Hurricane Season: Keeping you and your family safe

According to ready.gov, members should know the following:

Before A Hurricane

• Make an Emergency Plan: Make sure everyone in your household knows and understands your hurricane plans. Include the office, kids’ day care, and anywhere else you frequent in your hurricane plans.

• Know your Evacuation Zone: You may have to evacuate quickly due to a hurricane if you live in an evacuation zone. Learn your evacuation routes, practice with your household and pets, and identify where you will stay.

• Recognize Warnings and Alerts: Have several ways to receive alerts. Download the FEMA app and receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations nationwide.

• Review Important Documents: Make sure your insurance policies and personal documents, such as ID, are up to date. Make copies and keep them in a secure password-protected digital space.

• Strengthen your Home: De-clutter drains and gutters, bring in outside furniture, and consider hurricane shutters.

• Get Tech Ready: Keep your cell phone charged when you know a hurricane is in the forecast and purchase backup charging devices to power electronics.

• Gather Supplies: Have enough supplies for your household, include medication, disinfectant supplies and pet supplies in your go bag or car trunk. You may not have access to these supplies for days or even weeks after a hurricane.

During A Hurricane

• Pay attention to emergency information and alerts.

• If you live in a mandatory evacuation zone and local officials tell you to evacuate, do so immediately.

• Determine how best to protect yourself from high winds and flooding.

• Take refuge in a designated storm shelter or an interior room for high winds.

• Go to the highest level of the building if you are trapped by flooding. Do not climb into a closed attic. You may become trapped by rising flood water.

• Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around. Don’t Drown! Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.

• Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/ PrinceGeorgeElectricCooperative/ to stay informed about outages and additional storm information.

• Download the PGEC SmartHub app from the Apple Store or GooglePlay and keep our outage reporting number handy: 804-834-2424.  You can also text OUT to 855-939-3608 when you register.

• Bookmark our live outage map at pgec.coop/outage-map to see a real-time look at power outages across our service territory.

Returning Home After a Hurricane

• Be careful during clean up. Wear protective clothing, use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris. People with asthma and other lung conditions and/or immune suppression should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled, even if these individuals are not allergic to mold. Children should not help with disaster cleanup work.

• Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. If it is safe to do so, turn off electricity at the main breaker or fuse box to prevent electric shock.

• Save phone calls for emergencies. Phone systems often are down or busy after a disaster. Use text messages or social media to communicate with family and friends.

• Document any property damage with photographs. Contact your insurance company for assistance.

For a full list of resources and tips, be sure to visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.