Protecting Your Car Before Heading to Evacuation Zones

Number of coastal states have announced evacuation plans and have set up evacuation zones for the people to seek shelter, but drivers should prepare to protect their cars and know some special driving habits on how to drive during a hurricane.

As the hurricane Irene makes its landfall in NC and is headed toward NYC, it's important for the drivers to know their evacuation zones and prepare ahead of time. This story assumes that the drivers have some time to prepare, even a short time. In fact here is how to find the NYC Evacuation Zones from the website of New York City Office of Emergency Management.

First, make sure your car has gas and the necessary repairs made. Spare tire is a must. Load everything in the car so when the evacuation moment comes you don't have to spend time on loading last moment. Ensure you have the necessary documents in place. Your car insurance card and the policy papers as well as your car registration should be ready with your personal identification documents, such as birth certificate, social security and so on. Drivers need to know the car insurance claims locations and phone numbers so they can quickly contact them in case of a need.

These things should go in a waterproof bag.

As the drivers get ready to drive, they must know the hurricane path and make sure their rout is not on the path of the upcoming hurricane. Leaving early to one of your nearby evacuation zones helps to avoid the rush and the traffic. Go online and find alternative routes. Sometimes roads are blocked because they are either on a hurricane path or just because of traffic.

Avoid driving the flooded streets. Cars get disabled because waters cover holes on the roads. Big objects are also not seen when they are covered by water. Moving water is a powerful force. Drivers sometimes lose control of their car as even small amount of moving water can carry their cars away in an instant.

In these situations there are few steps drivers can take to protect their cars. One scenario is if a driver leaves the car in a garage and the second scenario is if a driver does not have a garage and leaves the vehicle outside.

If the car is in a garage, ensure that the garage doors are well reinforced. Move hanging objects and put them on the floor. This will help to ensure that they will not fall on the car. However, if a driver does not have a garage the options are limited, but there few things they can do. Park your car in an open space. Park your car on high ground. Ensure your parking area is far from trees and power lines.

Image source of Hurricane Roads: Wikipedia