Be on Alert

• Know the risks  in your area. Find out what types of wind and water hazards could occur where you live.
• Download the FEMA app to your mobile phone and receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service to be informed about hurricane watches and warnings.
• Sign up for community alerts in your area.

Make an Emergency Plan

• Get started by having enough supplies for your household, including medication, disinfectants, masks, and pet supplies in your go bag or car trunk.

• Make sure to have extra water and nonperishable foods at home. After a hurricane, you may not be able to purchase some essential items for days or even weeks.
• Involve your whole family in creating a family emergency communications plan and emergency kit.
• Learn your evacuation routes. Practice with household members and pets and identify where you will stay. Local emergency managers will provide the latest recommendations based on the threat to your community.

Stay Connected

Internet service will be hit or miss during and after a storm if the power goes out. But you can still read tweets via text. Go to your favorite accounts and subscribe to receive their tweets via text message.

Our suggestion, do this for the National Weather Service (@NWS), and of course, CBS Miami. Our handle is @CBSMiami.

Don’t text too much during a storm though because you may run out of battery.

Next tip, conserve your phone's battery

Make your phone’s battery last longer by shutting down all apps, disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and even reducing the brightness on your screen.

For Scared Pets

If you’re a pet owner whose dog freaks out in thunderstorms, have some dryer sheets handy. When atmospheric pressure changes during a storm, static electricity builds up, even around pets, and veterinarians say that’s why they get so worked up. You could get them a “Thunder Shirt”, or simply rub them with an unscented dryer sheet and that should calm them down for a bit.

Buy glow-in-the-dark duct tape.

Your supplies are useless if you can’t see them in the dark. Add the labels once you know the storm is coming so your house isn’t a neon mess all season long. Plus, you can put some tape on the floor to mark a path to the exits in case you need to run out in a hurry in the dark.

Necessities for Hurricane Survival Money

• ATMs may not work after a storm, Banks may be closed. Open businesses may not be able to accept credit cards. After a hurricane strikes, cash is king. Only you can determine how much cash you need, but consider how and where you will store it and what you might need to buy before technology returns.

Have TWO WEEKS supply of each item below for each person in your home.

Cooking

• Sternos
• Portable camp stove or grill
• Stove fuel or charcoal, lighter fluid
• Aluminum foil
• Oven mitts

Non-Perishable Foods*

• Canned meats, fruits, vegetables
• Bread in moisture-proof packaging
• Cookies, candy, dried fruit
• Canned soups & milk
• Powdered or single-serve drinks
• Cereal bars
• Condiments
• Peanut butter & jelly
• Instant coffee & tea
• Camping Meals (dehydrated)
• MRE (Meals Ready To Eat) Military style complete meals

Equipment & Other Items

• Manual can opener*
• Disposable plates, cups & eating utensils
• Napkins & paper towels
• Flashlight* (one per person)
• Portable battery-powered lanterns
• Glass-enclosed candles (only for use after the storm)
• Battery-powered (or hand crank-powered) radio
• Battery-operated alarm clock
• Extra batteries, including hearing aids
• Ice chest & ice
• First aid kit, including aspirin, antibiotic cream & antacids
• Mosquito repellent
• Sunscreen (SPF 45 recommended)
• Waterproof matches/butane lighter
• Bleach or water purification tablets
• Maps of the area with landmarks. A bad storm can erase street signs and other landmarks

Babies

• Disposable diapers & moist towelettes*
• Formula, food & medication*

Documents

• Photocopies of prescriptions*
• Photo identification, and copies as backup*
• Proof of residence (utility bills)*
• Medical history*
• Waterproof container for document storage
• Back up copies of your home computer files
• Digital camera and memory chips
• Citizenship Documents
• Copies of your insurance documents for the car and home

Other Necessities

• Tools: hammer, wrenches, screwdrivers, nails, saw
• Trash bags (lots of them)
• Cleaning supplies
• Plastic drop cloth
• Visqueen (clear roll plastic) to cover holes in your
• Mosquito netting
• ABC rated fire extinguisher
• Duct tape or strong masking tape for emergency repairs (not to tape windows)
• Outdoor extension cords
• Spray paint
• Rope

Personal Supplies

• Prescriptions* (1 month supply)
• Toilet paper
• Soap, shampoo & detergent
• Toiletries & feminine hygiene products*
• Changes of clothing*
• Extra glasses or contacts
• Bedding: pillows, sleeping bag*
• Rain ponchos & work gloves
• Entertainment: books, magazines, card games, etc.*
• Hand Sanitizer
• Personal Battery Operated Fan

Pets

• Dry & canned food
• Water (a half gallon per day)
• Litter box supplies
• 1 Month Supply of pet medications (heartworm tablets, etc)

Water

• See our complete guide to water here

If you are planning to go to an evacuation shelter, be sure to bring these items. For more tips and other resources click here for a great site put together by our partners at CBS 4.

In Miami-Dade County, FRIEND (Miami-Dade's Long-Term Recovery Group) offers assistance through their website at: https://friendrecovery.org

In Broward County, the LTRC (Long-Term Recovery Coalition) of Broward County offers assistance through their website at: http://ltrcbroward.org/index.html