Hurricance Season - preparation list??

[SplshMtn99]

I'm not an alarmist, but with all the strange weather we've had in the Northeast this year, I'm thinking maybe this is the year we get some type of hurricane. And being a National Guard wife, I'm sure I'll have to ride it out alone. In Sept 1985, when we got hit with Hurricane Gloria, the problem I remember besides trees down EVERYWHERE, was no power for about 6 days. (I was 21 & in college & living at home, but don't remember the household problems of the storm. My parents had a generator.)

What types of things should I do now, to be prepared for no power for that long?
No power means, WHAT? No gas stations. No ATM.
I had well water during Gloria, so we had no water. Would I still have town water after days of no power?
We had a gas stove in Gloria, but now I have elec stove so no cooking.
Stores closed I imagine.

DH & I have portable battery back-up thingy. Good for a tv for a couple of hours, but not much else. I own a solar-powered/hand crank radio.

Is there a good list somewhere?

 

[Tink522]

This is from the nhc.com

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/prepare/supply_kit.shtml

Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days

Food - at least enough for 3 to 7 days
— non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
— foods for infants or the elderly
— snack foods
— non-electric can opener
— cooking tools / fuel
— paper plates / plastic utensils

Blankets / Pillows, etc.

Clothing - seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes

First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs

Special Items - for babies and the elderly

Toiletries / Hygiene items / Moisture wipes

Flashlight / Batteries

Radio - Battery operated and NOAA weather radio

Telephones - Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone set

Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards - Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods

Keys

Toys, Books and Games

Important documents - in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag
— insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.

Tools - keep a set with you during the storm

Vehicle fuel tanks filled

Pet care items
— proper identification / immunization records / medications
— ample supply of food and water
— a carrier or cage
— muzzle and leash

 

[aynt79]

The South Florida CBS station has a good list of things here

Your city water would probably still be there, but you could be told to boil it before using it - so not very useful with no power.

We had no power for a week last year with Wilma. Three of the best things we had was a battery operated weather radio (you could listen to reg radio and local TV stations with it) a nice camping lantern (not propane, it had a car adapter to recharge it) and our charcoal grill (with plenty of charcoal).

I have a rubbermaid tote filled with non perishables, disposable plates/cutlery, plenty of batteries, flashlights, any important documents and other misc stuff. Cash is a good idea because even when the stores open back up they may not be taking plastic yet. Always fill the gas tanks before the storm hits.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Thanks, I'll check those out. What OTHER PROBLEMS am I missing besides no power?

I'm guess some roads would be closed from flooding from rain. Coastal flooding & flooding houses not a problem here at our house.

Trees down block roads. I think with Hurricane Gloria they told us to tape windows, but I don't remember anyone doing plywood. We taped our windows, but obviously didn't help with the tree that came in thru it & into our garage. Neighbors came with chain saws to cut tree so mom & I could use that door. (We lost a total of 3 TALL weeping willow trees in that storm.)

I remember my mom & I hiding in the basement until storm went by. My dad had gone to Cape Cod to save the boat, because THAT's where the storm was SUPPOSED to go. It turned at last minute & came inland towards us.

 

[Evil Queen]

What we have:

7 days of water for every member of your household (don't forget your pets on this too)
7 days of food for every member of the household-again don't forget your pets. (I use to only do 3 days but not after the last couple of years)
Full tanks of gas on each car (well, we will have).
Grill and fuel (either charcoal or propane) remember charcoal goes quick- get enough for 7 days.
Flashlight
TV
Radio
Fans
and plenty of batteries for all- for several days.
Board games, espeically if you have kids
Books and magazines
Glowsticks are great for kids at night, saves your batteries too.
CASH!!!
Tubs (in case you need to do any laundry etc, before power comes back on)
Ice-I freeze food storage bags of water, as well as a couple bags of ice.
Medicines-at least 2-3 week supply.
First Aid kit
A tarp or two (extremely hard to get if any damage after a storm).
Work gloves

Stock up more on canned goods and such, but you can still cook what's in your freezer first, if it's not alot of food and before it spoils.
I freeze chicken leg/thigh quarters-they take forever to thaw, and this can be cooked after small packs of meat.

You wouldn't believe how creative one becomes with cooking after a storm.

We had:

Tuna patties
Salmon patties
Pasta, with shrimp sauce (they sell those packs of shrimp-I believe it's in the aisle with the cans of tuna)-not the greatest but different-and great after days of Chef Boy R Dee!
The first day after a storm, if you didn't open your fridge alot, you can cook up any eggs, bacon, etc.

A big tip-as soon as you can, after fridge and freezer aren't cold/cool anymore clean it out. Better to do it as soon as you have used all possible food out of there.

 

[Evil Queen]

Thanks, I'll check those out. What OTHER PROBLEMS am I missing besides no power?

I'm guess some roads would be closed from flooding from rain. Coastal flooding & flooding houses not a problem here at our house.

