Be Prepared for Hurricane Season

Last-Minute Hurricane Preparedness

The United States has officially entered hurricane season. Are you as prepared as you need to be? There are usually several days to prepare for a hurricane but some weather events happen with almost no warning. Everyone should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice and avoid the last-minute panic of not knowing what to grab and gathering their most important items in a rush. 

A “Grab-and-Go” Bag is essential when it comes to hurricanes and it’s important to make sure your car is always ready to go in case of a quick evacuation. Ideal items:

• Important documents
• Copies of ID cards
• Copies of insurance cards
• Copies of your will and power of attorney
• Copies of deeds
• First aid kits and medications
• Spare house keys
• Jumper cables or Battery Tender® portable jump starters
• Cell phone chargers or inverters to keep devices powered
• Cat litter or sand for better traction
• Water
• Food

These items will help you be ready to go at a moment’s notice. 

If you are like all of us at the Deltran Headquarters and live in Florida or the South East, you generally have a few days notice with an incoming hurricane. But a flash flood, a tornado, or a wildfire can leave you scampering around trying to remember what you need to grab and where your important documents are located.

Once you have your kit ready to go we recommend checking the expiration date on all items. Especially food and water. Have trouble remembering to do that? Set a recurring calendar alert. Here is a great reference site we discovered: Build A Kit.

Keeping your vehicles charged in a hurricane

Another important item on your hurricane to-do list is to keep an eye on your vehicle’s battery level. Place a Battery Tender® Battery Charger on your daily driver from time to time to keep the battery at optimal peak performance. For your non-daily drivers, be sure to leave a Battery Tender® Battery Charger connected or your battery may lose up to 1% of its charge daily leaving you with a dead battery in no time. A backup Battery Tender® jump starter is a great item to keep around the house or in your vehicle.

If you have a portable generator or a backup generator you may forget to keep its battery maintained. Make sure you always have it connected to a Battery Tender® Battery Charger that will maintain its optimal charge levels in hurricane conditions. For this, we recommend the Battery Tender® 12V/24V, 5A/2.5A Selectable Weatherproof Battery Charger. It is water resistant and selectable between 2.5 and 5 amps, ensuring your generator is ready to go when you need it most. 

Battery Tender® battery chargers will automatically switch from a charge mode to a maintenance mode; never overcharging or discharging your battery. We do recommend periodically checking the status lights on the charger to ensure a power surge has not turned off the charger. The last thing anyone wants in a hurricane is a dead battery…especially when you need the freezer to stay cold, your AC to turn on, or the ability to use a stove burner.

Don’t let the unknown sneak up on you. Being prepared will keep you and your family calm and safe in a time of emergency.

Hurricane resources

For more tips on emergency evacuation and hurricane or storm preparedness check out tips from the American Red Cross and Ready.gov.