hurricane supplies

[JonathanBelles]

with under 603 hrs left until the hurricane season everyone should have everythin that is nesesary for 5 days and i'm just checking that everyone does
so i came up with an idea that we should make a grand list of all of the suplies needed, so ill start
copy and post thisVVVVVVVVV when you add something

1. five plus packs of AA, AAA, D, and any other batteries needed to last 5 plus days

[dizzyfish]

1. five plus packs of AA, AAA, D, and any other batteries needed to last 5 plus days

2. water. We have the suggested 1 gal/per person/per day. 2 of us plus one dog (large) I have 15 gallons ready to go right now. Fill the tub too.

[jusforsean]

1. five plus packs of AA, AAA, D, and any other batteries needed to last 5 plus days

2. water. We have the suggested 1 gal/per person/per day. 2 of us plus one dog (large) I have 15 gallons ready to go right now. Fill the tub too.

3. Tarps (if you own a home)

[SouthFloridawx]

1. five plus packs of AA, AAA, D, and any other batteries needed to last 5 plus days

2. water. We have the suggested 1 gal/per person/per day. 2 of us plus one dog (large) I have 15 gallons ready to go right now. Fill the tub too.

3. Tarps (if you own a home)

4. Shutters or Plywood. (Yes get your plywood in advance cause it is a pain to get it when you know the storm is drawing neigh.) Also please of wood and concrete screws.

[Jagno]

5. Adequate Fuel storage. I just purchased another 30 gallon fuel cell which has it's own fuel handle just like the stations so that filling smaller containers and generators are a breeze. P.S.- Owning the container is great but you do have to fill it up NOW. Don't wait until there is a system arriving as prices and availability might not be favorable.

6. Cash on hand. Please learn from my "oh too recent" experiences/mistakes and have enough cash as in paper and coins to last you a minimum of 7 days. Credit cards, debit cards and checks are worthless in a true disaster.

7. Text Messaging. I know this sounds utterly rediculous but had it not been for text messaging I would not have been able to stay in contact with many of my loved ones including my DH and two of my sons who were on lockdown in the hard hit areas. To me this service was priceless. Not only was it a blessing during the hurricane but it gave so much peace of mind in locating friends and family following the hurricane. In all instances when we couldn't get through by regular cell service the text messages went through just fine.

[WhiteShirt]

8. Bottled water. I've been buying cases of bottled water for the past several months as they go on sale. Having plenty of it in the car was a lifesaver during our evacuation from Rita.

9. Plain bleach. You can use this to preserve your water if you have a large supply stored.

[SouthFloridawx]

1. five plus packs of AA, AAA, D, and any other batteries needed to last 5 plus days

2. water. We have the suggested 1 gal/per person/per day. 2 of us plus one dog (large) I have 15 gallons ready to go right now. Fill the tub too.

3. Tarps (if you own a home)

4. Shutters or Plywood. (Yes get your plywood in advance cause it is a pain to get it when you know the storm is drawing neigh.) Also please of wood and concrete screws.

5. Adequate Fuel storage. I just purchased another 30 gallon fuel cell which has it's own fuel handle just like the stations so that filling smaller containers and generators are a breeze. P.S.- Owning the container is great but you do have to fill it up NOW. Don't wait until there is a system arriving as prices and availability might not be favorable.

6. Cash on hand. Please learn from my "oh too recent" experiences/mistakes and have enough cash as in paper and coins to last you a minimum of 7 days. Credit cards, debit cards and checks are worthless in a true disaster.

7. Text Messaging. I know this sounds utterly rediculous but had it not been for text messaging I would not have been able to stay in contact with many of my loved ones including my DH and two of my sons who were on lockdown in the hard hit areas. To me this service was priceless. Not only was it a blessing during the hurricane but it gave so much peace of mind in locating friends and family following the hurricane. In all instances when we couldn't get through by regular cell service the text messages went through just fine.

8. Bottled water. I've been buying cases of bottled water for the past several months as they go on sale. Having plenty of it in the car was a lifesaver during our evacuation from Rita.

9. Plain bleach. You can use this to preserve your water if you have a large supply stored.

[jusforsean]

1. five plus packs of AA, AAA, D, and any other batteries needed to last 5 plus days

2. water. We have the suggested 1 gal/per person/per day. 2 of us plus one dog (large) I have 15 gallons ready to go right now. Fill the tub too.

3. Tarps (if you own a home)

4. Shutters or Plywood. (Yes get your plywood in advance cause it is a pain to get it when you know the storm is drawing neigh.) Also please of wood and concrete screws.

5. Adequate Fuel storage. I just purchased another 30 gallon fuel cell which has it's own fuel handle just like the stations so that filling smaller containers and generators are a breeze. P.S.- Owning the container is great but you do have to fill it up NOW. Don't wait until there is a system arriving as prices and availability might not be favorable.

6. Cash on hand. Please learn from my "oh too recent" experiences/mistakes and have enough cash as in paper and coins to last you a minimum of 7 days. Credit cards, debit cards and checks are worthless in a true disaster.

7. Text Messaging. I know this sounds utterly rediculous but had it not been for text messaging I would not have been able to stay in contact with many of my loved ones including my DH and two of my sons who were on lockdown in the hard hit areas. To me this service was priceless. Not only was it a blessing during the hurricane but it gave so much peace of mind in locating friends and family following the hurricane. In all instances when we couldn't get through by regular cell service the text messages went through just fine.