Trees down block roads. I think with Hurricane Gloria they told us to tape windows, but I don't remember anyone doing plywood. We taped our windows, but obviously didn't help with the tree that came in thru it & into our garage. Neighbors came with chain saws to cut tree so mom & I could use that door. (We lost a total of 3 TALL weeping willow trees in that storm.)

I remember my mom & I hiding in the basement until storm went by. My dad had gone to Cape Cod to save the boat, because THAT's where the storm was SUPPOSED to go. It turned at last minute & came inland towards us.

Tape doesn't do anything-except make a mess on your windows. If you can board up, I would.

And I forgot on my list, as one pp said tub for important documents.

Paper plates, cups, utensils. Bleach-in case you need to sanatize your cooking utensils.

Also, a LAND LINE phone that plugs right into the wall. If you have no power your portable won't work.

Cell phone car battery charger. They die quick, if they work at all.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks, I'll check those out. What OTHER PROBLEMS am I missing besides no power?

Cell phone reception. DH just had to go to a hurricane preparedness class, and they reminded him that in a bad hurricane, local cell phone towers may be down, and his cell phone may be useless. I'd never thought of that!

 

[Evil Queen]

Cell phone reception. DH just had to go to a hurricane preparedness class, and they reminded him that in a bad hurricane, local cell phone towers may be down, and his cell phone may be useless. I'd never thought of that!

That was a major problem here. Some how we lucked out, if the land line didn't work, the cell did and vice versa.

 

[tiggger1]

where and how do you store these items. I dont have one set up yet I would like to do it. and I have no idea how i can get enough water saved up for our 2 horses and 2 goats....how much water do i need for them? they go through about 15 gallons a day each! ( not the goats, they only go through about a gallon or 2 each...lol)

 

[Ms Marigny]

Definitely get a car cell phone charger- we ran into that problem during the Katrina evacuation- it is something we totally didn't think of. Even if you are away from the hurricane and the towers go down in your city, the cell phones won't be able to make voice calls in your area code, but you can still text message! We found that out also during Katrina- that is how we were able to find out if family and friends were okay. We weren't able to make calls for weeks after the hurricane.

 

[Evil Queen]

where and how do you store these items. I dont have one set up yet I would like to do it. and I have no idea how i can get enough water saved up for our 2 horses and 2 goats....how much water do i need for them? they go through about 15 gallons a day each! ( not the goats, they only go through about a gallon or 2 each...lol)

Wow, good question. Can you talk to your local feed store or vet and see if they have suggestions?

Look online too, with water companies, see about discounted quantities?

IF your feed or tack room is steady you could possibly store it in there. If not used after hurricane season, you could possible donate it to a local charity. Not sure if they would take that much.

Also, talk to your vet about what you will do with these animals during a storm. Will you keep them indoors or out.

I haven't owned horses in years, but when I was young and there were threats of storms we would let the horses out in the pasture instead of a barn. Not sure if that still holds true today.

 

[lucas]

I think the above posts have touched on the most important items.

A few things I have learned from living in South Florida: Last year we were without power for 10 days after Wilma. The year before that, we were without power for 4 days after Frances. The worst part of no electicity was the boredom at night!! A couple of nights is one thing but after 10 days it gets old real fast. Right before total nightfall we would go outside just to enjoy the last bit of daylight! We learned after Frances that one little Sony 3" Watchman tv does not cut it for 2 people!! We now also have two 5" tvs plus the Watchman. We got both of the tvs at Walgreens and I have seen the same kind at CVS. The kind we have take "C" batteries but the kind that I have seen this year take "D" batteries. I have found all the tvs really eat up the batteries so be sure to have plenty. We also now have 2 fantastic battery operated fans that my parents gave us from Brookstone. And, we have purchased a really nice Sony radio from Sears.

Be sure to fill up your cars with gas before the storm. Downed power lines, debris blocking roads, and no power for traffic lights make it impossible for driving - very dangerous as everyone flies thru the non-working traffic lights. Even after roads get cleared, if the gas station doesn't have a generator they won't have gas and the stations that have gas will have impossibly long lines. Also, the University that we work at was also closed for many days due to damage, no a/c, dangerous driving conditions due to no traffic lights, and too much debris in the roads for faculty/staff/students to come to the University.

Make sure to freeze containers of water before the storm. 2-liter bottles work fine. We bought an Igloo Ice Cube rolling ice chest from Target that is insulated and supposed to keep things frozen for a few days. It worked great last year. We tried not to open our refrigerator door as much as possible and when the ac went out we moved some of the frozen containers down to the fridge. We were surprised at how long the containers actually stayed frozen. Then, when the City had stations set up giving out ice, dh would make his daily run and we kept the ice chest cold with the free ice.

And don't forget - even worse than boredom from no electricity was COLD SHOWERS!! OMG!!! Talk about painful!! We have been saving our empty water containers and this year I am gonna fill up the containers before the storm. Then after the storm, when I am ready to use them, I am going to set them out in the sunshine to get the water warm and take them into the shower with me!!

