Chesapeake In The Know

Hurricane season is officially here. We’ve been very lucky in recent years but that’s no excuse to be complacent. All it takes is one storm and that one storm can come even in a season that forecasters say will be quiet. So every year you must prepare.  Here are some tips.

• Get flood insurance. If you’re in a designated flood zone it will be a requirement. If you’re not in a designated flood zone, you’ll have to call your insurance agent to opt into it.  It takes 30 days to go into effect so you don’t want to wait for a storm to be just a few days away. You may be surprised at how cheap it can actually be so it’s worth looking into. Visit Floodsmart.gov for info.
• Know Your Zone. Your evacuation zone, that is.  Are you an A, B, C, D? When an evacuation is called, it’ll be called by zone with A likely going first. But you won’t need to head to New Jersey or even west to Richmond. In fact, we encourage you to ask your local friends and family what zones they live in.  Then instead of leaving the state you can just move to a zone C or D until you’re cleared to go back home.
• Build a kit. An emergency kit that has critical items to sustain you for at least 72 hours. Water, food, portable chargers, batteries, first aid kit, etc. You can find a great list of items to have on hand at Ready.gov.

And finally, stay connected to trusted sources. The National Weather Service is the place to go for reliable weather information. Ready.gov has tons of preparedness information. And of course, you can find all of your City sources at CityofChesapeake.net.  Get prepared!