Hurricanes are serious business and occur particularly often during peak travel times. Here are seven tips from HomeEscape to help you prepare for the unexpected and weather the storm in your vacation rental:
If you’re planning to travel during hurricane season, then you should look into renter’s insurance policies. Vacation renal insurance is a form of travel insurance that can cover everything from cancelled flights to damaged property. Vacation home owners should also have insurance policies that cover storm damage.
Talk to the vacation homeowner or property manager about your resources and responsibilities during a severe storm. Make sure that you discuss a cancellation and refund policy before signing a rental agreement – you don’t want to eat the cost of a vacation that suddenly becomes unavailable. Property owners should leave a comprehensive list of contact information for local services from police and EMS to trusted maintenance companies and include it in their welcome book. It’s also a good idea to have a local emergency contact if the property owner is out of town.
If a storm is detected by radar in your area, be sure to listen to local news or go to NOAA online. If your rental does not have television or internet, make sure to tune in to a radio to catch the latest updates.
Make sure your rental home is stocked with emergency essentials. In the event of a storm warning, purchase non-perishable food and store clean drinking water. Make sure your rental home has the following supplies on hand:
Make sure all personal electronic devices are fully charged before possible power interruptions. This includes topping up your gas tank. Make sure you have these on hand:
Before a storm reaches you, make sure you have an evacuation plan in place. If you have plenty of warning, then it is a good idea to cut your vacation short and get out of harm’s way. If you have no option but to tough it out, then determine the best way to get yourself and your family to safety. If an evacuation order is issued make sure you follow your plan and get to safety as quickly as possible.
Hopefully your getaway will be enjoyable and stress free, but it is always important to prepare for the unexpected. It is a good idea to do some research when preparing for extreme weather, so we’ve compiled some sources for you: The Tropical Cyclones Preparedness Guide and the hurricane safety pamphlet.