8. Bottled water. I've been buying cases of bottled water for the past several months as they go on sale. Having plenty of it in the car was a lifesaver during our evacuation from Rita.

9. Plain bleach. You can use this to preserve your water if you have a large supply stored.

10. tip: I was tols to pack my freezer as tight as I could with newspaper and put it on the coldest setting. This helps retain the cold.

11. those premeasured drink packets like gatorade, crtstal light especially the one that has electrolites for kids like pedialites. great for adults during cleanup when its hot and you can easily get dehydrated.

[zoeyann]

1 prescription and OTC medications for everyone in the family.

2 ice chests

3. some of those thing that you can squish and they get cold and spray bottles for spritzing water very handy with no AC and children

4 laptop and anything else with rechargle batteries fully charged also they have those things for cell phones that will fully charge the battery on the phone when you either forget the charger or can't charge it. Like someone else said calls would not go through but text can

5 hand held games, portable dvd players and portable activies for the kids can be good sends in evacs or power outages

6 sun block is a necessity especially if you have to wait in some sort of line for food, water, or assitence after a storm. I learned this the hard way

7. walkie talkies can actually be useful

8. one container to put you emergency kit into, but if you evac keep maps, walkie talkies or any other road useage stuff in ziplock bag. If you organize ahead of time you can spend time packing clothing and mementos instead of doing last minute preps

9 put socail security, birth certicates, finacial info, and insurence stuff or any other important papers together in a safe box way ahead of time. So many people did not have their paper work in order or lost it all together last year which delayed their ability to get on their feet afterwards. If it is all together you can just grab and go instead of going nuts and wasteing time looking for these things while your in a paniced rush

10. food, granola bars, pop tarts, cereals bars, tuna lunch kits actually have a decent shelf life. And unlike others I did not sell my leftover heater meals and MRE's online, I saved them for this year. Would you believe I had to put my foot down and not let my daughter eat the remainder for fun she loves them things.

I sure most here know these things, but I hope it helps someone. And as you can see most of what I put is a matter of organization and not spending money. I have gotten in the habit of organizing things for the season when I do spring cleaning, like when you check the smoke detecter when the time changes

[StrongWind]

10. tip: I was tols to pack my freezer as tight as I could with newspaper and put it on the coldest setting. This helps retain the cold.

Newspaper around the inside periphery of the freezer might have some value as extra insulation but it won't be of much help in the center.

What you need to pack the fridge with is things that have high thermal mass - ie. can store heat (and while not technically correct, but from a practical point of view, store 'cold.') Blue ice, water in jugs (filled about 80% to prevent bursting,) meat, that kind of stuff.

If you have access to the outside of your fridge, wrap some insulation up one side, across the top, and down the other. Looks ugly but it's short term. Many fridges are not adequately insulated.

If your goal is to preserve freezer contents, at the expense of the fridge contents, turn your refrigerator up to it's warmest setting shortly before you expect the power to go out. Why? Because in most, if not all over/under type units, cold air from the freezer bleeds down to cool the fridge. Slowing this down keeps the freezer colder longer. I believe side-by-sides also circulate air from the freezer to the fridge but you might want to check on that.

Put all of your 1st, and even some of your 2nd day use, cold items in a separate cooler. Drinks, burgers/dogs for dinner, etc. If you plan this well, you won't even have to open the fridge for almost a day putting you way ahead of the game.

Get a generator and power your fridge for a few hours in the mornings and evenings. Or go hog wild and set up a battery back-up with inverter.

Just a few things to think about.

[Dionne]

I might add a few items we found useful in the first days after Katrinas landfall............chainsaws, 1st & 2nd aid medic packs, 12 volt (DC) citizens band radio, 12 volt (DC) handheld TV (using AA batteries), flare gun, water resistant matches, bug juice, hand cuffs (for Captains hording ice), 357 S&W service revolver (for looters), my lucky silver dollar and a bible.

Here is what to do with these items.....put them all in your truck and EVACUATE.

[Jagno]

I forgot one of the most overlooked and essentially healthy items you need to get now and that is a good supply of face masks and gloves.

I was the unhappy and very ill recipient of bacterial and mold poisoning not once but twice after returning to our devastated homes and businesses following Rita. I just jumped right in and started clearing trees, asbestos tiles and mold infested walls and insulation from our property and buildings upon returning. I didn't wear a mask or gloves and found myself praying for my next breath suddenly while driving and woke up two days later. The last thing I remembered was leaving my insurance agency and suddenly gasping for air while driving on a major road. I was later told that I pulled into a nearby parking lot and a nurse drove me to the emergency care unit.

[alicia-w]

9 put socail security, birth certicates, finacial info, and insurence stuff or any other important papers together in a safe box way ahead of time. So many people did not have their paper work in order or lost it all together last year which delayed their ability to get on their feet afterwards. If it is all together you can just grab and go instead of going nuts and wasteing time looking for these things while your in a paniced rush

we use one of those portable fireboxes. we keep those documents in it year round so when it comes time to evacuate, we just grab it.

[bevgo]

Diapers and plenty of wipes. If you don't have a child in diapers then just the wipes. They will make you feel clean and are cool and refreshing. Keep a pack sealed in a large ziplock in your cooler. They really make you feel good.

Hand sanitizer. If water is contaminated it does no good to wash your hands with it.

Freeze most of your water. It will be cold as it melts and chn help cool your core temp and help prevent heat exaustion