News & Events

Hurricane Awareness: Season is Coming

Hurricane season is quickly approaching and it’s time to start thinking about your preparations and overall plan. Over the past few years we’ve seen these storms wreak havoc in a multitude of ways, changing lives in an instant, and even changing the very landscape of the Earth itself. That’s why it’s important for you and your family’s safety to have everything in place before your community is affected by a Hurricane.

By now you should know Hurricanes, or tropical cyclones, are some of the most destructive and powerful forces of nature on the planet. With the potential for winds to whip up to over 150 MPH, powerlines, signs, trees, and even concrete buildings all face serious risks of incurring debilitating damage. Cities overall are at risk for power loss and most services will be impacted or disbanded altogether depending on the severity of damage incurred.

Before you begin your preparations, devise a sound plan. Make sure you understand your community and the processes they have in place for hurricanes and extreme weather events. If you live in an area that is a storm surge evacuation zone, or if you aren’t confident in the structural capacity of your current home, now is the time to figure out where you and your family will go or evacuate to. If you have family that lives in another area, reach out ahead of time, but no matter what you do just remember that when the official evacuation is called for, streets and interstates can become gridlocked, so it’s definitely in your best interest to have your mind made up before it comes to that point so you can safely get to where you need to be.

Whether bunkering down at home or evacuating, it’s important that you are stocked with the right supplies for the whole family. Of course, most importantly, make sure that you have enough dry food and water to last at least 72 hours. Also, ensure that you have a first aid kit and all relevant emergency medical supplies. When the power is out, and city-wide services aren’t available it is crucial that you have a way to treat and care for those in your party. Lastly, never forget the importance of lighting. Once the power goes, the lights shut off, and when you can’t see what’s in front of you or the destruction happening outside you can be at an even greater risk for something to go wrong.

Instead of dealing with flashlights and batteries that can be faulty or break due the elements, check out our industry leading ChemLights, SnapLights, and more in our entire line up of alternative lighting products. Fully water proof and built to be brighter than the competition and last longer, you’ll always have a way to light up the area when you go with a Cyalume lighting solution.