Though I’ve lived in a coastal region for virtually my entire life, it didn’t occur to me that I would have to create a hurricane preparedness kit for my own home as an adult. Growing up, my parents always took care of that sort of thing!
When my husband and I were faced with our first hurricane as homeowners, we quickly learned that we weren’t prepared for this kind of disaster! We did our best to create a preparedness kit in a short amount of time but we vowed to make ourselves a real kit before the next storm struck.
Over time, as storms have come and gone our preparedness kit has definitely changed. If you’re worried about a potential hurricane hitting your area, add these items (if you haven’t already) to your hurricane preparedness kit ASAP!
Hurricane Preparedness Kit
Checklist
At the very minimum, you should always make sure that you are equipped with the basic necessities for ANY emergency supply kit! Keep these supplies in a basic carrier that can be easily stored and transferred between rooms of your home or the car. Make sure that these basics are always added to your kit:
–Water (one gallon, per person, per day. I recommend buying this water purifier, to avoid stressing about water consumption.)
–Food (Always choose non-perishables!)
–Power Outage:Flashlight and a hand-crank radio (with batteries for the flashlight!)
A backup generator (and fuel, just in case!)
–Emergency Supplies: Any personal medical supplies and a basic first-aid kit
-Toilet paper and other personal hygiene necessities
Tips
Don’t Forget Your Personal Documents!
While they don’t necessarily need to be packed away in your kit at all times (think of how wrinkled and creased they could get!) make sure that all of your important personal documents are stored in one area–just in case of emergency. Keep all of your personal documents in one area of your filing cabinet and be sure to grab this file before evacuating in case of emergency. Don’t forget to add ALL of these documents:
-Birth certificates
-Wills, deeds, contracts, or any other legally binding document
-Family records such as marriage certificates
-Bank account or credit card account numbers
-Passports and social security cards
Don’t Forget Clothing and Bedding!
If you’re headed to a community shelter or to a family member’s house during the storm, you’ll want to make sure that you bring any necessary clothing or bedding along with you. Being displaced from your home is already uncomfortable enough (not to mention the added stress of the storm!) and it would be even worse to forget a clean change of clothing or pajamas. Pack a change of clothing (and don’t forget to include a sleeping bag or blanket!) for each member of your family and change everything out as everyone grows. Clothing and bedding is never something to forget! For bedding that is easy to pack, add items like these:
Pack Your Tools, Too!
If you’re staying put during the storm, this is especially applicable to you: don’t forget to account for all of your tools! Make sure that all of your tools are in working order, and make sure that you have backups for the electrical tools that may not work in the event of a power outage. Keep a hammer, nails, screwdriver, saw, and pliers readily available just in case they’re needed in the event of an emergency. Make sure you add a few of these rarely-thought-of tools to your kit as well:
-Tape
-Compass
-Whistle
-Sewing Kit
-Signal Flares
-Can Opener
-Plywood boards (my husband likes to keep a supply of wood handy at all times to board up our windows–wood can be hard to find when a storm really DOES hit!)
And, here are some Storage Ideas For Your Home
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