After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the Atlantic region is now on high alert during hurricane season. With many families still rebuilding homes, vacation spots and businesses, it’s more important than ever that we prepare for the coming weather. The New York City metropolitan area, especially, should know where to go in case of an emergency. As part of Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 25th to the 31st), The Ad Council and the New York City Office of Emergency Management have started the #KnowYourZone campaign.
The goal of the campaign is to encourage New Yorkers to find out if they live or work in one of NYC’s six hurricane evacuation zones. These zones are ranked by their danger of flooding from storm surge (with Zone 1 being the most likely to flood). In the event of a hurricane or coastal storm, residents in these zones may be ordered to evacuate.
If you live in the New York City area, here are a few steps to ensure that you’ll be prepared for hurricane season:
- Use NYC’s Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder or call 311 to find out whether your home or business is located in a hurricane evacuation zone.
- Understand hurricane hazards and the steps you can take to prepare.
- Sign up for Notify NYC. Get the latest emergency information via text, phone, email, fax, Twitter (@NotifyNYC), BlackBerry Messenger, and instant messenger.
- Bookmark (and print out) the Ready New York Hurricane Guide. This guide contains instructions on how to develop a hurricane disaster plan and secure your home before a storm as well as a map of New York City hurricane evacuation zones.
- Get the whole family on board. This includes family members that may live in the metro area, but not in your home. Figure out where everyone would need to evacuate to, and make sure that you remind each other of your destinations in case of bad weather. It will provide piece of mind and a built-in game plan.
For more information, check out http://www.NYC.gov/KnowYourZone.
Atlantic coast families: what are you doing to prepare your family for the upcoming hurricane season?
Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post, but contains vital information that I wanted to share with you all. I hope it helps!
The #KnowYourZone campaign is definitely a smart move. I’m sure a lot of people would gain some peace of mind by checking this and following these tips. Thank you for sharing.