10/08/2024
Hello Everyone,
As Hurricane Milton threatens Florida with expected landfall on Thursday morning and as the hurricane can develop within hours threatening the area we encourage you to develop a personal disaster preparedness plan to ensure your safety before an emergency strikes. The office will call our patients to determine their intentions regarding evacuation or sheltering in place during the hurricane. Please make sure that we have an updated email address and phone number for you.
Wednesday: Field staff/Personnel can see patients as long as the rain is not severe and there are no tornado warnings in the area or please call or text if you are re-scheduling your patients after the hurricane
Thursday : Field staff/personnel and office staff - please do not see patients , the office is closed and stay safe!!
Friday: after the hurricane has passed, and It all depends on the conditions present in the aftermath of the hurricane. I will reach out to you and please let me know if you are safe.
Remember:
HURRICANE WATCH- A hurricane may strike our area within 48 hours.
HURRICANE WARNING-A hurricane may strike within 36 hours.
PLAN AHEAD & CLEAR BALCONIES
Implement as many precautions as practical in advance, such as removing all furniture from your balconies, removing and securing all outside items that might become projectiles during the storm, closing hurricane shutters and placing towels on window sills and on the bottom of all exterior doors. If you are leaving town for any length of time during hurricane season, please remove all balcony/patio furniture, plants, loose objects and assign a nearby relative or friend to close the shutters. As part of your plan, have an emergency supply kit ready. Be sure to have flashlight, battery operated radio, water and food supplies.
A full list is available at:
https://www.floridadisaster.org/planprepare/hurricane-supply-checklist/
INSURANCE
Review your insurance policies to ensure you are fully covered. Inventory and take pictures of your apartment, house and valuables and store photos and documents in water proof container.
PLAN YOUR EVACUATION
Have a transportation plan and a pre-planned place to stay during an evacuation. Remember that pets are not allowed in most evacuation shelters. Call in advance so you can make plans for you and your pets. As you exit, please sign the security log giving a phone number and address where you may be reached after the storm. Remember that barrier islands are subject to storm surge or flood and there is only very limited access to leave the island to the mainland. You will want to evacuate well ahead of the possibility of flooded roads and mass traffic jams. When an evacuation order is issued, EVERYONE must evacuate. An evacuation area is no place to be during a hurricane. There will be no emergency services during a storm, and authorities will not be available to help you. At the time a call for evacuation has been issued, and once an evacuation order is given, you should be packed and prepared to leave. Government officials advise elderly and handicapped individuals not to wait for the official evacuation order; please leave early. After the hurricane has passed, all essential personnel will return to work as soon as physically possible. Please be safe and plan ahead!
PLAN TO STAY AWAY
Once evacuated, you should plan on having to stay away for up to a week or more. Government officials will block the return of all persons, except essential emergency personnel, from coming back to the barrier island for up to several days.Please make sure that we have an updated email address for you.
The following internet links can aid you in further preparations:
http://www.fema.gov
https://www.floridadisaster.org/planprepare/hurricane-supply-checklist
Please stay safe..God bless🙏🏽
