Tropical Storm Michael is on it’s way to the Florida Panhandle where we currently reside. We are about 25 miles from the coast! So if a hurricane comes through, we could get hit pretty hard. Today (Sunday, October 7th) with Governor Scott declaring a State of Emergency (already?)
I’m making sure all of my ducks are in a row. Hurricane Preparedness is extremely important.
Today, I went to the store to stock up on water, snacks, and bread. I already have plenty of canned food, and freeze dried food.
Hurricane Michael is supposed to be hitting us Wednesday. So tomorrow I will use my Free Printable Hurricane Preparedness Checklist (free and no signup required) to check to make sure I have all the supplies together.
The technology of tracking hurricanes these days is pretty amazing. Despite this, I don’t trust it 100% EVER! If there is any chance a hurricane could come near us, I of course, make sure to be prepared. It’s better to be prepared than to be sorry.
Hurricane Preparedness
Supplies
- Make sure you have all the supplies you’ll need. All of these items need to be in travel-friendly packs. Laundry baskets, I like these collapsible ones. They come in handy for this use! They are easy to store stuff in and easy to grab and go if need be.
Use my handy Hurricane Preparedness Checklist to make sure you have all of your supplies! Certainly, medicine is very important to think about. If you or a loved one has a prescription you want to have at least a month’s supply if possible.
When a category 1 came through here last time, I couldn’t get my son’s medicine for over a month!!!
Gas & Other Necessities
- Go to the store and the gas station. Grab necessities like water and food. While your out, fill up your gas tank on your way back from the store, don’t forget to get some gas for your chainsaws, generators and other aftermaths/clean up tools! Additionally, it’s important to get gas as soon as you can. The line at the gas station undoubtedly gets long real quick!
Charge All The Things!
- Charge your cell phones, tablets, laptops, and any other devices you might want to use when the power’s out. Think about buying a small power cell in the near future for next time!
Evacuate or Not to Evacuate?
- Evacuate or no? Many people wait to decide to evacuate until 1-2 days or even less before the storm hits. Even if you think you’re not going to evacuate, have a plan on where you could go if you HAVE to. The people who survived Katrina had no idea how bad it was going to be. Many of them had no idea, that they would have to be rescued off the roof of their own homes. That’s why it’s necessary to have a place picked out, to evacuate to just in case you change your mind (before it’s too late). Some things to think about when deciding whether to evacuate or not.
* Evacuation may be necessary if you live in a mobile home, manufactured home, or a very old home. Even a category 1 hurricane might be strong enough to do damage to these kinds of homes and evacuation may be necessary.
* Watch the news to see if your area or type of home is up for a voluntary or mandatory evac.
* Local government websites will have information on the necessary procedures. They should be able to inform you about storm-related public services, such as shelters, evacuations, and emergency supplies that are available in your area.
Pets and Livestock
- Pets/Livestock: Don’t forget about your pets/livestock! Please make sure you have a plan that includes your pets. For domestic animals, make sure you have travel accessories, and all of their food, medicine, and first aid ready to go.
If you have livestock here are some tips:
* Check-in your nearby (away from the storm’s path) Facebook groups for people offering safe passage during the storm for you and your pets. I’ve seen many nice and amazingly generous people offering their homes to strangers.
* Release large livestock from their barns into a place that can provide some cover, such as a wooded area, preferably on higher ground. If locked in their pen/barn the building/structure could come down on them causing a lot of damage to them.
* Check your pet’s first aid kit and make sure it’s full. You’ll want to make sure you have plenty of bandages, ointment, and medical tape for any injuries that may be sustained during the storm.
* After the storm, you can keep your animals safe while you clean up by tying them up in a safe area. Make sure you have extra rope, and ties on hand.
* During a storm, it’s a good idea if your animals have your contact information on them, you know like we do with dogs. I’ve seen people use spray paint or marker maybe? I wouldn’t want to spray paint my animals, but if it means they come home, maybe it’s not such a bad thing. You could also use a metal tag on a collar like we use on dogs.
Supplies ad Medicine For Animals
* Store enough medicine for at least 1 month or more. When disaster hits, supply for items like medicine tends to run low for a long period of time. When trees and power lines are down the mail trucks and semi-trucks may have a hard time getting through to serve their deliveries.
* Keep enough feed and other necessary supplies to last a week. * Keep all supplies, feed, medicine, etc… in a dry place that can withstand high wind, and flooding.
Sandbags
- The city I live in makes sandbags available (up to 15 per household). You have to bring a shovel and fill the bags yourself, but hey free sand and bags. Find out if your city has a program like this.
Safe Place or Room
- Identify a safe room within your home. The safest place to be during a storm is obviously underground like a basement. However, if you live somewhere like Florida where those kinda of things don’t usually exist. The next best thing would be a room without windows, and without an outer wall. A closet might be a good idea.
During sudden storms, all 5 of us pile into my master closet. We bring water food, cards to play. flashlights, and lanterns.
Batten Down The Hatches!
- Prepare your home and your land. Install hurricane shutters or board up the windows. Pick up anything that the storm’s winds can throw on your home, and/or livestock.
Clean up Outside
- It is imperative that you clean up any debris laying around outside. Store garbage cans in a shed. This will help shield them from the wind. In addition, store equipment like lawnmowers in a shed or undercover.
Clean up Inside
- If you have time before the storm comes, do the laundry! It makes it easier to pack with plenty of clean laundry. Get the dishes done, have some easy dinners so that there are fewer dishes to clean. Pack up any important items. Like photos, or expensive gear that you don’t want to lose.
Check out the dot gov website for more information on prepping for a hurricane!
Also, The HouseWife Modern has some more great tips, be sure to check her post out!
Use my Free Printable Hurricane Preparedness Printable Checklist (free and no signup required) to make your list and check it twice!
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