Hurricane & Emergency Preparation Checklist

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Quick Hurricane/Emergency Checklist!

FOOD SUPPLIES

Keep a two-week supply of all basic foods on hand. •Canned and jarred meats and fish, such as tuna, chunk chicken or ham •Canned fruits (get the ones packed in juice, not in syrup) and canned vegetables •Canned soups, stews and chilies •Powdered and/or evaporated milk •Instant coffee, tea and cocoa •Pet food •Jelly and/or honey •Peanut butter •Powdered drink mixes, to make bottled water more palatable •Sodas/juices •Bouillon cubes •Shelf-stable puddings

BASIC SUPPLIES

•Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9volt). •Gallon-size freezer bags for making ice. •Tools, including hammer and nails, ax or hatchet, crowbar, screwdrivers, pliers, duct tape and masking tape, a drill with screwdriver bits and adapters, knife (Swiss army style), handsaw. •Flashlight. •Radio or battery-powered television. •Fire extinguisher. •Lantern. •Matches in a plastic bag. •A charcoal or gas grill (Never use such a grill inside). •Fuel for your generator or chain saw. •Sterno stove. •Oven mitts, for handling hot cookware. •Plastic Eating utensils. •Hand-operated can opener. •Soap (covered plastic container). •Toilet paper (in plastic bag). •Disinfectant. •Needle and thread. •Cat litter: for your cat or for soaking up spills. •Food for your pets. •Prescription medications. •Mosquito repellent. •Disposable diapers and wipes. •Garbage bags, to keep goods dry. •Rope or heavy cord: Get 100 feet. •Tarpaulin, canvas or 6-mil plastic sheeting; temporary roof repairs or tents. •Whistle or air horn.

FIRST-AID KIT

Keep all these items in a waterproof container. •First-aid manual •Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes •2-inch sterile gauze pads •3-inch sterile gauze pads •Hypoallergenic adhesive tape •Three triangular bandages •Three rolls of 2-inch sterile roller bandages •Three rolls of 3-inch sterile roller bandages •Scissors •Tweezers •Needle, for sewing and removing splinters. •Latex gloves •Antiseptic spray •Hydrogen peroxide, for cleaning wounds •Rubbing alcohol •Iodine. •Thermometer •Petroleum jelly to relieve itching •Ointments for burns and cuts • Safety pins •Aspirin and acetaminophen tablets •Antacid tablets

WATER

Plastic gallon milk jugs are not recommended; they leak easily and do not seal well. Instead, use food-grade plastic containers that have screw caps, such as 2-liter soda bottles •Figure you will need six 2-liter bottles of water per person, per day -- 4 liters for drinking and 2 liters for sanitation. •Use clean containers for storing drinking water. It will be hot and muggy, and you'll be working hard. Other water sources: •In a jam, you can use the water in your water heater. Turn off the power - otherwise the empty tank could explode when power resumes - and open the spigot at the bottom. Don't reconnect until utility officials say the water supply is safe. •If it's especially muddy outside or keeps raining or your house is a real mess, you don't want to waste good drinking water cleaning up. •Boil-water orders are virtually automatic after hurricanes. Don't wait to hear it; go ahead and boil or purify all drinking water (except bottled) until told otherwise. Boil water for a 3 - 5minute rolling boil. You can improve flavor by adding a pinch of salt. To purify water: •Household bleach, which contains hypochlorite as its only active ingredient. Never use bleach containing soap, lemon or other additives. Use eight drops per gallon of clear water or 16 drops per gallon of cloudy water. Mix thoroughly and let stand 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine smell; if it doesn't, repeat the dose and let it stand another 15 minutes. •Household (2 percent) tincture of iodine: use 12 drops per gallon. Be very careful that you don't use the wrong strength. Clean your bathtub with bleach and rinse it: Seal or caulk your bathtub drain, and fill the bathtub with water; you can use this water for cleaning or for flushing the toilet if the water pressure drops.

FOOD

•If in doubt, throw it out. Being a little hungry is a lot better than being sick. Food that smells fine may still contain bacteria, and it takes only a tiny amount to make you very sick. Diarrhea depletes fluids you can't easily replace when drinking water is at a premium. •Keep hands clean at all times. Sanitation will be a real problem. •Eat and drink perishables first. •Pace your eating. There's no need to stuff yourself just to get rid of perishable food. •Every time you open the refrigerator, you waste valuable cold air and sharply reduce the life span of perishable food inside. •Don't grill indoors! Don't even use a canned heat stove indoors. You can spill the fuel or be overcome by fumes, carbon dioxide or smoke or start a fire. It's OK to grill or barbecue outside but be very careful because the ground is probably littered with wood and other debris that could catch fire. And firefighters will be hard to find. •If possible, grill perishable meats. They will stay edible longer than raw meats. •When power returns, you can safely refreeze foods that still are half frozen. Safe at room temperature for a few days (remember: it will be hot and muggy): •Fresh fruits, vegetables •Dried fruits, coconut •Opened jars of salad dressing, peanut butter, jelly, pickled products, barbecue or taco sauces, ketchup, mustard, olives •Fruit juices •Hard or processed cheeses •Butter or margarine.
Unsafe if above 40 degrees for more than two hours: •Fruit pies •Raw or uncooked meats, poultry or seafood's •Milk, cream, yogurt, soft cheeses •Cooked pasta without sauce, pasta salads •Custard, chiffon or cheese pies •Fresh eggs, egg substitutes •Meat-topped pizza, lunch meats •Casseroles, stews or soups •Mayonnaise and tartar sauce •Refrigerator cookie dough •Cream-filled pastries •Frozen fish or shellfish that have no ice crystals •Partially melted ice cream •Food that has come in contact with flood water •Bulging, leaking or severely dented cans

Important Telephone Numbers

for Broward County Residents

EMERGENCY 911
Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222
Crisis Counseling Hotline 211

UTILITIES

Florida Power & Light 1-800-4-Outage (1-800-468-8243)

AT&T Telephone Repair 611

 

EMERGENCY SHELTER/EVACUATION

Emergency Management Offices 954-831-3900

Hurricane Hotline 954-831-4000

American Red Cross 954-763-9900

SOCIAL SERVICES

American Red Cross 954-763-9900

First Call for Help of Broward (Crisis lines) 211

Salvation Army 954-524-6991

United Way 954-462-4850

STORM TRACKING

National Hurricane Center Recorded information 305-229-4550

FLORIDA

Attorney General Price Gouging Reports 1-866-966-7226

Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-962-2873

Florida Fish & Wildlife 1-888-404-3922

Emergency Information 1-800-342-3557

Department of Children and Families 1-866-762-2237

Highway Patrol 954-837-4000

Insurance Commissioner 1-850-413-3140

Attorney Consumer Assistance 1-866-352-0707

BROWARD COUNTY

Hotline 311

Emergency Management 954-831-3900

Bus information 954-357-8400

Governmental Center 954-357-7585

Human Services 954-357-6385

(Special Medical Needs Shelter Registration and Transportation) 954-357-5608 (TTY)

Elderly services Division 954-745-9779

Sheriff's Office Non-emergency 954-321-1100

UNITED STATES

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms 954-453-6001

Coast Guard 954-927-1611

Federal Bureau of Investigation 954-944-9101

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 1-800-621-3362

MISSING CHILDREN

Missing Children Information Clearinghouse 1-888-356-4774

ANIMALS

Humane Society 954-463-4870

Animal Control 954-359-1313

Wildlife Care Center 954-524-4302