September marks National Preparedness Month and this year’s overarching theme is “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.” With the recent devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, and the impending danger of Hurricane Irma, now more than ever, is a time we should all take action to prepare.

The goal of National Preparedness Month is to increase the overall number of individuals, families, and communities that engage in preparedness actions at work or at home. Hurricanes are among the most powerful and destructive natural disasters. The primary hazards of hurricanes include storm surge flooding, inland flooding from heavy rains, destructive winds, tornadoes, and high surf and rip currents.

When preparing an emergency plan, be sure every member of your family knows what to do if they aren’t at home when an emergency is declared, especially when that plan consists of a designated shelter/safe place where everyone can meet. It is vital to understand your home’s vulnerability to storm surge, flooding, and wind. Here is a checklist of items to know prior to an emergency:

1. Know your zone: Find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation area by contacting your local government/emergency management office or by checking the evacuation site website.
2. Write or review your family emergency plan: Before an emergency happens, sit down with your family or close friends and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go, and what you will do in an emergency. Store this plan in a safe place.
3. Review your insurance policies: Conducting this review will ensure that you’re aware of current coverage for your home and personal property, and if you need to update any of these at any time.
4. Put together an emergency kit: Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters. Our Heatsheets emergency blankets are a great addition to any emergency kit as they provide protection from the elements. Don’t wait until a warning is issued, prepare a hurricane emergency kit now.

The team at Heatsheets understands the vital need to create and update a safety plan to ensure all involved are protected and safe. That’s why we create our emergency blankets to provide comfort and hypothermia protection from the elements. Our products are durable and can be easily reused. When worn silver side in, they reflect up to 90 percent of body heat back to the user, while blocking wind and rain—they can also be flipped and worn silver-side out to deflect the sun.

Developing an emergency plan for your business or storm shelter? Request a sample to see how Heatsheets can keep you comfortable and dry in uncertain weather conditions, or place your order today.

Preparing for the uncertainty of Hurricane Irma, sign up for alerts and warnings in your area.