HURRICANE SEASON IS ALMOST UPON US ARE YOU READY!

 

HURRICANE KIT

• Flashlights & extra bulbs or (LED Flashlight)
  
• Battery-operated radio
• Battery-operated lanterns
• Batteries (in different sizes!)  
• Matches 
• First aid kit
• Duct tape
• Rain gear

• Clock (wind-up or battery-powered)
• Plastic garbage bags
• Fire extinguisher
• Scissors
• Can Opener
• Clean clothes
• Extra blankets
• Heavy gloves

FOOD NEEDS

Pack food and water for each person for 3-7 days.

• Bottled water (1 gallon/person/day) 
• Bottled drinks
• Non-perishable food and snacks
• Food that can easily be stored in a cooler
• A manual can opener

PREPARE YOUR PET

• Water for your pet for 3-7 days  
  
• Non-perishable food
• Crate/carrier/tank
• Leash (non-extendable)
• Collar and/or harness
• Favorite Toy
• Blanket or pillow
• Clean litter box for cats

• Updated shots and medical records
• Microchip with up-to-date content info
• Any medications
• Calming aids
• Tags
• Puppy training pads
• Hear tworm preventatives
• Rain gear 

MEDICAL NEEDS

• Medic-alert tags
• Insect-repellent sprays
• Feminine hygiene items
• Sunscreen
• Soap
• First aid kit
• Prescription medication

Over-the-counter medication

Children's medicine

Bandages

Adhesive tape

Antiseptic solution

Thermometer

Tweezers

PREPARE YOUR HOUSE

• Remove outdoor items
• Trim dead branches from trees
• Board up windows
• Fill gas tanks and extra containers
• Get extra cash

• Move furniture away from windows
• Store important documents in waterproof containers
• Extra supply of medicines

 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION

• GMRS Radios FCC GMRS License Required (General Mobile Radio Service)
• FRS (Radio Family Radio Service) No FCC License Required from Channel 8-14
  
• CB radio (Citizen Band Radio) No FCC license required

These radios are good to have when cell phone towers are down or overloaded.  In disasters such as tornado, hurricane winter storms cell phone towers and power can be disrupted.  So the air waves is the way to go.

These radios can use your car battery or if you have a portable battery backup with lighter or A/C receptacles you can easily charge your GMRS handy talkie batteries in their specified charger.  Below are some radios for mobile and on the go.

Longer talking distance on a repeater or shorter distance without.  These radios work with line of site so depending where you live if there are tall buildings it could disrupt transmission signal.  However, If the repeater you are using is on top of a tall building then you should reach the repeater as long as you are within the repeaters range.  How you check if your within range of repeater; simply press and hold the (PTT) push to talk button on the side of the handheld radio or microphone for 2 second; release and if you hear a hissing sound and a kachunk sound at end of the transmission; this means you broke the squelch of the repeater and are close enough to transmit.

HT (4-5watt) Handy Talkie   

GMRS FCC LICENSE REQUIRED

Car Mobile Radio 25watts ( longer distance talk)

GMRS FCC LICENSE REQUIRED

(Requires a mobile radio antenna with frequency range for your radio preferably pre-tuned)

FRS/GMRS Radios (Family Radio Service)  

NOT REPEATER CAPABLE 

(No FCC license required for channels 8-14.  Short distance talk on these channels)

How to apply for GMRS license (https://youtu.be/t2XnY0iC_ug)

GMRS are Repeater Capable radios meaning they can be programmed to be used on your own repeater or another owners repeater with their permission.  MyGMRS.com has a list of repeater owned by others that at times are open to the public.  

You need to apply for the a GMRS FCC license before you can register with myGMRS.com.  It takes 24 hours for your license to show in their data base.  

After that you simply register and go to repeaters and check for repeaters near you.  You look for those that say open and then via your radio software you program the Receive and Transmit frequencies. Then the Receive and Transmit PL Tone or CTCSS which ranges from 67.0 to 250.3.  These are privacy codes repeaters owners set on their repeater so it makes the repeater private only to those permitted to use the repeater.

Please note that in an disaster FCC does not require the use of a radio License to transmit on a radio.

§ 97.403 Safety of life and protection of property.

No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of any means of radio communication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available.