How was your July 4th weekend? For us July 4th is not only one of our favorite holidays of the year, it's the point at which we start to prepare our houses for the hurricane season. Without wanting to be all doomy and gloomy, hurricanes are the real deal and here at Intervine we want to make sure you are as prepared as possible so we thought we would share some of our staff’s best bits of advice along with some Hurricane facts!

The official hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin (the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico) runs from 1st of June to the 30th of November. Generally the peak of the season is from mid-August to late October, however strong hurricanes can occur anytime in the hurricane season. 

Hurricanes are determined by a scale, the 1-5 scale estimates potential property damage due to sustained wind speed. 

Hurricanes are only called “Hurricanes” in North America. A mature tropical cyclone is called a hurricane in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans. What’s known as a hurricane in the Atlantic is called a typhoon near Asia and simply a cyclone everywhere else in the world.

Hurricanes are large, spiraling tropical storms that can pack wind speeds of over 160 mph and unleash more than 2.4 trillion gallons of rain a day.

Almost all of our team agreed on one thing, that the best place to get your Hurricane info is https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.

We did some research, we asked close family and friends and compiled the below list of equipment and tips to keep you safe during the Hurricane season. 

• Put all important documentation in a weatherproof folder and in a secure place in the house. Losing the title to your car, your passport, your youngest child’s birth certificate etc can be a real pain to reobtain. 
• Cut and trim any weak tree branches around the house. Check your fence, deck, outdoor furniture and sheds/garages for any needed repairs ahead of time. 
• Get gas and cash. As soon as there is a power cut there are no gas stations and no ATMs and it is the no 1 thing for anyone to go out and get! It is worth having at least a week's supplies kept safely at home for the event of power failures.
• Evacuation plan. Again, we know it sounds a little extreme but it is 100% worthwhile having your escape pre planned and tested before the worst case scenario. 
• Keep a hurricane Kit – Packing an emergency kit can also feel a little extreme, but IF a big storm strikes, you’ll be happy you did. Below are items we always have in our kit:

1. Drinking water, a gallon of water per person per day for three days.
2. Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.
3. Flashlight, Lanterns and extra batteries.
4. First aid kit containing; Band aids, scissors, medical tape, ibuprofen, antibiotic cream, gauzes, tweezers and medical gloves. 
5. Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities such as electric water and gas.
6. Local maps.
7. Crank handle / wind up radio with power bank - All in ones are handy to grab and go.
8. Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation.

Above all don’t panic. Hurricanes usually last 12-24 hours. With the above tips, your pre planned evacuation plan and your Hurricane kit you will be prepared for any eventuality. We have only endured 8 Hurricanes higher than category 3 on US soil since 1950. Bearing in mind that a typical year has 12 named storms the numbers are in our favour. Be prepared, stay safe!!!