Mother Nature can at times seem unpredictable, especially during hurricane season. Taking the time now to create a storm plan and stock up on needed items can help ease the stress of being caught off-guard by the weather curve balls thrown our way. Not to mention you’re making sure you have the necessities to keep you and your family safe after a storm, which are items that often go flying off the shelf when a system is fast approaching.
Despite the seasonal forecasts – whether experts are calling for a busy or slow season – FPL has a plan in place to respond to outages safely and as quickly as possible following a storm. Our plan anticipates that there will be outages if we are hit with a major hurricane and your plan should, as well.
Make sure you have these top 5 items in your storm kit now:
- Portable generator
- Flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Power banks
- Battery-powered or crank radio
When using a portable generator, remember to read the owner’s manual before operating and NEVER plug your generator directly into your breaker panel or fuse box. This can sometimes send electricity back into the lines, possibly injuring a line worker restoring power. You can get more generator safety tips from a recent blog post by line worker Jonathon Olivieri.
In addition to our top 5, honorable mentions would have to be non-perishable food and gallons of water in the pantry. It’s also recommended that if someone in your family has special medical needs or relies on powered medical equipment – know what you’re going to do if the power goes out.
Always call 911 in case of an emergency.