Hurricane Season 2019: What you need to know

June 03--The official hurricane season started over the weekend. While it's not time to panic, it is time to prepare.

A tax-free holiday on many hurricane-preparedness items began Friday and runs through June 6.

With FEMA responding to more than 50 disasters nationwide, emergency managers are recommending people have enough supplies to survive five to seven days without help.

"The past two hurricane seasons stand as a stark reminder of the need to be prepared and all of the effort to be prepared begins with you, the citizen," said Acting Deputy FEMA Administrator Dan Kanuski at a National Hurricane Center event Friday in Miami. "There's a likelihood that if there were to be a landfalling hurricane or tropical storm it could hit an area still recovering from previous storms."

The peak of the hurricane season doesn't begin until mid-August, but it's a good idea to start stocking up now on the following items so you can avoid the mad dash to the store if a storm threatens.

Your Shopping List

- Flashlights and extra bulbs

- Clock (wind-up or battery-operated)

- Battery-operated radio

- NOAA emergency weather radio

- Extra batteries

- Toilet paper

- Matches (camping stores have waterproof matches)

- Scissors

- Plastic garbage bags

- Working fire extinguisher

- Clean change of clothes, rain gear, sturdy swamp boots

- Fully charged battery-operated lanterns. Don't use candles and kerosene lanterns. They are fire hazards.

- Map of the area

- List of phone numbers

- Copy of insurance policy

FOOD SUPPLIES

Get enough nonperishable foods to last two weeks. Then put them in a box and leave them alone. Note: Canned and other prepared foods that are salty or dry or high in fat or protein might make for good provisions, but they'll also make you thirsty.

- Water: Enough for 1 gallon of drinking water per person/per day, for one-week minimum. Water for two weeks is ideal. (Also, figure another 1 gallon per person/per day of water for washing hands, flushing toilets and for pets.)

- Ice or dry ice

- Shelf-stable milk and juice boxes

- Canned and powdered milk

- Beverages (powdered or canned, fruit juices, instant coffee, tea)

- Raw vegetables that don't need refrigeration (will last only a few days)

- Canned vegetables and fruits

- Dried fruits

- Prepared foods (canned soups, beef, spaghetti, tuna, chicken, ham, corned beef hash, packaged pudding)

- Snacks (crackers, cookies, hard candy, unsalted nuts)

- Snack spreads (peanut butter, cheese spreads, jelly)

- Cereals

- Sugar, salt, pepper

- Bread

- Dry and canned pet food

HARDWARE

- Hand tools: hammer, screwdrivers to use now, shovel and pickax for after the storm

- Power screwdriver

- Quarter-inch machine screw sockets and screws

- Plastic sheeting to cover furniture

- Rope

- Sturdy working gloves

- Duct tape to waterproof items; masking tape isn't strong enough

- Canvas tarps

- Sturdy nails

FIRST-AID KIT

Drugstores will be mobbed just before a storm and closed for days after. Keep a two-week supply of prescription drugs. Your first-aid kit should include:

- Medical supplies

- First-aid handbook

- Insect repellent sprays

- Citronella candles, insect bite lotion

- Petroleum jelly, for relieving itching

- Ointments for burns, cuts

- Antiseptic solution

- Sunscreen

- Extra over-the-counter medicine (for colds, allergies, cough)

- Aspirin, acetaminophen, antacid

- Children's medicines

- Diarrhea medication

- Feminine hygiene items

- Incontinence supplies

- Rubbing alcohol

- Iodine

- Disinfectant

- Wet wipes

- Moist towelette packets

- Medic Alert tags

- Thermometer

- Hypoallergenic adhesive tape

- Cotton-tipped swabs

- Sterile rolls

- Adhesive bandages

- Sterile gauze pads

- Roller bandages

- Tweezers

- Needles

- Adhesive tape

- Safety pins

- Latex gloves

KITCHEN SUPPLIES

- Waterless hand sanitizer

- Manual can opener

- Water purification tablets

- Bottle opener

- Matches in a plastic bag

- Pocket knife

- Camp stove or other cooking device and plenty of fuel. (Use only canned fuel indoors -- never charcoal or gas. Buy extra gas or charcoal to use in well-ventilated space after storm has passed.)

- Ice chests or coolers

- Paper plates, napkins

- Plastic cups, utensils

- Disposable pans for cooking

- Plastic bags, jugs or containers for water and ice

BABY NEEDS

- Disposable diapers

- Baby wipes

- Diaper-rash ointment

- Baby medicines

- Medicine dropper

- Extra formula, baby food

EMERGENCY TOILET

- Garbage can with tight lid

- Plastic bags for liners

- Disinfectant or bleach

- Deodorizer

- Extra toilet paper

CHECKLIST WHEN THE STORM THREATENS

- Refill special medications.

- Get cash (ATMs may not work for days after). Don't charge credit cards to the limit; you might need extra cash after the storm.

- Get supplies (see above)

- Don't fill gasoline cans until right before the storm; they are a fire hazard.

- Fill vehicle fuel tank. Gas stations will run out and some will not have power to run pumps. Check your car's battery, water, oil. Make sure you have a spare tire and buy aerosol kits that fix and inflate flats.

- Check fire extinguishers.

- If you own a boat, make necessary preparations.

- Prepare your pool. Don't drain it.

- If you own a plane, have it flown out or secured.

CHECKLIST WHEN THE STORM IS APPROACHING

- Get shutters, storm panels or plywood in place on windows. If you haven't installed sockets, attach with wood screws; they're better than nails and do less damage.

- Don't tape windows; tape can create daggers of glass and bake onto panes.

- Remove swings and tarps from swing sets. Tie down anything you can't bring in. Check for loose rain gutters, moldings.

- Move grills, patio furniture and potted plants into your house or garage.

- If you do any last-minute pruning, take clippings inside so they don't become missiles.

- Disconnect and remove satellite dish or antenna from your roof.

- Check your mailbox. If it's loose, secure or remove it.

- Remove roof turbines and cap holes with screw-on caps. Unsecured turbines can fly off and create a large hole for rain to pour through.

- Prepare patio screening. It usually is built to sustain tropical-force winds, but as it fills with wind, it can separate from the frame. Officials recommend you remove a 6-foot panel on each side to let wind pass through. Pull out the tubing that holds screening in frame to remove screen.

- Secure and brace external doors, especially the garage door and double doors.

- Move vehicles out of flood-prone areas and into garages if possible. If not, park cars away from trees and close to homes or buildings.

- Don't turn off your natural gas at the main meter. Only emergency or utility people should do that.

Here's some other, non-essential information for the storm season.

2019 NAMES

For the 2019 hurricane season, the following hurricane names could come into play in the North Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico:

- Andrea (subtropical storm May 20)

- Barry

- Chantal

- Dorian

- Erin

- Fernand

- Gabrielle

- Humberto

- Imelda

- Jerry

- Karen

- Lorenzo

- Melissa

- Nestor

- Olga

- Pablo

- Rebekah

- Sebastien

- Tanya

- Van

- Wendy

CATEGORIES

When a tropical cyclone's sustained winds reach 39 to 73 mph, it is considered a tropical storm and it gets a name from a list put out by the World Meteorological Organization. Once those sustained winds reach 74 mph it becomes a hurricane:

Category 1: 74 to 95 mph

Category 2: 96 to 110 mph

Category 3: 111 to 129 mph

Category 4: 130 to 156 mph

Category 5: 157 mph or higher

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