How to Prepare Your NC Beach House for a Hurricane

How to Prepare for a Hurricane

Emerald Isle has certainly seen its share of hurricanes. In fact, if you live near the beach, you know that hurricanes are a part of life. In North Carolina, we seem to have at least a brush from a hurricane every season. So, when a big storm is heading our way, we know what to do from years of experience and it is always best to be prepared. If you are new to the coast, here are some tips to help you get prepared:

	Know what to do when the power goes out.
	Know how to turn off the electricity, gas and water at the main junctions.
	Know what to do if you have to evacuate.
	Predetermine how to reunite with family members in the event you get separated.
	Program all emergency phone numbers into your cell phone.
	Make sure all cell phones are charged.
	Have an emergency food supply: Ready to eat fruits and vegetables. Non-perishable and canned food (don't forget a manual can opener). Peanut butter, cookies, crackers, candy and energy bars are great to have on hand. Food for infants or other family members on special diets.
	Make sure to have paper plates and cups.
	It sure is nice to have a camping stove with extra fuel too.
	Plenty of drinking water - at least 2 or 3 gallons per person.
	Clean your bathtub(s) and sinks and then fill them with water.
	Check your flashlights and make sure you have fresh batteries are on hand.
	Better yet - make sure your rechargeable batteries are charged up.
	Manually crank operated radios and flashlights are your best bet.
	Fill your cars' gas tank.
	Fill the propane tank for your gas grill.
	Make sure your electric generator is operational and have gas on hand.

What about securing the outside of your home?

	Take a look at the trees in your yard. If there are dead limbs or branches hanging over or near your home, remove them. Also check and see if anything is hanging over power lines.
	Secure any outside furniture you have.
	Secure your garbage cans and outdoor grill.
	Bring your potted plants inside.

This is surely not an exhaustive list of things to do in preparation for a hurricane, so if you have some additional tips, let us know.

If you have a second home here and live out of our immediate area, why not let us get your home prepared for a storm if it heads our way? We will do a complete inspection of your property and make sure it is ready. We will take plenty of pictures of everything to document current conditions in case you need to file insurance claims. We will even take pictures after the storm has passed, so you can witness first-hand how your home did. Contact us and we will give you all the details of what we do.

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