Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th every year. Being an east-coaster, hurricane preparedness and having a storm kit has just become a matter of habit. However, if you are new to the game, or just wondering what you should have ready in case of a storm or hurricane, this post will outline the basics for you.
The Main Kit
Obviously you are going to need more to ride out a storm than what will fit in what most people would consider a “kit” (a duffel bag or plastic storage container). That’s why I consider the “storm kit” to have multiple parts. The first being the main kit, the supplies you’ll need that will actually fit in a kit. For us, our storm kit is in a medium-sized plastic storage container.
The main kit should include:
- Manual can opener
- No power = no electric can opener.
- Fire Extinguisher
- Flashlight(s)
- First Aid Kit
- Matches or lighter
- These should be inside a separate water-tight container or zip-lock bag in the main kit.
- Candles
- These can be battery or flame candles. You may also consider battery powered lanterns. The battery powered options will be safer especially if you have kids, the downside is they will require batteries.
- Batteries
- Make sure to check what size batteries you will need for flashlights, candles and storm radios.
- Storm radio
- This will need to be battery and/or hand-crank powered. Ours is a combination radio, flashlight, USB charger and siren. It can run on batteries, but also has a hand-crank. You’ll want this to ensure you can stay up-to-date on the storm.
- Sanitation
- Moist Towelettes or Baby Wipes
- Garbage bags with built-in ties or with twist ties. Your trash service probably won’t be running, so you’ll want to be able to seal up any trash that you may have to keep near by.
- Dry hand soap or hand sanitizer. While part of your water estimate will include washing, it is a good idea to conserve water where possible with the use of hand soap and sanitizer that does not require water.
- Toilet paper (for when nature calls)
- Notepad with a pen or pencil and a sharpie
- Handy to have for jotting down notes, especially if you are without power and a cell phone.
- A sharpie is handy to have as it will write on most things and not easily come off in the rain.
- A list of important phone numbers
- You may need to reference this if you are without your cell phone, as most people don’t memorize phone numbers anymore.
- Whistle, Flare or Siren to signal for assistance
- In a scenario where you are stranded or need help, you’ll want some way of getting attention and signalling for help.
- Spare cell phone charger
- While you obviously wouldn’t leave your cell phone in your storm kit, it is a good idea, if you have one, to put a spare charger in the kit.
- Non-Prescription medication
- It is recommended to keep some basic over-the-counter medications in your kit, such as pain relievers, antacids, anti-diarrheal, etc.
The Pre-Storm Prep
This is the stuff you need to stock up on prior to the storm, as in before there is a storm. These are the items you want to have on hand, but won’t really fit into a “kit.”
- Water (Estimate 1 gallon per person per day)
- The typical recommendation is to prepare for 3 days, but I’d recommend preparing for 5-7 days depending on your area and the severity of the storm.
- Non-perishable food
- This is can goods, prepackaged snacks, etc. Remember you likely won’t have power so you’ll need things that don’t have to be refrigerated or cooked (unless you have gas stove or a grill).
- Again for this you’ll want to prepare for 5-7 days. (I’d recommend overstocking if you have kids, because cooped up kids snack like they haven’t been fed in a week)
- Bleach or other cleaning supplies
- This (obviously) goes along with sanitation, just not something you’d want to store with the rest of the main kit. You’ll need to be able to clean and sanitize surfaces and items, especially if you have water or sewage disruptions.
- Power Inverter for your vehicle
- This is an optional item to use your car to power or charge small devices that require an AC outlet.
The Personal Stuff
These are items from your daily usage that you’ll need to gather up.
- Toiletries
- The normal stuff, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, razor, etc.
- Eye glasses, contacts and solution
- It is also a good option to get a travel size set of your normal toiletries and put them in a ziplock bag in your main storm kit.
- Cell Phone
- Make sure you have your phone, charger and cables. Most cell sites will run on a backup generator, so as long as their back haul is up and the site hasn’t been knocked down, your cell service should work. Service probably won’t be great, so you’ll want to stick to text messaging as phone service will likely be limited and congested.
- A battery pack to charge your phone is also a good idea. My personal choice is the Anker PowerCore+ 20100 It’s capacity makes it capable of charging most phones several times before needing a recharge itself. It’ll even do rapid charging on Pixel phones.
- Prescription Medication
- Be sure your prescriptions are up-to-date and you have a supply to last through the storm and aftermath (1 week or more).
- Cash
- You’ll likely need cash if there are widespread outages, as card readers may be down.
- Clothes
- You’ll need to have plenty of clothes for everyone. It’s good to have a “go-bag” for clothes, where you have a full set of clothes for each person in one bag. You can put each person’s set of clothes in separate ziplocks inside the one bag.
- Pillows and Blankets
- Whether you are riding out the storm or traveling, it’ll be good to have extra pillows and blankets for everyone, depending on sleeping arrangements.
- You can save space on these if you get the space saver bags where you can roll or vacuum the air out.
- Entertainment (especially for the kids)
- Board games, books, coloring books, crayons and paper
- Kids will need something to keep them occupied as you’ll likely be cooped up for awhile, probably without power.
- Depending on the ages of your kids, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw a coloring book and pack of crayons in your main kit too, just in case you forget.
Monitoring the Storm
A big part of hurricane preparedness is following where the storm is going in order to determine what you need to do. The National Hurricane Center is great resource for tracking hurricanes. They provide updates multiple times a day when there is an active system and they give predictions for the storm path, estimated wind speeds and storm watches/warnings. Another personal recommendation for monitoring the storm is WDTC 123 Weather on Facebook. This account gives consistent updates when there is an active storm and gives a more detailed explanation of predictions and changes with the storm.
Above All Be Safe
While evacuation is always the recommendation, the reality is that isn’t always feasible for everyone. Hopefully this list will help you prepare, whether you are evacuating or riding it out. The main point is to be prepared, monitor the hurricane, develop a plan, and above all keep yourself and your family safe.
