If normal caution hasn’t already gotten you ready for a
hurricane, look closely at
Hurricane Floyd. The last thing you want to be when Floyd comes
calling is unprepared.

“Hurricane Floyd is an extremely dangerous, monster of
a storm that could impact
all of Georgia,” said state climatologist David
Stooksbury. “Even if Georgia
doesn’t receive a direct hit from Floyd, severe impacts are
very possible.”

With 155-mile-per-hour winds and gusts to 190, Floyd is
packing torrential rains that
could add severe flooding to its damage.

Along the Georgia coast, the storm surge is a major risk.
“Most people who die in
hurricanes drown,” Stooksbury said. “It’s imperative
that people living in the
coastal counties follow the instructions from their local
emergency management agency.

Here are some tips that can help you and your family weather
the storm.

General
Preparation

• Keep abreast of the latest forecasts, watches and
  warnings from the National Weather
  Service via NOAA Weather Radio.
• Review your family disaster plan. Follow the evacuation
  route set by your local
  Emergency Management Agency. It’s important to follow the
  designated routes, since the EMA
  will have up-to-date information on road conditions and
  traffic.
• Notify a relative or friend well away from the coast of
  your plans. If the family
  becomes separated, this person can become your family’s
  link.
• Fuel your vehicles, and make sure you have some cash and
  credit cards for evacuation or
  lodging expenses.
• Remember the pets. Make sure the shelter accepts them, or
  use a pet carrier or leash
  during evacuations.
• Check for and put away loose objects that can blow away
  and damage houses. Tie down
  anything that can’t be moved inside.
• Board up, tape or place storm shutters on windows and
  glass doors to prevent flying
  glass that may cause injury.
• Get battery-operated lights and a radio and plenty of
  batteries to power them. Don’t use
  open flames such as candles.

Food and Safety

• Turn your refrigerator and freezer up to its highest
  setting in anticipation of losing
  power. Pack food in the smallest space you can so it will
  insulate itself and stay cold
  longer. If you know the power will be off two or more days,
  dry ice can keep food cold and
  safe to eat longer. Reset the controls after the threat of
  power loss passes.
• Fill large containers with water for drinking. Flooding
  can contaminate water supplies,
  and power outages can leave well pumps useless.
• Move three days’ worth of nonperishable, canned and
  ready-to-eat foods for each family
  member to a safe place. Be sure you have a hand-operated
  can opener.
• Make sure you have a fire extinguisher. Electrical shorts
  or gas line breaks can easily
  cause fires. In flood or hurricane situations, fire
  fighters may be unable to reach your
  home.
• Check your first aid kit. Make sure you have rubbing
  alcohol, adhesive bandages, a
  blanket, antibacterial ointment or cream and material to
  make a sling or tourniquet. Make
  certain family members have enough of any prescribed
  medicines to last them through the
  storm.

Farm
Preparation

Farmers need to take special precautions before storms. Be
sure to:

• Scout fields for current disease or insect problems.
  Knowing current crop stresses can
  affect harvest decisions after weather damage.
• Provide ample food and safe water sources for
  livestock.
• Secure equipment and lightweight machinery to keep wind
  from blowing it onto other
  equipment or structures and causing damage.
• Check seals and external gaskets on doors and equipment.
  High winds can force rainwater
  into tiny cracks and into areas where water can cause rust
  or other damage. Blowing rain
  can wet equipment under shelters, so cover that as
  well.

For hurricane recovery information, check the World Wide Web
page at
www.griffin.peachnet.edu/caes/drought/tropical.htm.