary repairs.
• Obtain lumber, plywood, and concrete nails for battening up.
• Know your evacuation route.
• Organize a place to meet with your family should you become separated during the storm.
• Clear your yard and drains of debris.
• Prune trees limbs that are close to your house. They can cause damage to your home or utility wires during a storm.
• Find a place to move your boat in an emergency.
• If your home is at risk, plan in advanced where you will stay. Visit the Cayman Prepared Website at http://www.caymanprepared.gov.ky for a list of available shelters in your area.
• If you need transportation to a public shelter due to special needs -- such as age, physical disability, or mental disorders; Make necessary arrangements in advance.

• Turn refrigerator and freezer to the coldest level. Freeze water in plastic containers.
• Sanitize bath tubs and fill with water.
• Tie down or bring in all outdoor objects (such as awnings, patio furniture, garbage cans).
• Secure or remove satellite dishes, TV or radio antennae from roofs.
• Pick fruits such as coconuts, mangoes etc., from trees. Clear your yard and drains of debris.
• Remove all pictures, clocks, books, figurines, tools, office equipment, appliances and important papers (passports, birth certificates etc.); wrap them in plastic or in waterproof containers; and store in a safe room.
• Turn off electricity at the main switch and remove TV and radio antennae from roofs.
• Stock up on water and non-perishable foods. Refill prescriptions needed.
• Park your car in a place that is safest from falling trees and utility poles.
• Batten down windows and doors with shutters or lumber. Wedge sliding glass doors with a bar.
• Turn off electricity from main switch 24 hours before the storm is expected to hit.
• Unplug major appliances.

• Be calm! Your ability to act logically is very important.
• Stay inside. Do not go outside unless it is absolutely necessary.
• Stay away from windows and doors even if they are covered. A windowless or interior room or hallway is usually the safest. Listen to the radio for information.
• If you are in a two-storey house, stay on the first floor.
• If you are in a multiple-storey building, take refuge on the first or second floors. Interior stairwells and areas around elevator shafts are usually the strongest part of a building.
• If your house shows signs of breaking up, stay under a table or stand under a door frame.
• Do not go outside during the calm when the eye of the hurricane is passing.

• Wait until you hear on the radio or television that the dangerous winds are definitely out of your area.
• Do not go sight-seeing
• Do not go outside barefooted. Avoid wearing open shoes and watch out for sharp debris
• Do not use phones or CB radios unless vital. Keep lines clear for emergency calls.
• Bury all dead animals as soon as possible.
• Beware of downed power lines, weakened bridges and washed-out roads, and weakened trees.
• Purify drinking water by boiling or by adding bleach, 2 drops of bleach per litre of water, 4 drops if the water is cloudy. Do not purify all your water at once.
• After adding bleach, let water stand for 30 minutes before drinking.
• Use perishable food first, then non- perishable foods and staples after.
• Do not cook more than is needed for one meal.
• Be alert to prevent fires.
• Report broken sewer or water mains to local authorities.
• Be sure to check your house for structural damage before moving back in.

• Store enough water to last 2 weeks for each person in your household. A normal active person requires a minimum of 1 litre of water per day for drinking and food preparation.
• Water should be stored in clean, well covered containers.
• Label the containers with the current date and renew your drinking supply each month.
• Store emergency food in waterproof containers.
• Arrange items so that those stored first will be used first.
• Observe expiration dates on packaged foods.
• Wrap bread, cookies and crackers, dry good in plastic bags and keep in tight containers.
• Your storage area should be dry, cool and free from contamination by insects, poisons and other chemicals.

A shelter provides temporary housing for persons unable to continue their living arrangements in separate family units, as a result of an emergency incident such as flood, earthquake or hurricane.It is advised to evacuate your home if:

• In an area that continually floods, near the coastline or a stream likely to overflow, in a low-lying area,
• You feel that your home will not offer adequate protection.
• advised by authorities.
• Take your own supplies to the shelter including food, change of clothes, medicine, sanitary need,battery-operated radio and flashlight important papers. Do not take alcoholic beverages, weapons or pets to shelters.