Hurricane Preparedness Week Begins May 27 with Next Generation of Mitigation Tools and Technology from FLASH

Simpler, faster, "upgraded" mitigation information and tools give families a head start for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

News provided by

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

May 23, 2013, 02:05 ET

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With just days until the start of hurricane season, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)® is offering Mitigation 2.0 --- an "upgrade" to traditional family preparedness and home mitigation activities. Mitigation 2.0 combines safety with technology to empower families and streamline activities that strengthen homes and ensure that families are safe.

"Simplified, streamlined hurricane preparedness will help ensure that people are ready throughout the season," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "For example, we've partnered with the country's premier weather data provider to offer a powerful, easy-to-use smartphone app that will give families the weather and mitigation information they want when they need it without unnecessary over alerting and confusion. That's the essence of Mitigation 2.0."

"No matter what type of threat a storm inflicts – wind or water – mitigation is an essential component of successful preparedness," said National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb. "Mitigation 2.0 leverages technology to deliver critical information with speed and ease so more families can prepare."

Each Mitigation 2.0 resource is aligned with the Hurricane Preparedness Week topic of the day to give families a streamlined path to hurricane readiness.

Monday, May 27: Storm Surge

"Turn Around, Don't Drown." Learn why with this safety animation.
See what a flood can cost you with the Flood Damage Calculator.

Tuesday, May 28: Wind

Learn how to conduct a Do-It-Yourself Wind Inspection and find the strengths and weaknesses of your home before the season starts with this video.

Wednesday, May 29: Inland Flooding

View this animation and learn how to:

Dry or wet flood proof your home to either prevent floodwaters from entering or allow them to flow through unused parts of your home with this animation.
Elevate appliances like the furnace, HVAC and washer/dryer 12" above the base flood elevation.
Why you should purchase flood insurance as typical homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.

Thursday, May 30: Forecast Process

Download FLASH Weather Alerts for the one day price of $4.99 and:

GPS, precision text-to-speech weather hazard warnings.
Follow hurricane tracks and watch/warning areas.
Discover how you can protect your home and prepare your family for disasters of all kinds.

Friday, May 31: Get a Plan

View this video and learn how to:

Make a family emergency plan.
Build a family hurricane emergency kit.

Saturday, June 1: Take Action

View these videos and get your home hurricane-ready with DIY mitigation activities like:

Measuring and cutting plywood panels for emergency shutters.
Hurricane-proofing your landscaping.
Enhancing roof strength with adhesives, bracing and more.

For the full week of activities, do-it-yourself instructions and videos about hurricanes and other natural disaster preparedness resources, visit www.flash.org.

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)®, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters. FLASH collaborates with more than 100 innovative and diverse partners that share its vision of making America a more disaster‐resistant nation including: BASF, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida Division of Emergency Management, The Home Depot®, International Code Council, Kohler® Generators, National Weather Service, Portland Cement Association, RenaissanceRe, Simpson Strong-Tie®, State Farm™, USAA® and WeatherPredict Consulting Inc. In 2008, FLASH opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes® in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Learn more about FLASH and gain access to its free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org or calling (877) 221- SAFE (7233). Also, get timely safety tips to ensure that you and your family are always well protected from natural and manmade disasters by subscribing to the FLASH blog – Protect Your Home in a FLASH.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)