Happy June 1. Hurricane season has arrived. What are your plans?

June 1 signaled the official start, but nature got an early start this year with recent heavy rains and two named storms.  For those of us who went through Hurricane Andrew, this is the time of year we approach with trepidation. The veterans of Andrew have many stories to share and certainly would urge all of our new neighbors to pay attention to the weather. 

You can still view my Thursday, May 17, 2012, blog post: Have your plan ready. Hurricane season starts June 1. What have you done to prepare for this year? (Click on the headline to view) In that post are several important links for hurricane / Disaster Preparedness information from FEMA, Miami-Dade County, Cutler Bay, Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay in one location for you. 

Have you started to gather the items for your "Hurricane Box"? The government wants us to be self-sustaining for the first 72 hours. That kind of planning takes time and thought.    

Don't forget your pet's needs as well.  Many animal rescue groups can help you with your pet care list. These groups oftentimes end up fostering pets that have gotten separated from their families following weather events. Now is a good time to have microchips placed in your pets, just in case they wander off and don't have an identification tag on their collar.  Pet Disaster Preparedness Miami-Dade County has resources available online for Emergency planning for your pets.  The link is available byCLICKING HERE.

 It is also important to have copies of your insurance papers, paperwork to identify you as a resident/owner for your home or business address, and any other important paperwork that would be hard to replace in a disaster situation. Following Andrew, many of us realized too late that we did not take our paperwork when we evacuated. Finding phone numbers, insurance policies, registration information for the schools, medical information, and just about anything it took to get things replaced was a hassle. Make sure you seal them in baggies; soggy paperwork does not help the situation!

Some final suggestions are having some cash on hand as ATMs do not work without power, and using your smart phone to download an "emergency" locator app.  Go to the May 17^th post of the South Dade Updates Blog for more links and useful information.