The
Meadows at Martin Downs Homeowners Association, Inc.
The
Meadows at Martin Downs Homeowners Association, Inc.
2550 Waterfall Blvd., Palm City, FL 34990
Phone: 772-283-2250 Fax: 772-283-9024
Suggested Options:
B. Stay with relatives or friends.
C.
Relocate outside the threatened area.
**
D.
Go to a Red Cross Shelter. * *
You alone can decide which plan is best for you. The following information has been prepared to help you make the safest decision for you and your family. It also outlines the requirements for each plan.
Please read carefully so you will be prepared in the event of a severe storm.
* The Meadows will have a headquarters at the Meadows House where information will be dispensed and facilities will be available to reach emergency services. *
** No Pets are allowed at Red Cross Shelters **
DETERMINE YOUR PLAN
PLAN A: STAY HOME.
Hurricane preparedness is a year long necessity in South Florida. During the hurricane season (June -November) it will be important to develop your own personal plans well in advance of the emergency. If you decide to stay (and are not ordered to evacuate by authorities) a storm proof home, emergency supplies and information for periods before, during and after the storm will be important to your survival.
If you plan to stay home, make sure your home can withstand a hurricane.
HURRICANE WINDS
CATEGORY
VELOCITY
1 74 - 95 MPH
2 96 -110 MPH
3 111
- 130 MPH
4 131 -155 MPH
5
156 + MPH
Each
village in the Meadows presents different needs. Shutters, vent covers,
skylight covers, garage door reinforcements would be necessary in the most
severest of storms. You alone can determine whether your property will be safe
for you during a storm. GATHER AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE ABOUT YOUR
PARTICULAR STRUCTURE AND ACT ACCORDINGLY.
1. Close shutters and all other openings.
2. Bring inside any outdoor objects such as plants, etc., which hurricane winds can transform into missiles.
3. Secure or remove awnings. Brace sliding glass doors.
4. Don't drain your swimming pool. Draining increases the possibility that the pool could pop out of the ground. DO turn off the electricity to pool equipment. If the filter pump is exposed, wrap it with a waterproof cover and tie it securely. Add extra chlorine to pool water to prevent contamination.
5. If you use a portable generator to supply power in case of an electrical service interruption, DISCONNECT the MAIN SWITCH in your home. Electricity from an RV or portable generator can flow into outside power lines, creating a highly dangerous situation to service crews as well as other people in the neighborhood. It could also result in a damaged or burned out generator when electric service is restored to the home.
6. Shut off water, electricity and propane gas before leaving.
7. Inform the Meadows office of your plans, where you will be, whom to notify, etc.
8. Place an identifying marker on your home.
SUPPLIES
YOU SHOULD HAVE AT HOME
(Compiled by the American Red Cross)
Keep
these supplies at home during the June-November hurricane season. We recommend
you keep them in a separate "hurricane kit", so they are easy to
find when you need them. A two-week supply of water, food, and medication is
recommended.
1. Can opener (non-electric)
2. Matches
3. Canned or packaged foods, milk and beverages (two-week non-perishable food supply)
4. Extra prescription medicine.
5. Baby food, diapers and formula.
6. Portable cooler.
7. Water (for drinking purposes, two quarts per person per day; fill
bath tub
8. Eating utensils
9. Toiletries
10. Battery-operated radio
11. Flashlights
12. Extra batteries
13. Emergency cooking facilities (for after
storm)
14. 3/4" plywood boards to board up
windows.
15. Lantern
16. Fuel
17. Fire extinguisher
18. Bleach (without lemon or any other additive)
19. Water purification tablets (can be
purchased at your local pharmacy)
20. Mosquito repellent
21. Full tank of gas for car
22. Cash
23. Cards, favorite games, books
24. Important papers (insurance, etc.) in an
accessible place.
25. Tape to mark home that you are there.
PLAN B: STAY WITH LOCAL FRIENDS OR
RELATIVES
If
you expect to stay at someone else's home during the next hurricane, arrange
it in advance. You'll want to be sure their home will be adequately prepared
and supplied. Have an alternate plan ready -in case a hurricane comes when the
other folks are out of town.
Be
sure to plan for your own family some supplies need not be duplicated, but
double check with friends or relatives. Prepare
your property before you leave as shown in Plan A "Prepare your
property". LOCK ALL DOORS.
FINAL
PREPARATIONS
1.
Double check your supplies of nonperishable foods, baby food, diapers
(if needed) and
medicines. Make sure that you have enough to last two weeks.
2. Turn your refrigerator and freezer to colder settings. Open them only when absolutely necessary and close quickly. If you take these precautions, a good refrigerator-freezer can maintain food-preserving temperatures for up to two days without electricity.
3.
You might have to depend on your own emergency source of water and cooking heat.
Electric utility service could be interrupted for hours or even days if the
hurricane
causes heavy damage to power facilities. Municipal water supplies may also
be
interrupted by hurricane damage.
4.
Prepare your emergency water supply before the hurricane strikes. Fill all
available jugs, bottles, cooking utensils and other containers. Fill bath tub with water
for sanitary purposes.
FOR
PLAN A AND B
DURING
THE HURRICANE STAY INDOOR!!!!!!!!
1. If the calm eye of the
hurricane passes through your area continue to stay indoors-unless emergency
repairs are absolutely necessary. Wind and rain may stop for as little as a
few minutes or as long as half hour or more. BEWARE. The wind will pick
up again - from the opposite direction, possibly with greater force than
before!
