Hurricane season preparation includes some coronavirus considerations this year

RALEIGH, N.C. (WECT) - While North Carolinians work through the current stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus pandemic, citizens living along the coast know that warmer weather means it is time to prepare for the potential for hurricanes.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared this week as Hurricane Preparedness Week across the state. The typical hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, although tropical systems can occur outside those parameters as well.

The governor’s advice is to use this week to talk about emergency plans with family members, update any emergency supplies and make sure your insurance is up to date. With the threat of coronavirus still out there, the governor also said evacuation plans should include an idea to stay at a hotel or inland with friends and family as emergency shelters may not be able to maintain much social distancing.

Hurricane preparedness kits should also include hand sanitizer and face masks along with the traditional items this year as well.

Inland flooding and storm surge are always part of the potential storm damage from systems, so this year the state is debuting a new tool called “Know Your Zone,” which is a tiered evacuation system that will show the most vulnerable areas to storm surge and other hazards. You can access that information at this link to see where your address falls.

Recommended items for a hurricane preparation kit include:

Food/water for every member of your family for several days
Copies of insurance cards/papers and identification sealed in a watertight plastic bag
First-aid kit
Weather radio and batteries
Prescription medicines
Sleeping bag or blankets
Changes of clothes
Hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and deodorant
Cash
Pet supplies including food, water, leashes, bedding, muzzle and vaccination records
Hand sanitizer
Face masks