Hurricane Survival Skills


Hurricane survival skills are essential knowledge for many people around the world, including the United States. Here in the US, hurricanes are mostly known to strike the states along the Gulf of Mexico, but they can sometimes travel up as far as Maine to the Northeast given the right conditions. Survival skills for hurricanes are a mix of the obvious and some aspects that might not be common sense to many citizens, as they are constantly changing along with technology.

Underground or Overground

Perhaps some of the more obvious skills for hurricane survival are taking cover. If the hurricane is not expected to lead to floods, one should take cover underground, tie down heavy objects, and board up windows. Flying glass leads to most cyclone-related deaths because of its ubiquitous use in modern construction and because the shards are razor sharp. Flower pots and other ceramics should be brought indoors because their shards bear the same ability to cut and stab when flying at high speed.

Hurricane Preparedness

Citizens who plan on waiting out a hurricane should have enough food and water to survive for three days or more. Because electricity is usually cut during hurricanes to prevent fires and explosions, people should be prepared to eat canned or vacuum-sealed foods that will not easily spoil. Bottled water is also essential because the powerful winds of a hurricane may lead to floods that can contaminate municipal water sources. Homeowners should also turn off their natural gas outlets in order to prevent poisonous gas leaks, fires, or explosions.

Communication

Among the less obvious measures that enhance survival during hurricanes are radios and text messaging. Many radios need only batteries to perform and citizens can stay updated on events occurring around them rather than having to rely on electricity-powered computers and televisions. Information can mean life and death in many situations, so sheltering people should stay informed as often as possible about developments occurring around them. Text messaging is a much more efficient way to communicate with the outside world because their frequencies do not clog up cell phone towers in the way that phone calls do. Phones with keyboards are best suited for the practice of text messaging, so citizens should prepare accordingly.

Flooding

Following these suggestions should maximize your ability to survive in a disaster brought about by a hurricane. If flooding is expected, one should abandon their home and drive in-land. There are few measures one can take to survive flooded urban areas due to the contaminated water, destroyed supplies, and lack of shelter.