Hurricane Dorian may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the Peninsula is out of danger.
September is National Preparedness Month and while it happens to coincide with the heart of hurricane season, Sara Ruch, deputy emergency manager for James City County, said people need to be prepared year round.
“It might be hurricane season, but people should always be prepared,” she said.
Her first tip for surviving inclement weather with heavy rain and wind is to invest in flood insurance. In the past, she said people haven’t prepared because they thought they weren’t in a flood zone.
“You don’t necessarily need to be in a flood zone to get flooding,” she said.
For example, during Hurricane Harvey in 2005, many people unexpectedly experienced flooding but didn’t have the flood insurance to cover them. On average, she said, the national flood assistance plan only gave uninsured individuals about $4,435 back after a claim while those with insurance received approximately $100,000 back depending on their claim.
Flood insurance typically takes 30 days to kick in, so while a hurricane might not be an immediate threat, people should start looking into insurance ahead of time.
Ruch also suggested people take another look at their insurance documents to make sure they have a good understanding of what is specifically covered.
“Sometimes there is a high wind deductible, which might be different if you had a fire or some other claim,” she said. “Then it tends to be higher. You have to plan financially.”
Another good tactic for insurance claims, she said, is to take a video and record all of the items in your home so there is a record if something happens. Ruch said it is good to do this at least once a year or if there are any major changes in the home.
“That’s part of making a plan,” she said. “Have your valuables ready and documented and make sure there are copies of important documents.”
But what’s most important when it comes to preparing for disaster is safety.
Ruch said families and friends should make sure they have ways to contact loved ones if they get separated or live in other areas. Typically, during an emergency phone lines will get overwhelmed with all of the traffic but Ruch said in most cases text messages will still be able to send.
When disaster strikes, Ruch said it is important for people to already have a plan in place. Even if it doesn’t seem like there is an immediate danger, people should always have an emergency kit that has enough food and water for a couple of weeks. This is especially important if there are individuals with special needs who might require medication or babies who need formula.
One of Ruch’s favorite tips, she said, is to tell people to make sure they have cash on them that can get them through a few weeks. If the power goes out in an area, then some stores won’t have access to card readers and can only accept cash.
“Especially around hurricane season because you’re not going to be able to go to an ATM if the power is out,” she said. “But even outside of hurricane season, we want people to be prepared year-round.”
