Rivington

If you've lived in Florida for long, you know that our world-famous weather can go dark. We're talking, of course, about hurricanes. Each year from June to December, Florida sees hurricane after hurricane batter our coast. Three-fourths of all storms in Florida occur between August and October, with September being the peak month for storm activity. The probability of an intense, major hurricane hitting somewhere in Florida is about once every three years. This means if you live in Florida, it is a matter of when a hurricane hits your home, not if.

Thankfully, protecting your single family house in DeBary, FL is not impossible or even difficult, as long as you do enough preparation ahead of time. Waiting to the last minute or taking on a "it won't happen to me" mindset could mean the difference between life and death. It could also mean the difference between destruction around your home and a bit of yard debris to clean up afterwards.

The best time to prepare for a hurricane is now, before hurricane season begins on June 1. It is vital to understand your home's vulnerability to storm surge, flooding, and wind. You'll want a kit in place while the skies are still blue. If you wait until your area is in the cone of uncertainty, you've waited too long. Here is your checklist of things to do to your single family home or modern townhouse in DeBary, FL before hurricane season begins:

#1 Put Together an Emergency Kit. You will want to gather a basic kit with everything you could need for an emergency or to go a while without electricity. At the start of Hurricane Season, put together a storm kit with essential items like batteries, flashlights, medication, candles, nonperishable food and water to last a week. Fill up your gas tank, too.

#2 Review Your Insurance Policies. Talk about an unwanted surprise! Review your insurance policies to ensure that you have adequate coverage for your home and personal property. If you find that you don't, you need to upgrade your coverage before the storm hits. Most policies won't cover new changes for at least a few days, if not a few weeks.

#3 Write or Review Your Family Emergency Plan. "Run from the water, hide from the wind" is the adage when it comes to fleeing your home ahead of a hurricane. When an emergency happens, you can't be making decisions right then and there. Before the storm hits, sit down with your family and decide how you will get in contact with one another, where you will go, and what you will do in an emergency. If flooding should begin or a fire breaks out, where will you evacuate to and how? Keep a copy of this plan in your emergency supplies kit so you can access it when it matters.

Above all, take the threat of a hurricane seriously. A well-constructed single family house in DeBary, FL can easily stand up to a hurricane as long as you put the work into preparation before it hits.