2. If the electricity goes
off, use flashlights instead of candles or kerosene lamps when possible. A
gust of wind through a door or window could help start an accidental fire. The
fire department may not be readily available while hurricane winds are
blowing.
3. The sanitation sewer system
is dependent upon electric power to run the sewer pumps.
There is limited storage in the sewer system and it will not drain
without pumping. There are 38 pumping stations in the county. Martin County
Utilities has only a limited number of portable generators capable of powering
pumping stations. Should there
be a loss of electricity in this area, residents (to the maximum extent
possible) should avoid putting any water into the sanitation sewer system. This
means do not let water drain from sinks, showers or bathtubs. Flush toilets
as infrequently as possible. With cooperation we should avoid a serious
health hazard from the overflow of raw sewerage onto our streets.
4. Use your telephone for
emergencies only. Jammed phone lines may obstruct emergency calls.
5.
Continue to conserve
refrigeration. Open the refrigerator/freezer door as little
as
possible.
7. If you are with friends or relatives, do not try to
return to your home until the “all clear” is given. Check with the Meadows
Headquarters (283-2250) for update on
conditions. Roads may be blocked.
Working
with neighbors can save lives and property. Meet with your neighbors to plan
how the neighborhood could work together after a disaster until help arrives.
Know your neighbor's special skills (e.g., medical, technical) and consider
how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as disabled and
elderly persons. Make plans for childcare in case parents can't get home.
AFTER
THE HURRICANE
FOR PLANS A &
B
1. Remain
indoors until the official "all clear" is given. Pay attention to
instruction from local officials.
2. Avoid electric
shock:
A. Don't
touch fallen or low-hanging wires of any kind, under any circumstances.
B.
Stay away from puddles having fallen wires in them.
C.
Don't touch any tree or object that's in contact with power lines.
3. Use your telephone
for emergencies only:
A.
Do call the police or utility immediately to report hazards such as
"live" power lines, broken gas or water mains, or overturned gas
tanks.
B.
Don't use the phone to report interruptions in individual electric,
gas, water or telephone service. Utilities have plans for complete service
restoration.
C.
Report individual trouble to the utility only after service is
generally restored in your neighborhood.
4. If “Boil Water”
is ordered:
Use one of the following methods to purify water
A.
Boil for three to five minutes at a rolling boil, or
B. Add four water purification tablets per
gallon (available from drugstores) or
C.
Add 12 drops of two percent (2%) tincture of iodine per gallon, or
D.
Add eight drops of household bleach (without lemon or other additive)
per gallon.
RELOCATE
OUTSIDE THE THREATENED AREA
FOR
PLAN C
If
you intend to travel a few hundred miles to get out of a threatened area, use
a current road map to plan a route and stay clear of major bodies of water. If
you have ill or disabled persons in your home, get a doctor's advice on where
they should stay if a hurricane hits. If you relocate, do it early so you'll
avoid traffic jams and dangerous winds. Have
a well planned trip if you leave the area. Remember, you must leave early
(possibly before you are certain of direction of the storm). Motel rooms will
be scarce. Plan ahead. Take valuable papers and emergency supplies in case of
traffic, etc. Make sure your gas tank is full.
GO
TO A RED CROSS SHELTER
FOR
PLAN D
If
you do not use Plan A, B, or C, Red Cross emergency shelters will be available
in assigned locations. When such shelters are opened, they'll be announced on
radio and television. If you plan
to go to a shelter, be sure to leave as soon as the shelter's opening is
announced, and bring along your irreplaceable documents and bedding.
Remember a shelter is a last
resort, comforts must be sacrificed.
LOCAL
HURRICANE SHELTERS:
Palm
City: Bessy
Creek Elementary School 2201 SW
Matheson Ave.
Palm
City: Hidden
Oaks Middle School 2801 SW Martin Hwy.
*** LISTEN TO LOCAL MEDIA AS ALL SHELTERS
MAY
NOT OPEN AT THE SAME TIME ***
WHAT TO BRING TO A
RED CROSS SHELTER
DO NOT
leave your
home for a shelter until local officials announce on radio and/or television
that a particular shelter is open.
1.
First Aid Kit
2.
Medicine
3.
Baby food, diapers
4.
One change of clothing
5.
Extra batteries
6.
Flashlight (per person)
7.
Battery-operated radio
8.
1 gallon drinking water per person
9.
Special diet food
10.
Prescriptions
11.
Cards, games, books, snacks
12.
Toiletries
13.
Cot, lounge chair, or air mattress
14.
Blankets or sleeping bag
15.
Eat before you come
16.
Identification, valuable papers (insurance), cash
Note:
Pets are not allowed in Red Cross Shelters
It
will be necessary for you to follow all instructions made by your Red Cross
Shelter Manager. You will be advised when it is safe to leave the shelter. The
shelter will have contact with the Meadows Headquarters and will know when it
is safe for you to return.
THINGS
YOU CAN DO NOW
1.
Make a trial run to shelter.
2.
Check with AAA which route
would be safest (re: water, traffic, etc.)
3.
Study storm forces to see if
your home would be safe in the most severe storm.
4.
Learn as much as you can about your area.
5. Be
prepared to share your talents (notify headquarters) in an emergency.
6. Make sure older people in
your immediate area are prepared and have a plan.
7. Get additional Hurricane
Information from The Meadows House or Red Cross, Kanner Highway
Office.
8. Don't
panic, adopt a plan and know your options.
9. Assemble
all necessary supplies now before items are depleted.
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Last updated: 06/22/09 |