What’s Your Threat? Hurricanes (7 Things I Should Have Done BEFORE it Hit)

We’re officially in Hurricane Season now and if you aren’t ready, I suggest you get ready – especially if you live in an area that is likely to be hit!

I know some people make a game out of waiting until the eye of the storm is practically on top of them, but if you try and do that you’ll be waiting in 3 hour lines hoping you can buy the last generator or case of water – I don’t suggest it! Been there done that!

If you’re planning on others to save you - you might want to think again!

I made ALL the newbie mistakes when we experienced our 1st Hurricane nearly 6 years ago! Since then I got my act together, learned how to prepare for a Hurricane from others, and implemented these 7 things!

Hopefully, you’ll learn from my mistakes – so you can be ready for whatever storm may try and rip through your life.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A HURRICANE -
7 Things You Should Do BEFORE It Hits:
1- Stay Informed

In some instances, there is no choice but to pack-up and get out of Dodge! Where will you go? What will you take? Do you have a gathering place or way to contact family members if you get separated?  Does everyone in your family know your plan? Does your community have an evacuation plan, or signals to warn you about possible threats?

If you are told to evacuate and decide not to do it, acknowledge your responsibility for your decision, and do not expect to be rescued later.

Write down emergency phone numbers and keep them near every phone in your house or on the refrigerator. Program them into your cell phone, too

Know Where the Nearest Shelter is!

Contacts

Keep a list of contact information for reference:

• Local Emergency Management Office
• County Law Enforcement
• County Public Safety Fire/Rescue
• State, County and City/Town Government
• Local Hospitals
• Local Utilities
• Local American Red Cross
• Local TV Stations
• Local Radio Stations
• Your Property Insurance Agent

2- Have a Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

No matter how small your town is, most likely it is entirely dependent on outside sources for everything! If supply trucks stop rolling in due to road damage, gas shortages or anything else you could be without important items for a long time. So the best time to get things is NOW!

Here are some things I try to have ready at all times:

• WATER - At least 14 gallons per person.
  • You can also fill-up Bathtubs or use Waterbobs.
  • water filters
• 2 WEEKS WORTH OF FOOD – Meal plan and have enough food on hand for at least 2 weeks minimum!
• 2 WEEK WORTH OF SUPPLIES:
  • Toilet Paper
  • Paper Products
  • Matches
  • Batteries
• POWERLESS COOKING – Have 2-3 ways to cook your food.
•  Should have as much fuel as water: a. Propane     b. Gas  c. Kerosene     d. Firewood    e. Fire starter, (kindling, paper, etc
• GENERATOR – If you already have a generator, make sure it is in working order before hurricane season. There is nothing worse than finding out that your generator investment needs repairs after you need to use it.
• FIRE EXTINGUISER – Buy a fire extinguisher and make sure your family knows where to find it and how to use it
• EXTENSION CORDS
• FUEL:
  • GAS CANS - Fill-up all the cars & have some extra for the generator. Fuel is usually scarce after a hurricane, and many stations even limit the amount of gas you can purchase after waiting in line. Having multiple cans will allow you to stock up. Buy a bottle of fuel stabilizer for when the power is restored. Mix this with your gas so that it will keep until you are able to use it.
• ITEMS to STAY WARM/COOL
• SURVIVAL KITS - 1st Aid Kit, 72 Hour Kit, Emergency Bag
• MATCHES
• WINDOWS -Have boards ready to go to put on windows!
• CORDED PHONE - Download Survival apps
• CASH – Have Extra Cash on Hand
• FIRST AID KIT – and basic knowledge of how to use it
• LOTS OF BATTERIES – in all sizes
• PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
• TREES – Cut down the ones that might fall on your home.
• SOLAR CHARGES – to help power phones and other small gadgets.
• CHAINSAW – If you have a chainsaw and know how to use it, you immediately become the neighborhood hero!
• FLASHLIGHTS – Make sure everyone has their own!
• RADIO - to stay updated on the hurricane
• SAFE ROOM
• EVACUATION PLAN
• GUNS & AMMO
• FANS – Battery-powered fans will be very appreciated if the power is out!
• FLOOD INSURANCE
• MAP (other than the one on your phone) – Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate.

3- Pre-cut & Board Windows

We went ahead and cut-boards to match all our windows and anytime there is a hurricane headed our way we pull them out and clip them into place.  Remember to mark which windows they go to, or else you’ll have fun playing the guess where the 50 lb board goes game (as you can tell we’ve played it a few times)! Also, anything you care about, make sure to bring it inside. No matter what, a fallen tree is going to find your car, or your favorite chair is going to end up in your neighbor’s yard

What you Need:

• 5/8” marine plywood
• Clips for windows – 4 each

Measure windows and cut about 3/4 of an inch off of the width so the clips will have room to hold in the window.

