Hurricane Season is Around the Corner: Now’s the Time to Get Your Emergency Plan In Place

Sit down with your family and determine essentials such as how much water your family needs, where you will go if you need to evacuate and how you will stay in contact with loved ones. You will also need to be able to be self-sufficient for at least 7 days after a storm hits our area. To help you prepare, here are some tips from the Florida Department of Health:

• Your emergency plan should include: a) All members of your household, b) Special medical conditions, c) When and where to evacuate, d) Special transportation needs, e) Emergency meeting place, f) An out-of-town contact who everyone can call to stay in touch, and g) Pet plan.

• Gather emergency supplies: a) A gallon of water per person for 7 days, b) Non-perishable foods such as canned meat, fish, veggies, fruits and nuts, c) Can opener, disposable plates and utensils, and d) Matches and cooking gel.

• Stock up on medical needs: a) 30 day supply of prescription medications from your doctor, b) Over the counter pain reliever, antacids, anti-diarrhea medicine and children’s medicine, c) List of all medications and essential medical devices, d) Physician contact number, and e) Blood type and allergies for all household members.

• Assemble a first-aid kit with sterile bandages, cleansing agent, safety pins, gauze pads, scissors, sewing needle, moist towelettes and tape.

• Collect essential data in a waterproof container: a) Contact information for property insurer, official emergency agencies, family and friends, b) Credit card and bank information, c) Portable computer storage device with electronic copies of mortgage, home deed, car title, etc. d) Instructions for shutting off utilities, and e) Pet health records.

• List your major home belongings and back it up with photos.

Sign Up for New "Alert Hollywood" Emergency Notifications
The City of Hollywood has launched a new emergency notification system called Alert Hollywood. Used by many government agencies throughout Florida, Alert Hollywood notifies residents through phone calls, e-mails and/or text messages to mobile phones of an emergency in the community such as a hurricane watch or warning, flash flood warning, tornado warning, serious police situations and other critical incidents.

To register, visit www.hollywoodfl.org and click on the Alert Hollywood graphic under “Hollywood Happenings.” On the registration page, click on the "Sign Up" link located just below the login fields. After you submit your information, you will receive Alert Hollywood notifications whenever an alert is issued. Alerts may be received by phone and/or email address. Severe weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service are automatically issued through the Alert Hollywood system if you elect to receive those notifications.

The Alert Hollywood service is free to the public. Text message fees by your wireless carrier may apply depending on your mobile phone plan.

Already Have An Alert Hollywood Account?
If you already have created an Alert Hollywood account, simply type your username and password in the appropriate fields on the Alert Hollywood registration page and click on the "Sign In" button to log into your account.
  
Important Note For Hollywood CodeRED Subscribers
The City of Hollywood no longer uses the CodeRED emergency alert system. If you would like to receive emergency notifications from the City of Hollywood, you must register for the Alert Hollywood service. 

Alert Hollywood is powered by the Everbridge critical event management software platform. 

Stay informed - register for Alert Hollywood today at: http://www.hollywoodfl.org/725/Alert-Hollywood

For more information, the City of Hollywood’s 2022 Hurricane Preparedness Guide, shelter information and more, please visit the City’s website at www.HollywoodFL.org/Hurricane