[muggums]

I plan to put together totes as mentioned in another thread. Already I have flash lights and batteries, bottled water, those little indiv. battery powered fans, and a radio.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by muggums

I plan to put together totes as mentioned in another thread. Already I have flash lights and batteries, bottled water, those little indiv. battery powered fans, and a radio.

Don't forget the beer. You NEED beer after hurricanes.

[CrowGirl]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

Don't forget the beer. You NEED beer after hurricanes.

LOL - very true. After Hurricane Frances the powers that be halted the sale of alcohol. So for Jeanne we all stocked up!

But seriously the things that were not as obvious that I wish I had after my first hurricane - and was glad I had for the second - were:

Tarps and roofing nails

battery powered TV (not to watch regular TV - we felt so much better somehow being able to watch the hurricane coverage rather than just listen to it on the radio)

old-style corded telephone

Battery powered fans


A lot of people swear by generators, but I never had one and have done OK. Of course you need canned goods, batteries, water, first aid kit and bleach. The bleach, by the way, is in case you run out of water before the water is safe again and you still don't have electricity. If you have electricity you can boil your water. If you don't you can add a tiny bit of bleach to kill the organisms in the water. Speaking of which if you don't have a grill, get a camp grill (which is what I have) or something else you can use to heat food or boil water without electricity.

Flashlights of course, and I use those little press-light things. Very convenient, don't use up a large amount of power or kick off a huge amount of heat.

One trick many Floridians will do is to fill the bathtub up with water before the storm. If water is completely shut off you can use it for flushing the toilet, bathing, and for drinking water in a pinch.

Don't forget pet food and to stock up on medications. And be sure you have a manual (not electric) can opener.

I have a gas can to get extra fuel. Gas stations will empty quickly and/or will not have power.

Get extra cash. ATMs won't work and after the storm the first stores that open often won't have electricity and will be working on a cash-only basis.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but that's my 2 cents for starters.

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by muggums

I plan to put together totes as mentioned in another thread. Already I have flash lights and batteries, bottled water, those little indiv. battery powered fans, and a radio.

It was me who mentioned the totes in the other thread and I still cannot find that thread.

Someone made a list that was awesome for hurricane preparation.

If I find it I will post a link.

They had pink totes for the personal stuff, yellow for the important things and gray for food, water, etc. Just in case they had little time they knew to grab the pink and yellow totes of personal stuff first.

Hopefully someone will read this post and be able to find the thread I cannot find.

[doggiebus]

Here is my list:
Tarp
Portable Radio
Batteries
Portable TV
Plastic Forks, Knives, Plates, Cups
Paper Towels
A First Aid Kit
Feminine Products
Dog Food
Lots of Water
All Meds including Advil, Pepto, etc...
Gas in the car and gas canistors for the generator
BBQ
Non perishable foods (canned fruit, meat, couscous, veggies, pop tarts, boxed milk, etc...)
All important documents put into zip lock bags (so they don't get wet)
Portable A/C unit
Old Fashion Phone
Cash
Gun
Spray Paint
Ice
Flashlights
Trash Bags
Instant Coffee if you are a coffeefenne
Sun Screen
Chain saw is very good to have if you have lots of trees in your yard.



I cook a few meals like spaghetti sauce and put them in the freezer right when they start a warning, so we can reheat on the grill after a hurricane. We run the generators at the beginning of hurricane season to make sure they work. I make sure I do all the wash before the hurricane hits, so we have clean clothing and the house is cleaned/picked up as much as possible. This is so when the power goes out, you will not trip on anything.

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

I think we need to make a new list with two different needs.

One for those who are staying out a storm and one for those who are leaving or have to evacuate the home.

The list I read was for those who were leaving because they had to evacuate the area. I still cannot find that list on here.

What do you guys think? Two list, one for staying and preparing for the storm and one for having to leave/evacuate.

[preparedness expert]

One of the most important items on the list aside from everything mentioned is a good “solar powered / hand crank / Radio flashlight / battery cell phone charger” combo. [See photo]

As a journalist I witnessed more survivors searching out local stores with power. They lined the walls plugged into exterior electrical socket to charge their phones to call family and friends not to mention their insurance company’s to begin rebuilding their lives.

The other item I cam across was a DIY air conditioner. A very resourceful individual taught me to make one by taking a plastic ice chest and wiring a small PC fan into the top with a solar power charger. The low volt item is one of my favorite devices. During hurricane Charlie we were with out power for 2 weeks while living in a damaged home. The “blue tarp” method provided shelter under our damaged roof but this simple air conditioner provided a small level of comfort for us to sleep in the extreme heat of the night. We filled the chest with ice and fed the hose under a light sheet that produced less then 80% temp for a very comfortable night.

We have two types of power charger – one is a “pump” or foot peddle design that can power a small TV or refrigerator – the other is one similar to the photo. Our neighbors would come from several blocks away to use ours to charge their phones.

Although we had a gas generator [5500 watts] the small tank of gas would only last a few hours and gasoline went quickly and was difficult to replenish. In all cases while covering these storms and experiencing our own, ice and water was available but the lines were long.


As for the two lists - one staying one for leaving - I'd say they are the same. Should you decide to go as they did in 2004 you might find yourself still getting a direct hit as the storm changes track. Most kits are designed around a family back pack - mine is. My wife and I each carry one if we evacuate. If you end up in an evacuation center they come in very handy. If you end up on the road they also work well. If you stay home - the same. The necessities are the same.

[Juleysis1990]

The most important things to have are radios & batteries for the radio

it's nice to have a flashlight or oil lamps and at least food for 3 days.

[preparedness expert]

Originally Posted by CrowGirl

One trick many Floridians will do is to fill the bathtub up with water before the storm. If water is completely shut off you can use it for flushing the toilet, bathing, and for drinking water in a pinch.

We hand out "WaterBobs" to our hurricane clients as thank you gifts. They are a wonderful yet saintary way of storage for drinking water in the tub. Its a basic plastic liner enclosed with a pump to extract your daily water supply.

[see photo]

[Rabflmom]

We have a flashlight for every person in the house and extra batteries. You carry them with you from room to room in the nights of no power. We would sit on the patio( put up emergency screening to keep mosquitoes away but found out there were no bugs of any kind for a while after the storm). We tended to sit in the dark and just use the lights while walking in the house.

Remember you cannot use oil lamps, candles, or anything you use a match to light during the storms. After the winds is when to use them.

The one thing I wasn't prepared to have happen.......somehow during the storm there must have been a surge of water come through the pipes. Our washing machine was damaged. There really are very few laundry mats and even less that had power 2 weeks after the storm, we needed clothes. I had to drive 20 miles to find a laundry mat and then wait my turn for hours to get my clothes, towels etc washed ; so I say make sure you have a week or 2 of clothes, towels, sheets, etc so you can get to work looking clean and fresh each day even if your power is out. LOL

Also women might want to consider how they wear their hair and if they can wash and go without curling, blow drying, etc. because for me a woman of age I felt really underdressed going to work with my longer hair in a wet pony tail while people with electricity were still looking like they came out of the beauty parlor. <g> Since 2004 I wear my hair short in a cut that just layers it into a style. LOL That is my main preparation in July. Get my hair cut.