Hurricane season is here, and it’s important to understand how to keep your car ready-to-go at all times. When heavy waters flood the area and you’re trying to evacuate to somewhere safer, your car may be the difference between sitting out the storm at home or getting away to a safer place.
There are a few things you should do before the storm hits to make sure you prepare your vehicle and are ready to evacuate if you need to. Start by taking photos of your vehicle, so you know what it looked like before the storm hit. That way, if it is damaged, you have something to show the insurance company.
Next, take any important items out of your vehicle and place them into a zipped plastic bag. This bag protects those important items from water, keeping them safe even in the event of a flood. Keep them in a safe location, like the luggage you plan to take with you if you have to leave your home.
After that, make sure your fill up your vehicle’s gas tank, and possibly get an extra tank to keep with you. When you’re in traffic, you don’t want to run out of gas, and gas might be hard to find in an emergency situation.
Finally, remember that you should only drive if it’s absolutely necessary when there is a hurricane in the area. Winds are high, waters are rising and the last thing you want to do is to put yourself or others in harm’s way. If you are involved in a crash during an evacuation, exchange insurance information, so you can file a claim.
Source: The Allstate Blog, “Take These Simple Steps to Protect Your Car in a Hurricane,” Melissa, accessed Sep. 14, 2017
