Storm Preparation

Plan ahead

As the storm moves closer to Northwest Florida, make sure to be prepared, the sooner the better. Here are some handy tips to make sure you are ready.

• Before storm season begins on June 1, have your trees properly trimmed to minimize their impact on your home and neighborhood. Only specially trained line-clearing professionals can trim trees and vegetation around power lines – never do it yourself.
• If you are not sure whether a tree is too close to a power line to trim it yourself, contact us. Make sure debris is cleared prior to a hurricane warning announcement, when trash pickup is suspended.
• If someone in your home is dependent on electric-powered, life-sustaining medical equipment, review your family emergency plan for backup power or make arrangements to relocate when a storm warning is issued.
• Make sure you have the appropriate supplies before a storm. Use this disaster supply kit checklist as a guide. Floridians are encouraged to have at least 7 days of supplies.
• Turn your air conditioning down before landfall to cool down your house. If you keep the doors and windows closed after the storm you can keep your house relatively cool for about 48 hours after the storm.
• Charge up your cell phone before the storm — and anything else that needs to be charged up.
• Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Well-filled freezers keep most foods frozen two to three days if the door is kept closed.
• Be prepared to disconnect or shut off any appliances that will turn on automatically when power is restored, including electric space heaters and stoves, washers, dryers, TVs, microwave ovens, computers, refrigerators and freezers. If not, when power is restored, several appliances may come back on at the same time and overload your circuits, or hot appliances may come on while you're away or asleep, posing a fire hazard.
• Before lowering a TV antenna or satellite dish, make sure to turn off and unplug the TV, and avoid power lines.
• Turn off all swimming pool pumps and filters, and wrap them in waterproof materials.
• Leave a porch light switched on so that utility crews will be able to determine immediately the success of specific repairs.