Dear Homeowners,
Community Updates:
-A Crime Prevention Meeting will be held Septemeber 14 6:30 pm at The Farm at Wescott Amenity Center. North Charleston Police Department will be on hand to provide information about neighborhood crime prevention. COME OUT AND JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
-Pond work-maitenance on our pond banks will be taking place in the near future. Some of our pond banks have experienced erosion and bare patches so we are trying to get them back in shape.
Comminity Education:
Hurricane Preparedness Part2:
PREPARING THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME:
The most important thing you can do to protect your home is to protect the
openings where the wind can get in. Available options include hurricane
shutters (obtain DRB approval first!), plywood covering during the storm, etc.
Check your garage doors and consider installing braces on them.
Keep all windows completely closed during a storm.
Bring in any objects that can blow away, including garbage cans, lawn
furniture, garden tools, grills, plants, etc. Anchor objects that cannot be
brought inside.
Disconnect propane gas tanks and turn off the main gas line.
Turn off gas appliances at their individual shut-off valves inside your home, if
accessible. Do not turn them off at the outside meter.
Fill your vehicle’s gas tanks as soon as possible to avoid long lines and delays.
Keep a full tank of gas immediately before and following the storm because
gas may not be available in the area for several days (remember, pumps don’t
work when there is no electricity!).
Park any vehicles that are not evacuating with you in a garage or carport. If
this is not available, park your vehicle as close to the side of the house as
possible away from any trees that may fall.
Do not trim trees or shrubbery immediately before a storm, because the debris
will not be collected. This debris can become a flying obstacle during a storm
and be very dangerous during high winds.
Prepare your pool. Lower the water level of your swimming pool
approximately 6 inches to accommodate heavy rains but do not drain it
completely. Add extra chlorine to the pool and turn off electricity to the pool
equipment.
PREPARING THE INSIDE OF YOUR HOME:
If you choose not to evacuate or it is not a feasible option, you should prepare
the inside of your home in advance to ensure your quality of life in the days
following a hurricane. Be sure you have your supplies and that they are in a
secure location.
Choose a “Safe Room” where you will ride out the storm. Normally, this
would be a hallway, large interior closet or an interior bathroom with no
windows.
Equip your “safe room” with a battery-operated radio or TV and extra
batteries; chairs, sleeping bags or cushions; snacks and drinking water; towels;
games, cards, books; etc. A slow moving storm could mean a long wait.
Have a mattress ready to move into your safe room if advised to do so by
emergency personnel. You should only have to do this in an extremely severe
storm.
Turn off and unplug any unnecessary electrical equipment, especially sensitive
electronics BEFORE THE POWER GOES OUT. If the power goes out, turn off
the circuit breaker or remove fuses. You might want to leave on one circuit
breaker that operates a lamp, so that you will know when the power has been
restored.
If the electricity goes off, use only flashlights. Never use candles or kerosene
lamps during the storm.
Never cook during the storm. A gust of wind could spread a fire, and the fire
department would not be able to respond.
Tell stories, sing songs or play games to keep children calm.
Do not go outside during the storm, unless winds have calmed briefly and
protective repairs are absolutely necessary. The winds and rain may stop for a
few minutes to more than half an hour and then can suddenly pick back up
again from the opposite direction, possibly with greater force than before.
Turn your refrigerator & freezer to their coldest settings. Freeze water in
plastic jugs and use them to fill empty spaces in your refrigerator and freezer to
help keep food cool. Cover your refrigerator with blankets and secure them
with ropes to keep the coldness in. If you open the refrigerator only when
necessary and close it quickly, you can keep food cool for up to 2 days
without electricity.
Prepare a water supply for bathing and sanitary purposes by storing water in
the bathtub and other jugs and bottles. Seal the bathtub well by caulking
around the drain to keep the water from running out. Remember that this
water is NOT for drinking.
Place valuables and personal papers in a waterproof container or plastic
garbage bags and store them on the top shelf of a closet. Include voter
registration cards, passports, visas, and all important papers.
Take identification and insurance papers with you if you leave your home
(you should take a recent electric or other utility bill, voter registration card,
etc. with you to prove permanent residency and facilitate re-entry).
Community Management Group Hurricane Planning Tips
Fill clean, sanitary jugs with water for drinking. You will need a minimum of 7
gallons per person. Sterilize the jugs by putting a little chlorine bleach (plain,
no lemon) in some water, sloshing them around and rinsing thoroughly.
Please tune in next week as I will continue to provied more tips to prepare for the already active Hurricane Season.
Thank you,
Aaron Hettesheimer
Community Manager
