09/27/2022
Hurricane supply list:
With the approaching storm, now is the time to assemble or check your supplies. Here’s our list of everything you should include:
HURRICANE KIT
• Flashlights and extra bulbs Clock (wind-up or battery-operated)
• Battery-operated radio
• NOAA emergency weather radio
• Extra batteries
• Toilet paper
• Matches (camping stores have waterproof matches)
• Scissors
• Plastic garbage bags
• Working fire extinguisher
• Clean change of clothes, rain gear, sturdy swamp boots
• Fully charged battery operated lanterns.
Don’t use candles and kerosene lanterns. They are fire hazards.
• Map of the area
• List of phone numbers
• Copy of insurance policy
FOOD SUPPLIES
• Get enough nonperishable foods now to last two weeks. Then put them in a box and leave them alone. Note: Canned and other prepared foods that are salty or dry or high in fat or protein might make for good provisions, but they’ll also make you thirsty.
• Water: Enough for 1 gallon of drinking water per person/per day, for one week minimum. Water for two weeks is ideal. (Also, figure another 1 gallon per person/per day of water for washing hands, flushing toilets and for pets.)
Ice or dry ice
• Shelf-stable milk and juice boxes
• Canned and powdered milk
• Beverages (powdered or canned, fruit juices, instant coffee, tea)
• Raw vegetables that don’t need refrigeration (will last only a few days)
• Canned vegetables and fruits
• Dried fruits
• Prepared foods (canned soups, beef, spaghetti, tuna, chicken, ham, corned beef hash, packaged pudding)
• Snacks (crackers, cookies, hard candy, unsalted nuts)
• Snack spreads (peanut butter, cheese spreads, jelly)
• Cereals
• Sugar, salt, pepper
• Bread
• Dry and canned pet food
HARDWARE
• Hand tools: hammer, screwdrivers to use now, shovel and pickax for after the storm
• Power screwdriver
• Quarter-inch machine screw sockets and screws
• Plastic sheeting to cover furniture
• Rope
• Sturdy working gloves
• Duct tape to waterproof items; masking tape isn’t strong enough
• Canvas tarps
• Sturdy nails
FIRST-AID KIT
• Drugstores will be mobbed just before a storm and closed for days after. Keep a two-week supply of prescription drugs.
Your first-aid kit should include:
• Medical supplies
• First-aid handbook
• Insect repellent sprays
• Citronella candles, insect bite lotion
• Petroleum jelly, for relieving itching
• Ointments for burns, cuts
• Antiseptic solution
• Sunscreen
• Extra over-the-counter medicine (for colds, allergies, cough)
• Aspirin, acetaminophen, antacid
• Children’s medicines
• Diarrhea medication
• Feminine hygiene items Incontinence supplies
• Rubbing alcohol
• Iodine
• Disinfectant
• Wet wipes
• Moist towelette packets
• Medic Alert tags
• Thermometer
• Hypoallergenic adhesive tape
• Cotton-tipped swabs
• Sterile rolls
• Adhesive bandages
• Sterile gauze pads
• Roller bandages
• Tweezers
• Needles
• Adhesive tape
• Safety pins
• Latex gloves
KITCHEN SUPPLIES
• Waterless hand sanitizer
• Manual can opener
• Water purification tablets
• Bottle opener
• Matches in a plastic bag
• Pocket knife
• Camp stove or other cooking device and plenty of fuel. (Use only canned fuel indoors - never charcoal or gas. Buy extra gas or charcoal to use in well ventilated space after storm has passed.)
• Ice chests or coolers
• Paper plates, napkins
• Plastic cups, utensils
• Disposable pans for cooking
• Plastic bags, jugs or containers for water and ice
BABY NEEDS
• Disposable diapers
• Baby wipes
• Diaper-rash ointment
• Baby medicines
• Medicine dropper
• Extra formula, baby food
EMERGENCY TOILET
• Garbage can with tight lid
• Plastic bags for liners
• Disinfectant or bleach
• Deodorizer
• Extra toilet paper
WATER TIPS
• Basics: Enough for 1 gallon of drinking water per person/per day, for one-week minimum (a two-person household would need 14 gallons). Figure another 1 gallon per person/per day of water for washing hands, flushing toilets and for pets.
• Special needs: Without air conditioning, the body is susceptible to heat stroke and dehydration. Have extra water for infants, youngsters, nursing mothers and the elderly.
• Water in bulk: You can buy 5- and 10-gallon water bottles, but they’re hard to move. Or sanitize a large garbage can with lid to store drinking water. Pour 1 cup of regular, unscented household bleach to 30 gallons of water; let stand overnight, drain and rinse well. Fill with tap water and replace lid. Buy longhandled ladle; keep paper cups nearby. Freezing jugs of water also helps keep foods frozen and provides chilled drinking water.
• For household use, sanitize bathtub by scrubbing well, rinsing with 1 cup bleach in tub of water. Let stand overnight; drain; refill. Use for flushing toilet, but if necessary, for washing.
• Keep water clean!
Contaminated water can cause diarrhea, leading to dehydration. If drinking water is compromised, use for washing up or flushing toilets. After a storm, do not use tap water for drinking unless you boil it for 3 minutes first or use purifying methods.
• Wait until your utility or local government says water is safe to drink.
ICE TIPS
• Freezing water jugs: Buy 1-gallon containers of drinking water (2 1/2 gallons, if your freezer will accommodate them), drain out about/1/2cup to leave room for expansion, seal tightly and freeze.
• Keep jugs in freezer even after power goes out; they last longer than in coolers. Once thawed, water is drinkable. Put into smaller bottles to carry, or use it from the larger jugs, but keep it clean and uncontaminated.
• Buy block ice if possible (from ice companies, boat supply stores, some groceries). It lasts upto three times as long as bagged, cubed ice.
• Make your own blocks. When a storm approaches, clean freezer and fill it with stackable containers of water. Large mixing bowls or small buckets work. Freeze, and when frozen, transfer ice blocks to sealable bags.
• Buy extra coolers. Smaller areas are easier to chill.
Once power goes out, and foods begin to thaw or warm, pack them, tightly, into the bottom of coolers, then top with ice.
• Try the bathtub. If not using for water, use for ice.
Buy huge blocks and load tub. Cover with tarp. Or fill with cubed ice; cover with newspapers and heavy tarp, then layer of plastic to keep cold in. Use drain plug to save water for other uses.
• Put foods under ice, not above it.
