Hurricane Preparedness

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 my supplies together.

Technology of tracking hurricanes these days is pretty amazing. I don’t trust it 100% EVER! If there is any chance a hurricane could come near us, I make sure to be prepared. It’s better to be prepared than to be sorry.

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! 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!!!
Go to the store and the gas station. Grab necessities like water and food. Fill up your gas tank on your way back from the store. If this storm is serious the sooner you do this the better. Believe me! Those lines get long, quick!!!
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. People who were there for 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 to stay or go:
*If you live in a mobile home, manufactured home, or a very old home, you may need to evacuate for even a category 1 hurricane.
*Watch the news to see if your area, or type of home is up for a voluntary or mandatory evac.
*Read local government website for procedures on shelters, evacuations, emergency supplies and other storm related public services that are available in your area.
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 a 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.
* Large livestock should be released 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.
* Buy extra rope, ties, leads, harness’ so that you can restrain your animals if they are injured, or for keeping them out of danger, while you do some cleanup on the property after the storm.
* Tag your animals with your phone number, in case they get lost. 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.
* 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.
Identify a safe room within your home.
Batten down the hatches… Prepare your home, and your land. Install hurricane shutters or board up the windows. Pick up any thing that the storms winds can throw on your home, and/or livestock.
Anchor your chicken coops, and other small structures like sheds, or pens. I can’t seem to find the anchors my husband used. I believe they sell them at Tractor Supply. They are bright orange, and screw into the earth. We tied paracord to the anchors to help hold down our chicken coops and fencing.
Clean up outside: It is imperative that you clean up any debris laying around outside. Make sure to store your garbage cans in a shed so they don’t get throw around. Heavy/light equipment should be stored under cover, and tied down if possible.
Inside clean up: I like to get my laundry done if possible. It makes it easier to pack with plenty of clean laundry. Get the dishes done, have some easy dinners, so that there are less 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!

Use my Free Printable Hurricane Preparedness Checklist (free and no signup required) to make your list and check it twice!

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Hurricane Preparedness – Get The Homestead Ready For a Storm