When a hurricane hits, it is important to have the skills and the know how to protect yourself and your family.
Hurricanes are becoming more and more dangerous and they are occurring more often.
Even if you have lived through a hurricane before, there are some survival tactics that can prepare you for the next one.
A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds reaching over 75 miles per hour and they usually occur over an oceanic area.
A hurricane is called by different names, depending on where you live, they are called typhoons, and tropical cyclones, but both of these are the same as a hurricane.
There are also several parts to a hurricane including the eye, which is in the center of the hurricane; it is usually calm in the eye and can be deceptive during a hurricane, never come out of your home until local officials tell you to do so the hurricane may not be over, you may just be in the eye.
Just outside the eye is the eye wall; this is where you will find the strongest wind and rainfall.
Spiral bands lie outside of the eye and can be very large producing wind and rainfall.
There are five categories to hurricanes.
With a category one-hurricane wind speed is in excess of 75 miles per hour and a category five hurricane can have wind speeds of 155 miles per hour or more with categories two through four producing winds in between.
Now that you understand a little bit about the inner workings of a hurricane, lets discuss what you do if you are ever in the path of a hurricane.
It is important to discuss with your family and loved ones what you will do before a hurricane strikes.
You should have a detailed plan available in case of a mandatory evacuation.
You can assemble a small kit that you keep in a safe place and include a first aid kit, flashlight and radio with extra batteries, canned food, supply of water, raincoats, sleeping bags, and any items that an infant or elderly person cannot live without especially life saving medications.
It is important to have a weather radio available and to follow any instructions you are given.
You should have a full tank of gas if you know that a hurricane is coming in case of a quick evacuation.
You should never go near floodwaters, if the area you live in is starting to flood you should immediately seek out higher ground.
If you are evacuated never return to your home until emergency officials have informed you to do so.
The best way to protect yourself and your family during a hurricane is to purchase a hurricane survival pack on the Internet.
They are affordable and all of the guesswork is taken out of deciding the most important items to have during a hurricane.
Hurricane survival packs include many things you may never think of, and they are sold in watertight containers.
They include items such as folding shovels, watertight storage bags to contain important documents, duct tape, a tarp, an axe, and many other things to help you survive during a hurricane and aftermath.
You can also purchase survival packs designed just for kids and pets.
You may also want to purchase food rations.
Many food rations have extended shelf lives and will not spoil during extreme temperatures and conditions.
You can buy food for humans, and pets.
Most people forget about their loyal pet companion when preparing for a disaster.
You should also have plenty of water on hand in case of a hurricane emergency.
This is something that can also be purchased online.
Whether you are looking to purchase the water itself, containers and bags to store water in, or a water purification system, you can find a variety of ways to ensure clean drinking water during and after hurricane.
Hopefully you will never have to survive a disastrous hurricane, but if you do, it is imperative to have the proper tools and knowledge to help you and you family survive.
If you are lucky enough to avoid a hurricane, the peace of mind a survival pack can provide is priceless.