Important Tips

Preparing the Outside

✅ Secure outdoor furniture: Even your favorite patio chair can become a flying missile.
✅ Trim trees & shrubs: Especially those near windows, power lines, or your roof.
✅ Clean gutters & drains: Standing water = bad.
✅ Install hurricane shutters or board up windows: Don't wait until Home Depot looks like a war zone.
✅ Move potted plants, grills, & bikes indoors: Treat them like pets. Bring them in.
✅ Check your roof: Loose shingles? Handle them now or regret it later.
✅ Anchor down sheds, playsets, & trampolines: A flying trampoline is fun only in cartoons.

✅ Trim weak or dead branches: Especially the ones just waiting to snap off.
✅ Cut limbs hanging over your roof, driveway, or power lines: Gravity works overtime in high winds.
✅ Shape and thin dense canopies: Less resistance = less risk of trees toppling.
✅ Never “top” a tree: It weakens the structure. Don’t do it.
✅ Hire a pro for tall trees or ones near power lines: Safety first.
✅ Remove palm fronds & coconuts: Yes, even the decorative ones.

✅ Faster neighborhood response: Trained neighbors save lives before professional help can arrive.
✅ Informed residents reduce panic: Prepared people make safer decisions under pressure.
✅ You become a force multiplier: You’re not a bystander; you’re part of the response.
✅ You help with recovery too: Damage assessments, wellness checks, and support for vulnerable residents.
✅ You build resilience: For yourself. For your family. For your street.

✔️ Read the manual: Not exciting, but it might save your life.
✔️ Place generator OUTDOORS: At least 20 feet from your home – Not in your garage. Not under your lanai. OUTSIDE
✔️ Point exhaust away from doors/windows/vents: Carbon Monoxide can seep inside.
✔️ Use heavy-duty extension cords rated for outdoor use.
✔️ Store extra fuel safely in approved containers: Never indoors.
✔️ Turn it on only when dry: Water + electricity = shocking mistake.
✔️ Keep a CO detector working: If you're using a generator, you need one.

✖️ Don’t run it inside a garage, even with the door open: CO builds up FAST.
✖️ Don’t refuel while running or hot: Flash Fire risk is real
✖️ Don’t overload it: Know what your generator can handle. Fridge? Sure. Whole-house A/C? Probably not.
✖️ Don’t plug it directly into a wall outlet:This is called backfeeding. It’s illegal and lethal.
✖️ Don’t skip maintenance:Check oil, inspect wires, test it before the storm hits.

✔️ Stay indoors until officials say it’s safe: “All clear” doesn’t mean “go exploring”.
✔️ Avoid floodwater: It may look shallow… until it isn’t (plus bacteria, oil and gators. Yes, gators).
✔️ Report downed power lines, gas smells, or major damage: Call 911 or utility services.
✔️ Use flashlights, not candles: House fires are not a post-hurricane vibe.
✔️ Check on neighbors, especially seniors or those with disabilities.
✔️ Take photos of damage: For insurance, documentation and possible FEMA aid.
✔️ Boil water or follow alerts on water safety: Don’t trust your tap until it’s tested.

✖️ Drive through flooded roads: “Turn around, don’t drown” is not just a catchy rhyme.
✖️ Touch downed wires: Even if they “look dead”.
✖️ Use generators indoors or in garages: Carbon monoxide = silent killer.
✖️ Use tap water unless cleared by officials.
✖️ Enter structurally damaged buildings: That creak isn’t charming, it’s a warning
✖️ Let kids or pets play outside unattended: Debris is dangerous (and so is wildlife)

👉 “When in doubt, throw it out.” Seriously. Foodborne illness isn’t worth the gamble.

✅ Hurricane Shelter locations: Learn More.
✅ Special Needs Shelters: If you have a medical condition that requires a greater level of care than that provided at a General Population Shelter, but you do not require hospitalization or a medical institution, a Special Needs Shelter may be appropriate for you.Learn More
✅ Special needs shelter registration process: Pre-registration for the Special Needs Shelter is open throughout the year.