It's Hurricane Season…are you prepared?

Hurricane season is upon us once again. We’ve prepared a list of things you should do as soon as possible, as well as items you should always have on hand.

• If you have any outdoor furniture or pool, deck or patio equipment that you are no longer using now is a good time to pack it away in a secure location.
• Check windows and doors for broken screens, loose hinges or damaged seals and locks. Make any necessary repairs.
• Batteries, batteries and batteries. Stock up now.
• Ditto for flashlights. At least one for each family member in case power is lost.
• Purchase extra bottled water and canned/non-perishable food and store it separately for emergencies. Keep a spare manual can opener with it.
• Check to see that your first aid kit – both human and pet - is well stocked. Check expiration dates so you will know if anything needs to be replaced. 
• Have an emergency phone number list in one place. Numbers should include:
  • Local fire and police departments
  • Utility providers such as power, gas and water
  • Doctors and special services

Another important safety feature you can add to your home is whole house surge protection. A common misconception many homeowners have is that they can protect their home from dangerous lightning strikes and voltage surges simply by plugging their TV or computer into a power strip or just installing a surge protective panel. However, surge protective panels or strips alone are not enough to fight damaging power surges. A power surge will travel through any wire into a house, leaving common appliances and sensitive electronic equipment vulnerable to serious damage.

To provide the most reliable protection, a whole house surge protection network is needed. A whole house surge protection network requires three Types of surge protective devices at three levels within the home to effectively protect your electronic devices from the ruining effects of voltage surges. Type 1 devices are installed at the utility meter, Type 2 devices are mounted to the load side of the main service panel and Type 3 devices are typically plugged into electronic equipment within the home.

In closing, don’t forget to put aside a deck of cards and some board games. Without television, computer games, internet etc…you and your family will need something to keep you entertained until the power comes back on. The silver lining is that you might just enjoy a bit of old-fashioned family time and fun!

Click here to learn more about whole house surge protection from Leviton