With hurricane season in full force, are you prepared?
- Know when the storm is likely to hit in your area and plan on being prepared a couple of days before. Do not attempt to go out in the storm to move items around. Being prepared in advance will also give you ample time to clean any messy areas that could be hazardous.
- Move your trash bin indoors until after the storm has passed so it doesn’t become dangerous with high winds. If you see trash on the ground, pick it up and dispose of it properly.
- Bring in delicate plants if possible. Any plant that has delicate leaves or stands tall, will most likely take a hit. Planters with 50-100+ mph winds can become a projectile, move indoors, to the garage, etc.
- Plants that you can’t bring in should be tucked into a corner. You can also use and entranceway, screen room, or garage to protect plants (careful not to block access).
- Tall plants and trellis should be laid down. If too tall or heavy, anchor with rope and stakes. If trellises are staked in the ground, just pull them up and lay them on the ground with the plant attached.
- Bring in garden furniture. If garden furniture cannot be brought in, stack in the corner, or by a fence, or under a tree, or in hedges, and tie it together and tie to a fence or tree. Try to lock furniture together by turning chairs upside down on each other and laying them down, then stack table on top and tie.
- Bring in the grill or tie it down as well. It’s not as heavy as you think.
- Scan your yard for anything else that could turn into a projectile in heavy winds (eg, signs, gnomes, wind chimes, bird feeder, other yard decorations).
- Keep pets indoors and safe. Never let them outside without being on a leash. Ensure you have an updated photo on your phone, they have IDs on
them and are micro-chipped if possible. Some have suggested putting sod in a kiddie pool inside your garage for an indoor place for them to go to the bathroom. It’s creative, but not all pups will use it. You can also purchase “puppy pads” for all size dogs. - Do you have the ReadyNC.org App?
