{"id":10251,"date":"2022-02-09T14:01:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-09T19:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.greatflorida.com\/?p=10251"},"modified":"2026-04-16T17:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:07:04","slug":"severe-weather-awareness-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/2022\/severe-weather-awareness-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Severe Weather Awareness Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To help Florida residents prepare for the worst, The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridadisaster.org\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Florida Division of Emergency Management<\/a> has designated the week of February 7-11, 2022 as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridadisaster.org\/dem\/directors-office\/media\/swaw\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Severe Weather Awareness Week<\/a>.\u201d With each day focusing on a specific weather event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis week is a good time to prepare for a severe weather and natural disasters,\u201d says <a _blank=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dustyns\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dustyn Shroff<\/a>, Vice President of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GreatFlorida Insurance,<\/a> Florida\u2019s leading independent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">homeowners insurance<\/a> agency. Floridians know how quickly the weather can change; it is always good to have a plan for the unfortunate occurrence of severe weather.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lighting safety<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridadisaster.org\/hazards\/lightning\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Florida Emergency Management website<\/a>, \u201cLightning occurs with every thunderstorm and, on average, Florida sees around 70-100 days a year with at least one thunderstorm in the state.\u201d Because of Florida\u2019s vulnerability to thunderstorms and lightning, lightning is one of the deadliest weather hazards in the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n<p>A simple reminder: If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Lightning can strike 5-10 miles outside of a storm.\u00a0If you\u2019re outdoors and hear a rumble in the distance, it\u2019s important to stop swimming or any other activities and head inside. Once indoors, you\u2019ll want to get as far away from windows and electrical devices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marine hazards and rip currents<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/In-house-graphic_FCMP_Beach_Warning_Flag_sign-scaled.jpg\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10258 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/In-house-graphic_FCMP_Beach_Warning_Flag_sign-857x1024.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"244\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 210px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 210\/244;\" width=\"210\"\/><\/a><figcaption>https:\/\/floridadep.gov\/rcp\/fcmp\/content\/beach-warning-flag-program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Don\u2019t be deceived by the beautiful weather, marine hazards can occur on even the nicest of days. Try swimming at a lifeguard protected beach and before heading out on your boat, check the weather.<\/p>\n<p>Pay attention to beach flag warnings:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Double Red Flag: Water Closed to Public\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Red flag: \u201cHigh Hazard\u201d: High surf and\/or strong currents<\/li>\n<li>Yellow \u201cMedium Hazard\u201d Flag: Moderate surf and\/or currents<\/li>\n<li>Green \u201cLow Hazard\u201d Flag: Calm conditions, exercise caution<\/li>\n<li>Purple Flag: Dangerous marine life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Swimmers should stay at least 100 feet from piers and jetties to avoid rip currents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thunderstorms and tornadoes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is good to know the sign of tornadoes:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strong, consistent rotation in a cloud base.<\/li>\n<li>Loud continuous roar or rumble that doesn\u2019t fade quickly like thunder.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you find yourself in a tornado warned area:<\/p>\n<p>Seek shelter immediately by staying inside an enclosed, structured building away from windows. Go to the lowest level of the building and put as many walls in-between you and the outside world as possible.\u00a0Never shelter in a car during a tornado. Always have a way to receive weather alerts to stay up-to-date on tornado watches and warnings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hurricanes and flooding<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You cannot talk about severe weather without including the biggest threat to Florida, hurricanes. Residents should have a preparedness plan and be familiar with evacuation routes. Stock a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridadisaster.org\/planprepare\/hurricane-supply-checklist\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">disaster supply kit<\/a> ahead of hurricane season.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone living in the state should consider purchasing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-flood-insurance\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">flood insurance<\/a>. \u201cJust one inch of floodwater can cause more than $25,000 in damages,\u201d says <a _blank=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dustyns\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dustyn Shroff<\/a>, Vice President of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a>, Florida\u2019s leading independent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">homeowners insurance <\/a>agency. Each year, review all insurance policies and ensure coverage is up to date.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Temperature extremes and wildfires<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Heat and high humidity are hazards in Florida. It is always important to stay hydrated and wear lightweight and light-colored clothing during the summer months to avoid heat-related illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>During the dry season fires can occur. When wildfires ignite, evacuate immediately if told to do so by officials. Use an N-95 mask to help prevent smoke inhalation, and stay up-to-date on active fires and fire weather conditions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a> is ready to help you when weather causes damage. We provide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">homeowners insurance<\/a> from a variety of carriers, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-flood-insurance\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">flood insurance <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-boat-insurance\">boat insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To help Florida residents prepare for the worst, The Florida Division of Emergency Management has designated the week of February 7-11, 2022 as \u201cSevere Weather Awareness Week.\u201d With each day focusing on a specific weather event. \u201cThis week is a good time to prepare for a severe weather and natural disasters,\u201d says Dustyn Shroff, Vice [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1219,"featured_media":10256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3,4,30,5,7,8,82,9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-floridainsurance","8":"category-auto-insurance","9":"category-boat-insurance","10":"category-flood-insurance","11":"category-homeowners-insurance","12":"category-motorcycle-insurance","13":"category-renters-insurance","14":"category-rv-insurance","15":"category-umbrella-insurance"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10251"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13615,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10251\/revisions\/13615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}