I wish we could say that, because of the COVID crisis, we all get a break from worrying about the potential of a catastrophic storm making landfall this year. Unfortunately, the truth is that hurricane season doesn’t give us the courtesy of waiting until the COVID-19 crisis subsides, so the time to be ready is now.
We want you to know that even with the enormous amount of work we have been doing to contain the Coronavirus in Harris County, we have also been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for this hurricane season, which begins this week. We’ve achieved a lot of progress over the past year, moving full speed ahead on flood mitigation projects, tightening development and detention standards and working with first responder teams from across the region to prepare for and plan for the worst.
But ultimately, preparing for hurricanes is a partnership among all of us. Including you. Here are three actions we urge you to take today to prepare:
1. Do an insurance checkup. Did you know that just 1 inch of water can cause $25,000 in damage to your home? Standard home insurance policies don’t cover flooding, so now is the time to check in with your insurance company and make sure you are covered. Keep in mind that new flood insurance policies take 30 days to take effect, so don’t wait.
2. Build a kit. Many of the items you need for a Hurricane Kit you already have at home, such as non-perishable food, batteries, and a radio. Make sure you have a plan to have any medications you need on hand and a plan and supplies for your pets too. Please see our disaster checklist of supplies on ReadyHarris.org.
3. Know your zone. Now is the time to find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation zone, and if you do, plan where you would go and how you would get there. If you need to evacuate, do you know where you would go? A friend or a relative's house, for example? We have evacuation routes and zones on a map right now on ReadyHarris.org.
We all know the sort of damage and loss of human life that a big storm can bring, but it doesn’t have to catch us unaware. Please join us in taking the time to prepare for whatever may come this hurricane season.
Abrazos,
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