National Hurricane Preparedness Week Helps Residents Get Ready for Upcoming Storm Season

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GEICO offers tips on how to plan for severe weather conditions

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 29, 2009 – As National Hurricane Preparedness Week comes to a close—and hurricane season gets ready to begin—GEICO wants to help residents prepare for the unexpected and stressful situations that hurricanes and tropical storms can bring.

GEICO is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist you with claims, but there are a number of steps that everybody can take to ensure the safety of their families and property prior to a storm's arrival.

  • Listen to all evacuation orders. The National Weather Service issues weather warnings, updates and evacuations online and through local radio and television stations. The National Hurricane Center recommends that if your emergency manager says to evacuate, you should do so immediately.
  • Put together a family disaster supply kit. The kit should include a manual can opener, blankets, clothing, toiletries, prescription drugs, first aid kits, flashlights, a tool set, batteries, radios, pet care items and plenty of water. The National Hurricane Center recommends one gallon of water daily per person for seven days. Many coastal states offer tax-free shopping days before hurricane season to give residents a chance to stock up on these necessities.
  • Create an evacuation plan for your family. Have an out-of-state friend as a family contact, so each family member has a single point of contact. Keep your vehicles filled with gas and keep cash on hand. If you are forced to leave your vehicle, put it on blocks and wrap it with tarps to keep the water out.
  • Check your home's insurance coverage. Flood damage is usually not covered by homeowners policies. It is important to protect family valuables such as photographs and computers and keep important documents in a waterproof container, including insurance, medical records and bank account numbers.

For more information on how to prepare your family and home for severe weather, visit the national Hurricane Preparedness Week Web site and GEICO's online Catastrophe Center.

If you are a GEICO policyholder and you need to make a claim, please contact GEICO at www.geico.com/claims or call 1-800-841-3000.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States.* GEICO provides auto insurance coverage for 9 million policyholders and insures more than 16 million vehicles.

In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and mobile homes. Coverage for life, boats, homes and apartments is available through the GEICO Insurance Agency. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.

As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial strength by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com.

*A.M. Best

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