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15 Ways to Prepare for a Hurricane

by | Jun 12, 2016 | Weather

Compiled by Susan Larson. Video by Dominion Virginia Power.

Hurricane season officially began June 1, 2016. The best time to prepare is before the forecast, says Dominion Virginia Power. Here are 15 tips:

1. Update your Dominion account phone number at dom.com or call 1-800-222-0401. This will help you quickly report an outage if you loose power. Be sure to have your account
information on hand when you call. If you’re a Rappahannock Electric Cooperative customer, visit their website.

2. Prepare and emergency kit, which should include a three-day supply of non-perishable food, first-aid supplies, battery-powered radio, necessary medications, extra clothes and a blanket.

3. Have at least three gallons of fresh water on hand for each person.

4. Make sure you have a battery-operated radio, multiple flashlights and a battery-operated clock and fan. Don’t forget portable chargers and extra batteries,

5. Post a list of contents on your refrigerator and freezer doors, to minimize the number of times you open them.

6. Monitor official weather bulletins.

7. Keep extra cash on hand—ATMs, merchants, and banks don’t operate without power.

8. Review evacuation routes.

9. If you have pets, make sure you have provided for them as well, with stores of enough food and water.

10. Keep your vehicle’s fuel tank full.

11. If a family member uses life-sustaining medical equipment, review emergency plans and make arrangements to relocate if necessary.

12. If you lose power, turn off major appliances such as air conditioners, water heaters and stoves. Unplug other appliances such as TVs, stereos, microwaves and computers. This will prevent damage to appliances and possible overloads to the company’s system when power is restored.

13. Familiarize yourself with how to safely connect and operate your generator before use. Review these Generator Safety Tips.

14. Enroll in Dominion’s text alerts program to stay informed before, during and after a storm. Visit Manage Account now, to register for 24/7 access via your mobile device. Be sure to bookmark the interactive outage map on your smartphone or device to report or track your outage.

15. Enroll in your community’s emergency alert systems, and download apps from partner agencies. Consider:
Fredericksburg Alert
Spotsylvania Alert
Stafford Alert
American Red Cross : multiple apps include first-aid how-tos, emergency plan templates, hurricane tips and more.
Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) : weather alerts, prep tips, disaster resources.
Ready Virginia, Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM): disaster kit lists, preparation tips.

Dominion Virginia Power is a subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy.

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