Prepare your car for a hurricane
According to the National Hurricane Center, inland flooding caused more than half of all hurricane deaths in the last 30 years. Of those deaths, one in four people drowned in their cars. Also, one of the biggest dangers of inland flooding is the standing water resulting from the storm surge. Driving through standing water can be dangerous and may cause damage your car's upholstery, carpeting, and electrical system.
Follow these tips to protect yourself and your car in a hurricane:
1. Plan a safe evacuation and return route
Hurricanes can spawn tornadoes, landslides, and floods, so if you're in a hurricane's path, you should take extra precautions to ensure a safe evacuation and return to the area. Stay tuned to safety briefings from local authorities. Being prepared can help you escape the hurricane's trail of destruction.
If a hurricane threatens your area, take the following steps to protect yourself and your car or boat:
2. Get ready for evacuation
Fill your vehicle with gasoline before the storm arrives.
If you're evacuating an area and leaving a vehicle behind, be sure it's not left in a low-lying area prone to flooding. Rising water can seep in and damage your vehicle.
Leave the area and leave early.
Use a hurricane planning guide/map or listen to the radio to identify your evacuation route.
Take important documents with you.
Place your auto/home insurance documents, vehicle registration, title and other important documents in a waterproof bag and keep them with you.
Bring supplies
Prepare an emergency kit with a flashlight and extra batteries, a first-aid kit, cash and credit cards, snacks, and other food. Remember: You could end up spending a day or more in your car.
3. Drive safely during a hurricane
Beware of live wires.
Do not, under any circumstances, drive over a downed electrical line.
Avoid flooded streets or parking lots.
Look for alternate routes before driving through flooded areas. Underlying currents could carry your vehicle away, and your car could stall, trapping you in rising floodwaters. Beware of deep water dangers during hurricanes. Dirty water and sediment flow in with sudden coastal and inland flooding. If you try to drive through deep water, you're risking your personal safety, and you could damage your car's engine and its interior — seats, electrical components, carpeting, etc.
If necessary, proceed through water with extreme caution.
If you encounter a situation where you have no other reasonable alternative than to drive in standing water, first try to determine how deep it is by watching other vehicles that drive through it. The threat of a roadway collapsing under water is real. Depending on the vehicle you drive, as little as two feet of water can cause your car to float and be carried away.
If your vehicle stalls in the deep water and you attempt to re-start it, you may cause irreparable damage to the engine. However, you may need to re-start the car if this is the only way you can make it to safety. Once you and your vehicle are out of deep water and are in a safe area, depress your brakes slowly several times to help dry them out.
Abandon a trapped vehicle
If you and your vehicle become trapped in rising water, immediately abandon it for higher ground. If you are unable to get out of the vehicle safely, start the vehicle and drive it out. If the vehicle will not start, call 911.
Remember to protect yourself and others before you worry about your vehicles. If your vehicle has sustained damage due to a hurricane or another severe weather system, filing a claim is easy.
