Hurricane Irma has the entire state of Florida on high alert. Forecasters are still unsure what parts of Florida will be hit and they are unsure how hard they will be hit, but that doesn’t mean you should wait to be prepared. In addition to having the essentials for yourself and family, it’s also important to protect your home, and even your vehicle. So after you have finished getting your supplies, and bringing in all of the items not tied down around your house, think about the ways to protect your vehicle during the storm.

Covering Your Vehicle

While having your vehicle covered is a great idea, there’s two things you should think about. If you are covering your vehicle with a removable cover, make sure it is securely fastened. If it’s not securely fastened you risk losing your vehicle cover and that it’ll be just another piece of flying debris in the storm. Also, a cover won’t protect it from water if your area floods. Same goes for those parking your vehicle in a home garage is a great way to protect it. If you live in a flood zone, your garage may protect it from debris, but your garage could still flood. If you need a place to store your vehicle in the storm, do an internet search to find out when local parking garages will accept vehicles to ride out the storm.

Vehicle Protection

If you are worried about your vehicle before the storm, call your insurance agent to find out your policy’s coverage for damage caused by a storm. If you aren’t satisfied with the amount of coverage you have, you may be to upgrade your policy if the storm isn’t located within the insurance company’s cut off.

Driving Before the Storm

Aside from stocking up on necessary goods and securing your home, filling your vehicle with gas should be your next priority. Even if you are not evacuating, gas stations often run out of fuel before hurricanes because some people fuel up to evacuate and others get gas for their generators.

If evacuating is something you plan on doing if the storm is predicted to make a direct hit to your location, it would be wise to fill up your car and a few extra gas cans because there’s a good chance all of the gas stations in cities in the projected path of the storm will also experience gas outages and you don’t want to be stranded on the side of the road in a hurricane. Before evacuating you should also check your fluids and tire pressure to avoid any complications while on the road.

Know anyone who can’t or doesn’t drive? Grandma, grandpa or disabled relative? Reach out and offer them a ride to get supplies before the store. It’ll be a small gesture that goes a long way.

Driving After the Storm

After the storm has passed, unless there is an emergency, wait to drive or even walk anywhere until officials say it is okay. After big storms it is important to keep the roads clear so you don’t get in the way of emergency vehicles and the roads can be unsafe. Flooded roads, debris and downed power lines, alligators and snakes can all be very risky to drivers and pedestrians, so just stay put as long as possible.

Pretty much every region in Florida, including the big metros like South Florida, Tampa Bay and Orlando are forecasted to get rain and wind, don’t wait to prepare for Hurricane Irma. You might not need the supplies in the end, but if you do, you’ll be very happy and thankful that you have them.