As Floridians, we get to experience the beauty of beaches, natural springs, and sunny weather, as well as many outdoor activities. But living in Florida also comes with the challenge of getting ready for hurricane season. Hurricane season runs June 1st through November 30th each year. Suncoast Credit Union cares about you and your family and wants you to be prepared with a few steps that you can start now and what to do once the storm is over.

Before a Storm:

  • Create a communication plan with your family including who will be responsible for checking on pets and family members who may be older, disadvantaged or living alone.
  • Keep copies of important financial, health, insurance and family information documents packed in a waterproof sleeve and ready to go. Store them in a specific location in your house.
  • Back up your computer, your phone and any other devices to an external hard drive or cloud-based backup.
  • Open up a disaster-relief savings account that you can contribute to throughout the year.
  • Keep cash on hand in small denominations ($20 bills or less).
  • Check your home and auto insurance policies to see if you are insured against natural disasters. Flood damage might require a separate policy.
  • Keep a list of Hurricane Relief Sources and emergency contacts.
  • Register with AlertFlorida for emergency alerts and other public safety notifications.

After a Storm:

  • When you begin the insurance process after a hurricane, keep in mind that thousands of people may be in the same situation as you. Insurance claims can take awhile afterward and usually are taken in order of those with the most damage. If you are unsure whether or not you have a claim, file it anyway because weather-related claims won’t raise your premiums.
  • Be careful of scammers pretending to be contractors looking to collect personal and financial information who might want to take advantage of your situation.
  • Contact creditors before skipping any loan or credit card payments if you are having trouble due to unforeseen emergency costs. It can help avoid penalties.

Suncoast Credit Union Members:

Throughout hurricane season, our website will remain updated with the latest information about impending storms and their impact on our branches. SuncoastCreditUnion.com/disaster.

As always, we hope that you stay safe all year. Being prepared for hurricane season is one way to stay as safe as possible and also reduce stress, should Jim Cantore show up in your neighborhood!

 

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