Much of the preparation for a disaster, whether natural or man-made, is the same. Preparation starts with making an emergency plan, and the State of Florida’s Emergency Preparedness Guide helps you make that emergency plan. Also, the federal Ready.Gov website has a planning page with many useful tips.
If a storm or hurricane is approaching, be prepared for it to hit your area. If you think it is going to hit your area, leave at least 3 day in advance.
Got any relatives to visit out of state? Maybe it is better to visit them, or incur the cost of a hotel stay, rather than risk being caught in an area being hit by a hurricane. It all depends on the facts of each family situation.
The media will sensationalize, give people bad advice and then never admit to having done so. One example of that was Hurricane Irma in 2017, where the mainstream media ahead of the hurricane celebrated people who had evacuated to Lakeland for their foresight. Then the hurricane changed course and hit Lakeland. Oops!
Do listen to the news, but think for yourself, and keep a close eye on the path of the storm, which can shift suddenly and unexpectedly.
