Water and plumbing jobs to do before a hurricane
9 cards · about 23 KB · Updated · From Tanks and Taps Jamaica
The answer
Hurricane water storage in Jamaica, by ODPEM's booklet, means one gallon per person per day, with a 2-week supply at home and a 3-day supply for evacuation.
How much water should we store?
Who handles this: You
ODPEM's booklet says "one gallon per person, per day; 3-day supply for evacuation and 2-week supply for home". ODPEM's head said in 2010 to store for "at least seven days". Use the booklet's two weeks if you have room.
It does not say which gallon, so our sum for four people shows both:
| Days | Gallons | Imperial | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12 | 55 L | 45 L |
| 7 | 28 | 127 L | 106 L |
| 14 | 56 | 255 L | 212 L |
Treat this as a floor. WHO's hydration figure alone is 5.3 L per person per day. Sizing a permanent tank is on how big a water tank.
Source: ODPEM booklet (2019); JIS, ODPEM head, Nov 2010; WHO, Domestic water quantity, 2020; litres are our sum.
Next: What should it be stored in, and when?What should it be stored in, and when?
Who handles this: You
Clean containers with lids, filled early. The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so keep some ready all season.
Containers that once held chemicals "should in no way be used", the Ministry of Health and Wellness said in 2024. For washing a tank or drum, see cleaning a water tank. "Cover tightly" is the Ministry's mosquito instruction for stored water, and the reason is on mosquitoes in tanks.
ODPEM also says "Do not empty water stored in bathtubs or other receptacles until safe drinking water is restored". Keep that water for flushing and washing unless you treat it first.
Source: JIS hurricane tips from ODPEM; Health Ministry on JIS, July 2024; Health Ministry on JIS, July 2021
Next: Where is the house's own water shutoff?Where is the house's own water shutoff?
Who handles this: You, on the ground
Find it now, in daylight, and show someone else in the house. Your valve is on your side of the meter, often where the supply enters the house or by the tank or pump.
Turn it slowly closed and open once in the dry months. If it sticks or leaks, have a plumber replace it.
Leave everything beyond the meter to the National Water Commission (NWC), and that includes its street valves, even when a neighbour says it is fine.
Source: General plumbing practice, not a Jamaican document.
Next: When do the utilities actually go off?A model to compare
Ball valves. A quarter-turn ball valve is worth comparing with your plumber as a house shutoff on your side of the meter, since it shows at a glance whether it is open.
Plumbing Supply and More has the same owners as this site. It is a US business and shipping to Jamaica is not promised, so treat this as a model to compare, then ask your local supplier for the same type.
When do the utilities actually go off?
Who handles this: You, on the ground
Not by default. ODPEM says to turn them off "only if you suspect the lines are damaged, you suspect a leak or if local officials instruct you to do so". Its flood advice adds "Turn off all utilities at main switch if evacuation is necessary."
If the leak you suspect is gas, do not go to the cylinder or any valve: get everyone out and call 110 from outside, as on gas smell and LPG. And if gas has been turned off for any reason, ODPEM says "only a qualified professional can turn it back on".
Do not go to a panel or a valve while water is standing around it.
Source: ODPEM, disaster guide; ODPEM flood page
Next: What about the pump when the power goes?What about the pump when the power goes?
Who handles this: Electrician
When the power fails, switch the pump's breaker off if the panel is dry and easy to reach. That stops it restarting on an unsteady supply or running against an empty tank when power returns.
Breaker off before touching a pump or anything near it. If a pump sits where it may flood, raise it with a licensed electrician before the season. Wiring of any kind is theirs, and it is never a storm-day job.
If the pump does get wet, leave it off until an electrical person has looked at it. More on how the system works is on pump and pressure tank.
Source: General trade practice. ODPEM's pages as we read them do not mention house pumps.
Next: Should the tank be full, and is it tied down?Should the tank be full, and is it tied down?
Who handles this: Installer
ODPEM's material, as far as we could find, does not cover securing water tanks, so ask your installer before the season. A full tank adds weight: 650 gallons is 2,955 kg (imperial) or 2,461 kg (US), water alone, tank not counted, by our note that 1 L is about 1 kg. A nearly empty plastic tank is light, and wind can move it.
Straps, ties and stand repairs are for someone trained, on a calm, dry day, well before any warning. Do tank jobs from the ground, or pay someone. Our roof or ground page covers bases and loads.
Source: Our arithmetic; NIST, gallon conversions; tying down is general practice.
Next: What about the roof and gutters?What about the roof and gutters?
Who handles this: Qualified contractor
Get roof jobs done early, and pay someone. ODPEM says "See that galvanized sheeting on your roofs, out-buildings and fences are securely fastened".
Stay off the roof whenever it is wet or windy. Once a storm warning is out, no one climbs at all, even for a flapping sheet or loose pipe.
From the ground, you can spot sagging gutters and loose downpipes, and list them for the person you hire. Solar units need the same check.
Source: ODPEM advice printed by JIS, undated
Next: What about the pit, and which pages are worth saving?What about the pit, and which pages are worth saving?
Who handles this: You, on the ground
Look at pit covers from ground level while it is still dry. If one is cracked, loose or missing, get a qualified contractor before the rains, and keep children away from it. Do not open it or lean over it.
Note 110 for fire and ambulance and 119 for police where you can find them with no signal. Drinking water after a storm has the Ministry's doses, so read it now. Flooded tank and septic gives the order of jobs afterwards.
Source: Fire Brigade line; JCF contact page; pit-cover advice is general practice.