CZM Hurricane Preparedness Kit

Find information on this topic from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM).

We've all seen it on the news. Long lines at the grocery stores and empty shelves at home-supply warehouses as the hurricane bears down on some unfortunate coastal community. Like most things in life, the time to prepare for a hurricane is well before you hear warnings on your local radio station. With hurricane season in Massachusetts starting on June 1 and peaking in August and September, the time to prepare is the beginning of spring and throughout the summer, especially if a storm is approaching. Any named storm in the Bahamas has the potential to hit New England, so stay tuned to the local weather forecasts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Weather Radio, and see CZ-Tip - The Complete Guide to Online Hurricane Tracking for Massachusetts for more on how to keep an eye on the storms. Also, use the information below to help you prepare to weather these storms.

Hurricane Guides and General Information

• NOAA's National Hurricane Center
• NOAA's Hurricane Research Division
• New Bedford's Hurricane Information
• Weather Underground's Hurricane and Tropical Cyclones

Protecting Yourself and Your Family Before, During, and After the Storm

• Ready.gov's Hurricanes
• NOAA's National Hurricane Preparedness
• NOAA's Hurricane Safety Tips and Resources
• American Red Cross's Hurricane Safety
• Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's (MEMA) Hurricane Safety Tips
• MEMA's Hurricane Evacuation Zones
• MEMA’s Be Informed and Receive Emergency Alerts

Disaster Kits

• Ready.gov's Build a Kit
• American Red Cross's Survival Kit Supplies
• MEMA's Build an Emergency Kit

Developing an Emergency Plan for Your Family

• Ready.gov's Make a Plan
• American Red Cross's Make a Plan

Protecting Your Home

• Protecting Your Home from Hurricane Wind Damage by the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and others (PDF, 4 MB)
• Using Freeboard to Elevate Structures Above Predicted Floodwaters from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM)
• CZM's StormSmart Properties fact sheets for reducing erosion and storm damage

Protecting Your Pets

• Ready.gov's Prepare Your Pets for Disasters
• Humane Society's Pet Disaster Preparedness
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Disaster Preparedness

Protecting Your Boat

• BoatU.S. Hurricanes
• Hurricane Preparedness Plan: Marina/Yacht Club/Municipal Anchorage (PDF, 165 KB)
• FEMA's Major Storm Preparedness: Aware Boater Checklist (PDF, 142 KB)

Learn About and Track Hurricanes

• CZM's CZ-Tip - The Complete Guide to Online Hurricane Tracking for Massachusetts
• CZM's Coastlines 2002 magazine focusing on hurricanes and the potential impacts to Massachusetts
• Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale from NOAA
• Atlantic Basin Hurricane Tracking Chart from NOAA (PDF, 906 KB)
• Hurricane Names from NOAA
• Colorado State University's Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Forecast
• NOAA's Historical Hurricane Tracks Tool
• FAQ from NOAA on Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Tropical Cyclones
• NOAA's How and Why Hurricanes are Named

New England Hurricanes

• The 1938 Hurricane from the National Hurricane Center
• Hurricane Carol and Hurricane Edna, 1954, from the National Hurricane Center
• The Worst Massachusetts Hurricanes of the 20th Century

Additional Information

• FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program
• MEMA's Hurricane Resources for Emergency Managers
• Flood Safety from Electrical Safety Foundation International
• The University of Rhode Island's Hurricane Hunters page