How to Prepare for a Hurricane: Hurricane Reminders You Might Not Have Thought Of

 

Chances are if you are reading this post we are once again bracing for a hurricane. Water is likely flying off the shelves, gas lines long, and we all have our batteries hoarded but there are some things you might not have thought of that are important, too!

Hurricane Checklist

•  Stock up on disposable diapers and baby wipes, even if you use cloth diapers like we did. If water and/or power goes out you won’t be able to wash cloth diapers!
• Make sure you have non-perishible food your kids will actually eat. Canned soup, beans, and tuna are fine for adults but my kids will have no part in that. Peanut butter crackers and baby food pouches it is!
• Dog/cat food if you have a pet. ’nuff said.
• MORE baby wipes, even if you don’t have kids!!! You will thank me when there’s no water and you can clean your hands, wipe your under arms etc.
• Paper plates, cups, and disposable cutlery– you don’t want to use precious water to wash dishes if there isn’t any!
• Propane or charcoal for your grill so you can heat up food. If you don’t have a grill a small hibachi or camping grill is a great thing to have.
• Dry shampoo if you are so inclined.
• A portable charging bank for your cellphone. You don’t want to waste precious gas or car battery power charging your phone. I swear by the Anker ones.
• Activities for kids that require no electricity- crayons and coloring books, playdoh, books etc
• Fill up your bathtub so you can flush your toilet if the water gets cut off. A water bladder like this one is also a great way to store water. If you don’t want to store a water bladder these tub liners are also an idea. You can also fill garbage cans. Your hot water heater also holds about 30 gallons or so and can be drained if you run out. I also recommend having a Lifestraw in your hurricane kit- it will make outside water potable. We also fill up all of our water bottles.
• CLEAN EVERYTHING! Wash all soiled bedding, laundry, dirty dishes etc. Anything that will smell if you lose power and don’t have AC. I can’t stress this one enough. The last thing you want is dirty dishes in the dishwasher for a week.
• Get cash. ATMs won’t work if there isn’t power and the ones that do work will run out fast.
• Walk through your house and video your possessions for insurance purposes.
• While it’s always a good idea to have a few candles in case your batteries all die, I like these lanterns for light if power goes out especially in places like the bathroom that you’ll want to be able to see at night. I also have these Solar Luminaid inflatable lanterns that can also charge devices. If the power is out for a long time it’s good to have solar options.
• We always fill our large Yeti cooler with ice before the storm and make sure we have lots of reusable ice packs ready to go in the freezer (or fill empty plastic bottles and freeze them). If power goes out put some of the reusable ice packs in the refrigerator then LEAVE IT CLOSED. Your food will have a better chance of staying cold enough if you only have short outage. Use the cooler for stuff you need access to instead.

Useful Items to Have in Your Hurricane Kit:

I hope you find these tips helpful! Let me know your tips in the comments.