 

[Lyn5]

where and how do you store these items. I dont have one set up yet I would like to do it. and I have no idea how i can get enough water saved up for our 2 horses and 2 goats....how much water do i need for them? they go through about 15 gallons a day each! ( not the goats, they only go through about a gallon or 2 each...lol)

I have only one goat and several other small animals..so I keep a couple new, large plastic trash containers that I currently use to store some of my supplies like TP and garbage bags....if there is a threat I plan on filling them up with clean water and using that for my animals and/or some of our sanitary needs. I also have some water tablets that I could drop (in the correct amount) in later if needed.

 

[Virgo10]

I think with Hurricane Gloria they told us to tape windows, but I don't remember anyone doing plywood. We taped our windows, but obviously didn't help with the tree that came in thru it & into our garage.

From Snopes:

Contrary to popular belief (and a frantic rise in the sales of these items before a hurricane hits), taping a home's windows with masking or duct tape does nothing to protect them. The windows will still break, with the tape doing nothing to impede the process. It's questionable that either sealant will even keep broken glass from dispersing, says the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.

 

[lucas]

We have the accordian type hurricane shutters and they are fantastic. They are permanent on the house/windows in the open postion until you need to close/lock them for a storm. I like the fact that I can go around closing them in a snap, just in case dh is not here. In fact, he was out of town last year for Wilma!! I went around closing our shutters while the neighbors on one side and across the street struggled with the metal ones that you have to put up and bolt to the house (and take them down again when the storm is over). I have heard that taping windows only keeps the glass from shattering all over the inside of the house - but they will still break. We do have our windows tinted with a film which would act just like taping the windows, but like I said we have shutters. It is also important to have garage doors that are hurricane ready - we have the kind with locks on both sides of the garage door and a sort of dead bolt that comes down from the center of the door. Our local weather man was saying last year that during Andrew it was proven that the older garage doors were a weak point and when the garage door failed the roofs started peeling away right above the garage door, and when that happened it was a matter of time before the whole roof would blow off.

 

[lookingforward]

A private jet to fly you the heck out of there! HA! Seriously, after having lived through six hurricanes in two years:

Water
Generator
Cold hard cash(ATM's and credit won't work if the power goes)
An extra month of precriptions
Canned food (enough for at least 10 days..up from the florida past recommendations of three days)
Water (A LOT)
flashlights
the old fashioned wired phones cause the wireless won't work
Good cell service
Important papers safely put away
Full gas tanks
a gas grill
a battery operated television or radio
a generator

and...

a good attitude cause it won't be easy

from,
Wilma, Frances, Charlie, Rita, Katrina and Jean survivor

 

[Evil Queen]

Wow-so many Boca folks here. Hi

So much good advice here.

I guess a good way to put it, if you use it everyday, find something that will work in a pinch for 7 days.

Batteries-Electricity
AC-fans
TV-battery operated TV
phone-Land line phones
etc.......

Some things can't be covered, but most can.

 

[ducklite]

We have:

"Storm Stoppers" which are supposed to stop a 2x4. I"m not sure how absolutely effective they will be, but I figure they will lessen the blow and not shatter, so even if we end up with a broken window they will keep more stuff from coming in. The advantage is that they are very lightweight and I can install them all onto our 30 +/- (two are 10" high by 5' wide) windows by myself in about two hours--maybe less.

A chainsaw. I don't know why. We have no large trees in our neighborhood. It's never been taken out of the box.

A generator. And with the three cars full of gas (and a hand siphon) plus the "jugs" we've got about 60 gallons. Used sparingly it will get us through about a week.

A window a/c unit.

Food and water for the three of us for a week, plus enough for the ferrets (luckily they don't drink a cup a day between them) That includes Parmalat milk so I can have my tea.

We've "stockpiled" a couple of extra weeks of refills on our prescriptions by getting them filled the day we possibly can throughout the year.

A Coleman camp stove and four fuel cylinders.

A HUGE Cooler that is supposed to keep foor cold for up to four full days.

Enough blue tarps to cover my roof. And some plastic. And wood strips to hold it all down. And work gloves. And duct tape. My God we've got duct tape. I think my husband bought stock in the company.

A first aid kit.

All important documents are in a fire/waterproof safe, and we've also got cash in there.

If a storm was headed our way we'd fill both tubs with water to use for bathing and flushing. We could also take water from our neighbors pool if we got desperate.

We've also got more flashlights and battery powered lanterns, and spare batteries than I want to admit. Enough to illuminate a small city.

Weather radio with battery back-up.

"Boom box" radio that can also run on batteries.

Paper plates/cups/plastic utensils, garbage bags, etc.

Bleach.

Car chargers for cell phones.

We feel pretty well prepared to withstand up to a CAT 4 and stay put. If there's a CAT 5 coming this way, we're outta here.

Anne

 

[RitaZ.]

I think most of the tips have been covered.

and a hand siphon)

It won't do you any good. Gas tanks in newer cars have a built-in anti-siphoning device. I know this because two neighbors tried to do it during Wilma and they almost passed out from the fumes. We had a hand pump/siphon and it didn't work. Of course, if you decide to drill the gas tank, that could work. But, can you say kaboom?

 

[RitaZ.]

Lucas,

I remember the cold showers, talk about "invigorating".