Preparing for Disaster
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HURRICANE INDEX
On this page -
Evacuation List - things to pack in case you have to bug out.
Hurricane Shopping List - groceries and non-perishable foods to buy
Tips on what to do before the hurricane, preferably before hurricane season even begins.
If you have any recipes or tips you'd like to add, I'd love to add them (with credit of course) Please email any contributions to kajikit@gmail.com including your name and email address (optional)
NOTE - If a hurricane hits your area, your power will most likely be out for days or weeks, and your cable/phone may be out of service for even longer, so save these pages to your hard disk and print them out well before the hurricane. Computerised files do you no good at all if you can't turn on the machine to access them!
Big thanks to Tami for contributing the 'bones' of this hurricane list.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
- Emergency cash and/or travelers checks - remember, ATMs and card-readers require electricity to work so it may be hard to get money...
- Fire extinguisher
- Manual can opener
- Hand tools: hammer, axe, knife, pliers, handsaw, screwdrivers - may be needed to do repairs post-hurricane
- Electric drill with bits to install bolts for window protection
- Plywood
- Nails
- At least one flash light per person I also suggest 2 per child since they have a habit of breaking/ loosing them
- hand-cranked flash light
- battery-powered camping lantern - it's a lot safer than candles
- Batteries D, C AA, and AAA (for the kid’s flashlights)
- Waterproof matches
- Cooler if not 2 one for food, one for drinks
- Gallon size freezer bags- fill with water freeze then when they thaw it gives you extra water
- Needle and thread
- Whistle or air horn- works if you need to get someone attention even the kids
- Gas grill and gas we figured 1lb per day without power minimum
OR camp stove and propane/coleman fuel.
- Heavy duty work gloves- for clearing fallen trees.
- Lantern with extra fuel
- Large trash bags
- Robe and/ or heavy cord
- Tarps- great to fix roofs in a jam
- Radio - either battery-powered or hand-cranked.
- Generator and chain saw if you can find them
- Buckets for catching leaks, holding purified water etc.
- Air mattress- in case you have to head to a shelter
- old towels to mop up water leaks in window frames etc.
- Anything else from the camping supply store that looks like it will enhance your comfort during a week or two without power, cable and running water.
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HYGIENE
- Extra diaper wipes- not just for babies but they work great to wash kids and adults too
- Bleach- to purify water it is 8 drops per gallon
- Soap, hand soap, body soap, antibacterial soap, dish soap
- Purell
- Clean containers for storing water for washing, cleaning etc. This is in addition to your drinking water.
- Disinfectant spray
- Paper towels
- Toilet paper
- Paper plates, bowls and cups
- Plastic forks spoons knives
- Napkins
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FOR BABIES
- Baby formula - get the ready made they don’t need water
- Baby food in jars
- Baby cereal
- cheerios/rusks/baby snack foods
- Disposable diapers
- Consider disposable bottles and nipples - no need to try and sterilise them.
- diaper wipes
- Disposable bibs- no laundry again so this keeps the clothes semi clean
- 2 sets of clothes per day - babies can make a LOT of mess...
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FOR YOUR PETS
- Keep a two-week supply of petfood and cat litter in the house - a good idea is to buy a new bag as soon as you open the last one, don't wait till it's empty!
- Carriers
- travel food/water containers
- Rabies vaccination certificates in case you have to go to the shelter
- spare prescription medications
- hairball medicine (for cats)
- flea/tick/worm medicine - if you go to a shelter or have to evacuate they may be exposed to infected animals...
- kitty/doggy treats (stressed animals lose interest in food, and treats may tempt them to eat...)
- Don't forget to pre-register your animal/s at a shelter that accepts pets. And also make evacuation plans that include your pets. Know where you can take them to safety if you have to evacuate.
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ENTERTAINMENT
(not essential to survival, but nice to have, especially if you have kids to keep occupied...)
- Coloring books
- Crayons / Colored pencils / Markers
- Craft supplies for kids (don't forget the glue!)
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Books
- Crossword puzzle books
- Board games (for adults and children)
- Card games
- Hurricane tracking map from publix. The kids get a kick out of keeping track of where it is
- Bunny ears for your regular TV so you can watch it when your cable's still out.
- Car charger kit for cellphones/batteries/laptop
- Battery operated tv- kmart $24
- Lots of spare batteries for radio/gameboy
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FIRST AID KIT
- Bandages in all sizes
- A dozen 2inch and 3 inch gauze pads
- Hypoallergenic adhesive tape
- Three triangular bandages
- Three rolls of 2inch sterile roller bandages
- Three rolls 3 inch sterile bandages
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Needle- for splinters
- Bar of soap
- Antiseptic spray
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Rubbing alcohol
- Iodine
- Thermometer
- Petroleum jelly
- Ointments for burns and cuts
- Safety pins
- Latex gloves
- Aspirin
- eyewash (preferably in several small bottles rather than one big one)
- Snake bite kit
- Extra prescription medicine
- Extra over the counter meds, cough meds, Tylenol etc (keep a two-week supply onhand)
- Cooling gelpacks
- Heatpacks
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