FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York Press Office: (212) 346-5500; media@iii.org
NEW YORK, August 24, 2012 – The 10 most damaging hurricanes to strike the U.S. have all occurred in late August, September or early October, so now is the time to make sure you have an evacuation plan, according to the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Information Institute (.I.I.I.).
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Advanced planning is the key to surviving disasters both big and small.ÌýYou should know where to go and what to take with you if you need to evacuate. People with pets or those who are responsible for a person who needs extra care, such as an elderly or handicapped person should look into all the available evacuation options before there is a disaster, points out the I.I.I.
To help with disaster planning, the I.I.I. has a new disaster planning app --
Know Your Plan. This app has preloaded checklists with important mitigation and preparation steps. You can also create your own lists from scratch. You can set due dates, chart your progress, include notes with your tasks and share your checklists with family and friends.
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The I.I.I. suggests the following five-step plan:
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1.ÌýÌýÌýÌý Arrange Your Evacuation Ahead of TimeÌý
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- Identify where you can go in the event of an evacuation. Try to have more than one option: the home of a friend or family member in another town, a hotel or a shelter. Keep the phone numbers and addresses of these locations handy.
- Remember that you may not have to travel far in an evacuation as your county may have locales and shelters close to home that would keep you safe from a storm.
- If you have a pet, make a list of boarding facilities and veterinarians outside your area that might be able to shelter pets in an emergency.Ìý
- Map out your primary route and a backup route in case roads are blocked or impassable. Make sure you have a map of the area available.
- If your family members are separated before or during the evacuation, identify a specific place to meet and ask an out-of-town friend or family member to act as a contact person.
- Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
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2.ÌýÌýÌý Create a Home InventoryÌý
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A home inventory is a detailed list of all your personal possessions with their estimated value. An up-to- date home inventory will:
- Help you purchase enough insurance to replace your personal possessions.
- Speed up the claims process.
- Substantiate losses for income tax purposes.
- Help you apply for disaster aid.
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To make creating a home inventory easier, the I.I.I. offers free Web-based software at . Know Your Stuff allows you to list your possessions, as well as add digital photographs of your valuables and upload scanned receipts. The program provides free, secure storage of your inventory. It is also available as an app for IPhone and Android. Storing your inventory online gives you the ability to access it remotely from a computer or smartphone–even if the computer in your home is damaged or destroyed.
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3.ÌýÌýÌýÌý Plan What to Take
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Make sure you know what you would need if you had to be out of your home for a few days or longer. This would include:Ìý
- Medicine, prescriptions and first aid kit
- Clothing and bedding (sleeping bags, pillows)
- Flashlight, battery-powered radio and extra batteries
- Special items for infants or elderly or disabled family members
- Computer hard drive or laptop
- Photographs
- Pet food and other items for pets (litter boxes, leashes)Ìý
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4. Gather Important DocumentsÌý
Store important documents in a safety deposit box or other secure location and keep copies at home in a place you can easily access. If you need to evacuate, you may want to take the following with you:Ìý
- ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ policies
- Prescriptions
- Drivers license or personal identification
- Home inventoryÌý
- Important contact information
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5. Take the Ten-Minute ChallengeÌý
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To find out if you are ready, do a real-time test. Give yourself just 10 minutes to get your family and belongings into the car and on the road to safety. By planning ahead and practicing, you should be able to gather your family members and pets, along with the most important items they will need, calmly and efficiently, with a minimum of stress and confusion. The I.I.I. has a fun, education
video on how to take the 10 minute challenge.
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RELATED LINKS
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The I.I.I. also has an entire disaster preparedness
video library which can also be accessed on its
. Channel.
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THE I.I.I. IS A NONPROFIT, COMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED BY THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
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̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Information Institute, 110 William Street, New York, NY 10038; (212) 346-5500;