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Hurricane

The 2007 hurricane season is here. To help you get ready, the International Code Council offers the following recommendations.

At the beginning of hurricane season:

• Prepare emergency supplies and store bottled drinking water.
• Store flashlights and extra batteries.
• Clean storm gutters and drains.
• Prepare your home for high winds and rain.
• Repair/replace storm shutters.
• Check your property insurance policy for appropriate coverage.

Before the storm:

• Bring in outdoor objects such as lawn furniture, toys, and garden tools. Anchor objects that cannot be brought inside.
• Check/replace emergency supplies and store bottled drinking water.
• Review evacuation plans.
• Keep a supply of flashlights and extra batteries handy.

During the storm:

• Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for hurricane progress reports. Stay inside, away from windows, skylights, and glass doors.
• Keep a supply of flashlights and extra batteries handy.
• If an evacuation is ordered, leave as soon as possible.
• Avoid flooded roads and watch for washed-out bridges.
• Secure your home by unplugging appliances and turning off electricity and the main water valve.

After the storm:

• After the storm, stay tuned to local radio for information.
• Return home only after authorities say that it is safe to do so.
• Avoid loose or dangling power lines and report them immediately to the power company, police, or fire department.
• Enter your home with caution.
• Beware of snakes, insects, and animals driven to higher ground by flood water.
• Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home.
• Take pictures of any damage to the house and its contents for insurance claims.
• Drive only if absolutely necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges.
• Use telephone only for emergency calls.

The International Code Council has several brochures that may be helpful.

• Safety First. Disaster preparedness tips for your home and family. Download.
• Flood Cleanup. Safety and salvaging. Download.
• Mold. Tips on prevention and remediation. Download.

Use portable generators with caution. Hazards include carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock, fire. Read the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Safety Alert.

Know carbon monoxide dangers before the power goes out. CPSC news release warns of dangers associated with severe weather.

For the latest information on tropical weather, hurricane warnings and watches visit the National Weather Service.

For a list of federal disaster communities and public assistance visit FEMA's site.

Click here to visit FLASH, an ICC partner, and view additional hurricane protection resources.

Public Safety Officials

Jurisdictions, do you need help? Are you a building department in need of assistance after a hurricane? Click here.

Public safety volunteers wanted. You can help jurisdictions after a natural disaster. Click here.

Hurricane Preparedness Seminars. The International Code Council offers several seminars related to hurricane preparedness to assist public safety officials, design professionals, inspectors, builders and contractors.

• 2006 IRC Hurricane Resistant Residential Construction
• 2006 IBC Wind Load Design
• 2006 IBC Wood Design ASD
• Creating a Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Management Plan
• Education Program Creating a Hazard Response and Disaster Mitigation Plan

Hurricane-related Articles

• Katrina Cottages. This article originally appeared in the August 2006 issue of Building Safety Journal.
• Rebuilding the Big Easy. This article originally appeared in the August 2006 issue of Building Safety Journal.
• Rebuilding a Culture of Safety on the Gulf Coast. This article originally appeared in the April 2006 issue of Building Safety Journal.
• Hurricane Elements and Building Interaction. This article originally appeared in the February 2005 issue of Building Safety Journal.
• In the Wake of Hurricane Isabel. This article originally appeared in the March-April 2004 issue of Building Safety Journal.
• Rebuilding an American City. This article about the Restoration 2007 conference, appeared in the May 2007 issue of ICC eNews.
• Looking back on the 2004 Hurricane Season. This article originally appeared in the February 2005 issue of Building Safety Journal.
• Making the most of the opportunity. ICC Hurricane Symposium participants examine lessons learned, work to develop strategies for the future. This article originally appeared in the April 2005 issue of Building Safety Journal.

New Hurricane Standards. The International Code Council is currently working on two new International Standards that will help communities build hurricane-resistant construction:

• ICC Consensus Committee on Hurricane Resistant Construction
• ICC/NSSA Consensus Committee on Storm Shelters