• Be calm! Your ability to act logically, if necessary, is very important.
• Stay indoors in a secure location. The strongest part of a house is usually away from windows and exterior doors. In a one-story home, the strongest room is often a bathroom or walk-in closet near the center of the home. In a two-story home, the strongest wall is often near the stairwell on the first floor. A closet or cubicle nearby may be the safest spot.
• If your house shows signs of breaking up, stay under a table or sturdy object.
• Keep window curtains and blinds closed. (See windows) 
• Place towels along window sills and the bottom of doors leading outside to keep water from coming in. Have buckets, mops and sponges handy in the event of flooding.
• Elevate valuables to table tops or high places if flooding occurs.
• Stay indoors as the calm eye of the hurricane passes over, unless repairs are absolutely necessary.
• Leave main breaker on unless electricity goes off. If electricity goes off, turn off air conditions, refrigerators, freezers and television sets. If power returns and is steady, equipment may be turned back on. (See Utilities)
• Use flashlights for lighting when electricity goes off. A burning candle or cooking flame paired with a gust of wind through a door or window could start an accidental fire, and the fire department may not be able to respond during the storm.
• Use the telephone or cell phone for emergencies only. Jammed phone lines may obstruct emergency calls for police, fire rescue, emergency medical and Red Cross disaster units.
• Continue to conserve refrigeration. Open refrigerator and freezer doors as little as possible.
• Pull out fuse plugs at the fuse box inside the building or turn off switches at the circuit breaker box before flood water enters the building. When touching anything within an electrical panel, ensure that you are standing on a dry, insulated surface, have rubber soles and heels on your shoes and are not touching a ground with any part of the body. These precautions will reduce the chance of electrocution.
• Stay away from the fuse box, main breaker or electrical outlets in the event of flooding. Normally, the electrical current in the structure will fail with flooding.
• Remain indoors until the official “All Clear” is given by Broward County Emergency Management. If in doubt, call the Broward County Hotline at 3-1-1 or 954-831-4000.

Updated July 2012