Surviving a Storm During a Pandemic: Safe at Home

10/12/2020 (Permalink)

When a storm threatens during a pandemic, you need to take extra precautions to keep your family safe while sheltering at home.

In the midst of hurricane season, too many Americans will find themselves facing down a powerful wind storm that could damage their homes and cause flooding and widespread power outages—and potentially, injuries and death. Worse yet, this year Americans are facing a viral pandemic that makes just about every aspect of life more challenging—including preparation for a storm.

Just as you and your family have had to make different decisions about activities during the pandemic, you’ll also need to do some extra preparation in case of a hurricane or other damaging storm. But with a little planning, you can put yourself in a position to weather the storm and its aftermath, safe and sound in your own home.

Basic Shelter-at-Home Preparation

In the event you have to shelter at home, most likely without power, your basic preparations include building up and maintaining two-week supplies of these items:

• shelf-stable nutrition-rich food that doesn’t require refrigeration, such as canned food and dry mixes
• water for all family members (1 gallon per person per day)
• necessary medicines (prescription and OTC)
• personal hygiene products, such as soap and paper products
• food for your pet, if you have one

Other important items you should stock up on in case you need to shelter at home include:

• flashlights, lanterns, radios and plenty of batteries
• fully-stocked first aid kit
• important papers that will prove your identity and document your property ownership and insurance coverage
• cash and gasoline (for your car and a generator, if you have one)

Additional Shelter-at-Home Preparation During a Pandemic

Beyond doing basic shelter-at-home preparation before a storm, you’ll need to take additional steps during a pandemic to remain safe from exposure to viral pathogens. Have these on hand before the storm hits:

• A two-week supply of cleaning and disinfecting products
• Several face masks for each family member—remember, you may not be able to wash your masks

One of the most important things to do if you might be sheltering at home during a viral pandemic? Don’t wait! Stock up on all your supplies well ahead of time. If you delay until shortly before the storm hits, you are likely to encounter both supply shortages and crowded stores—immediately putting you at greater risk of exposure to pathogens.

We’re Here for You

The team at SERVPRO of West Hartford has specialized training and experience in natural disaster and storm damage cleanup, water damage remediation, fire restoration services and chemical cleanup. Call SERVPRO of West Hartford (860.206.6141) any time.

If your home or business suffers damage from a storm or other natural disaster, call SERVPRO of West Hartford today at 860.206.6141

Other Helpful Blog Posts

SERVPRO publishes educational articles on how you can protect your home and business from disasters and how to deal with mold, fire, water, sewage, storm and other damage.

SERVPRO of West Hartford
100 Peters Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002
IICRC Certified
Noemi Garcia
Certified SERVPRO technicians
Call 860.206.6141
24-hour emergency service

If your home or business suffers damage from a storm or other natural disaster, call SERVPRO of West Hartford today at 860.206.6141