Hurricane Season Prep Kits (Arial: car insurance, home, camping)

[Speedaddicted]

Having worked on the disaster prep team my whole military career I kind of go a little over board on our families Hurricane Prep kits.

I'm looking for folks to give inputs as to what they have in thier own kits.

Some quick ones that I can think of off hand.

MRE's
Water ( plastics bottles, pouches and a couple 55 gallon drums in the yard that are treated for potible water storage once a year before hurrincane season starts. Usually fill them right before a storm.

Flash lights ( different types with different battery sizes )
Spare batteries
Weather Radios
2 way radios for family
Canned goods and non perishable foods
Water resistant clothing
Lots of zip lock bags ( various sizes)

please chime in

[littlelou]

charcoal for the grill...saved my friends sanity in FLA when they got hit 3 times in 6 weeks a few years ago. Breakfast, lunch and dinner could be cooked, since they had no power.

copies of all important papers in a briefcase/tote bag you can grab at a minutes notice, including passport and a semi-recent utility bill to prove to law enforcement that you do live at that location. homeowners policy car insurance and drivers license...

Anything that you really want to protect but can't take with you, put inside of your dishwasher with your name and address on a sticker inside and lock the dw. it is watertight inside and OUT. and if if floats away, your info is inside and hopefully everything inside is in decent shape.

travellers checks, 'cuz atms may not be working...and some cash, small bills...

[Speedaddicted]

Originally Posted by littlelou

charcoal for the grill...saved my friends sanity in FLA when they got hit 3 times in 6 weeks a few years ago. Breakfast, lunch and dinner could be cooked, since they had no power.

copies of all important papers in a briefcase/tote bag you can grab at a minutes notice, including passport and a semi-recent utility bill to prove to law enforcement that you do live at that location. homeowners policy car insurance and drivers license...

Anything that you really want to protect but can't take with you, put inside of your dishwasher with your name and address on a sticker inside and lock the dw. it is watertight inside and OUT. and if if floats away, your info is inside and hopefully everything inside is in decent shape.

travellers checks, 'cuz atms may not be working...and some cash, small bills...

^^ That is an awesome idea! I have never heard of it but I love it! Just make sure you turn the power off to the diswasher once you have done it. I would hate for someone to power it up and soak your stuff if you dont lose power.

[84 Camaro]

As someone who has never lived in South Carolina but is thinking of relocating there, how important/practical is it for residents to have some type of home generator?

Do most homeowners use generators during power outages? Does the power go out almost every time when a hurricane hits?

How about when hurrianes are not the issue...does the power go out regularly especially during summer months? If so, what is the average length of time the electricity is off??

[Speedaddicted]

I have lived here since 1996 and I dont think that I can count on my hands the times we have been without power. Granted you have your transformers that get a squirrel caught in them and what not but as far as long power outages very very few. Depending on what size storm we get you may lose power, you may not. Again I have not seen that many outages. That being said we do have a couple generators as part of our emergency kit. One larger one and one smaller one. For us its piece of mind.

[Luvsdabeach]

The most important part of your hurricane plan is a Hurricane Kit, that includes the basic life support you will need after a disaster. Prepare to be self sufficient for at least 3 days to two weeks.




Here’s a list a thorough hurricane kit list of Survival Materials:

• Food/Water *Bottled water ( 1 gallon per day per person) for 14 days*
• Manual can opener*
• Non-perishable foods:*
  • Canned meat, fish, fruit and vegetables
  • Bread in moisture proof packaging
  • Cookies, candy, dried fruit
  • Canned soups, & milk
  • Powdered or single serve drinks
  • Cereal bars
  • Package condiments
  • Peanut butter and jelly
  • Instant coffee & tea
  Flashlight (1 per person) *
• Portable battery powered lanterns
• Glass enclosed candles
• Battery powered radio or TV
• Battery operated alarm clock
• Extra batteries, including hearing aids
• Ice chest and ice
• First Aid Kit-including aspirin, antibiotic cream, and antacids
• Mosquito repellent
• Sun screen (45 SPF recommended)
• Waterproof matches/butane lighter
• Money*
• Plain bleach or water purification tablets
• Disposable plates, glasses, and Utensils
• Maps of the area with landmarks on it
• Cooking :
  • Sterno
  • Portable camp stove or grill
  • Stove fuel or charcoal, lighter fluid
  • Disposable eating utensils, plates & cups
  • Napkins & paper towels
  • Aluminum foil
  • Oven mitts
  Personal Supplies:
  • Prescriptions ( 1month supply)*
  • Photo copies of prescriptions*
  • Toilet paper
  • Entertainment: books, magazines, card games etc*
  • Soap and detergent
  • Toiletries*
  • Bedding: pillows, sleeping bag*
  • Clothing for a few days*
  • Rain ponchos, and work gloves
  • Extra glasses or contact lenses
  Babies
  • Disposable diapers*
  • Formula, food and medication*
  Documents:
  • Photo copies of prescriptions
  • Photo identification*
  • Proof of occupancy of residence (utility bills)
  • Medical history or information
  • Waterproof container for document storage. Back-up disks of your home computer files
  • Camera & film
  Pet Supplies
  • Dry & canned food for two weeks
  • Water (1/2 gallon per day)
  • Litter box supplies
  • Traveling Cage
• Other Necessities:
• Tools: hammer, wrenches, screw drivers, nails, saw
• Trash bags (lots of them)
• Cleaning supplies
• Plastic drop cloth
• Mosquito netting
• ABC rated fire extinguisher
• Masking or duct tape
• Outdoor extension cords
• Spray paint to identify your home if necessary
• One of your home phones (many people lost theirs during Andrew, even though their phone service still worked)

[PriscillaHR]

We had those big Rubbermaid tubs filled with our emergency stuff. Just remember to check the contents to make sure everything is still working before the season hits (and that if you have kids in diapers, that you have some disposables in the correct size for each season and each kid ). Set aside space in a storage closet for a few cases of water and the Rubbermaid containers of the other stuff. Also don't forget to keep your pets updated on their shots and keep shot records in the Rubbermaid tubs too. That way, if you evacuate and damage is extensive that you can't get back for a while, figure that the vets office will be empty too and if you have the records, you can kennel your animals wherever you evacuated to until you figure out what to do next. Also, make sure that you have a point of contact in an unaffected area so that you can check in to one spot and concerned friends and family can check there for info and updates on you. Make sure that, if you evacuate, your family, friends, loved ones know how to contact you.

[designgal1229]

All of the above lists are awesome!! The only thing I would say to those who have never lived in a hurricane prone area is to prepare as if you were going camping for two weeks. Roughing it camping not RV-ing it! The only things I would add is make sure all cars have a full tank of gas and if the thought of losing all of your family photos makes you ill, have all of them put on disk or zip drive. It's small enough to take with in your kit. I was in South Fl for Hurricane Andrew. We lost power for three weeks because my neighbor's tree fell on our transformer in the yard.