4- Have a Back-Up Power Source

Do you realize how much stuff runs on electricity? You will quickly realize once it goes off how much you use it everyday!

Power is usually the first thing to go in any situation, so having an alternate power source can make life after a disaster a little more bearable. A popular option is a generator, but remember you need gas to keep it going and they are extremely noisy.

As big as the generator is I thought if would power a whole house, but I was way off! You really need to figure out before hand what’s the most important thing you want to keep running.

We used our generator primarily to run the refrigerator and freezer for a few hours each day to keep the food fresh until the power came back on. Unless you have a large generator and lots of gas though, this is a temporary fix and not something you’ll realistically be able to plan on for much longer than a week.

There are lots of other alternate power sources, but the main reason I have a generator is to be able to keep my food fresh long enough so if I need to I have time to preserve it. Knowing how to preserve the food in your freezer is one skill worth learning! Then you don’t have to worry about throwing away cheese, meat, butter or anything else if the power is out for an extended period of time – you’ll be able to preserve it instead!

One nice thing about the power going out, is I actually went to bed on time

5- Have Food & Learn How to Preserve Food (save freezer food)

FEMA recommends that every household have at least a 2 week supply of food and water, but yet the average American only has 3 days! Depending on the disaster, sometimes relief/aid can take a week or more to arrive and when you’re hungry, cold, and tired EVERY DAY makes a difference (especially when you have whiny kids who don’t understand). If you need help getting a 2 week supply of food, check-out the 5 steps I used to get mine.

One tip is to turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting so that food will last longer should the power go out. Keep the doors closed as much as possible to hold in the cold.

6- Know How to Cook Food Without Electricity!

The main issue I ran into when the power went out is I had NO way of cooking any food. Even though I had enough food to last us a few weeks, dried pasta is just not that appealing! I’ve since learned about some powerless cooking options and have experimented with them so the next time I’m without power I’ll be eating pizza and cookies Below are some of my favorite options I’ve tried, but find 2  or 3 that work for you!

POWERLESS COOKING OPTIONS:

• ROCKET STOVE - A stove that only requires a couple sticks to cook a meal.
• APPLE-BOX OVEN- An oven made out of a box, uses charcoal to cook.
• VOLCANO - Very versatile, it can be used as an oven, stove, or grill.
• WONDER OVEN - This works like a crock-pot, but without any power.
• SUN OVEN - Needs only the Sun to cook your food.

7- Remember to Relax & Even Have Some Fun!

It’s so much easier to relax when you’re prepared! You might actually enjoy the time you get to spend with your family, and the opportunity to reconnect with neighbors!

Help the kids get ready too by letting them become a Disaster Master, or reading them age-appropriate books about being prepared!

WHAT’S YOUR THREAT?

What’s the biggest threat to you and your family? Know which disasters you need to prepare for and do something about!

Check out some amazing blogs and how they attack their biggest threats to being more prepared and more self-reliant:

• Push Past the Fear and Just Do It!! – Mom with a PREP
• Living in Tornado Alley – The Busy B Homemaker
• {Forest Fire Safety} – Mama Kautz
• Why You Need Food Storage – Food Storage Moms
• Break in the Supply Chain – Homestead Dreamer
• Economic Downturn – Apartment Prepper
• Drought! – Ever Growing Farm
• Medical Emergencies at Home – Preparedness Mama
• Surviving a Tornado – Survival at Home
• Wildfire – Cooke’s Frontier
• Rising Food Prices – Common Sense Homesteading
• Economic Collapse – Timber Creek Farms
• A Personal Job Loss Situation – Food Storage Made Easy
• 7 Tips for Keeping Your Family Together in an Emergency – Food Storage & Survival
• Massive Blackout- Trailerpark Homestead
• How to Overcome a Lack of Motivation to Prepare – Home Ready Home
• The Unexpected – Are We Crazy, Or What?
• Our Threats Are Many, But Our Worries Are None – Trayer Wilderness
• Food Storage Without a Plan – My Food Storage Cookbook
• Hurricanes and Nor’Easters – Backyard Pioneer
• A Financial Disaster – The Surival Mom
• Staying Off the Radar – Geek Prepper
• Everything Becomes Too Expensive – Beyond Off Grid

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