After largely getting a reprieve for much of the summer, residents of the Southeastern United States and further inland into the Ohio River valley are once again facing a tropical cyclone.
The region hasn’t seen a landfalling hurricane in two years, so a quick refresher course might be in order as Tropical Storm Isaias (ee-sah-EE-ahs) heads toward an eventual landfall at hurricane strength somewhere between Texas and Florida.
National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan has emphasized one crucial change to hurricane preparedness advice in modern times: the need to keep the entire family’s devices powered up, from tablets and phones to lifesaving wearable devices.
Florida’s former emergency management chief Kevin Guthrie endorsed that advice as he sat next to Brennan at a pre-season news conference. “You need battery life for your devices and the kids’ devices,” Guthrie said.
10 things you can do today to prepare if you’re in the potential path:
The track and intensity of Isaias remains uncertain, but if you live within the potential path, you have two essential questions to consider as you prepare. First, are you in a flood zone? Second, are you in an evacuation zone?
Emergency management officials say it’s imperative to run from the water and hide from the wind. So if you live near the coast or a river or pond that could flood, either from storm surge or rain or both, Brennan and emergency officials say you need to be aware and take precautions, not only to get through the storm, but also to get through an extended period immediately afterward when your neighborhood could be without electricity or have its exits blocked. Consider whether anyone in the home is dependent on electricity for medications or life-saving devices.
Here is a list of things you can do today:
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Make a plan. Discuss with family and employees what you will do during and after the storm.
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Make sure you have food and water for at least 3-7 days, including at least one gallon of water per person per day.
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Charge your backup power supplies and gather all your cords and chargers.
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Check on elderly neighbors and friends.
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Take photos of your possessions inside and outside your home for insurance purposes.
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Fuel up your vehicle and fill your gas can if you have a generator.
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Sign up to receive emergency notifications from your county or parish emergency management website.
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Doublecheck your grill and stock up on propane or charcoal, then secure the items safely.
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Check your generator, and plan where you will run it to keep it safely away from your home.
Emergency preparedness 101: What to pack in a ‘go bag’
What you need to know about flooding
Isaias will present two potentially deadly flood risks: storm surge and rainfall. The hurricane center’s earliest projections predict Isaias could bring a storm surge of greater than six feet, topped by big waves, at locations anywhere along the coast from Louisiana to Florida, as well as heavy rain.
Much of the Southeastern U.S. is at some risk of flash flooding from Isaias through the weekend of Oct. 10 and 11, according to the National Weather Service.
Where can you find out more about flood and evacuation zones?
Familiarize yourself early with your local emergency management agency and the ways to track them on social media, Brennan said.
The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes maintains a website that can help people in coastal states find their zones.
In Florida, you can click on a map, put in your street address and get information about your evacuation zone. That information is handled by individual governments in several other states.
Louisiana has its own flood zone lookup website. In any state, you can click on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website to check whether your location is in a flood zone.
More: How to prepare your house for a hurricane: The ultimate checklist
Dinah Voyles Pulver covers climate change and the environment for USA TODAY. She’s written about hurricanes, tornadoes and violent weather for more than 30 years. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com, @dinahvp on Bluesky or X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 10 steps you can take today to prepare for Isaias
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