Hurricane Prep/Disaster Kit

This is my master list so I’m dropping it here.

GENERAL

• Silicone caulking for bathtub drains to hold water. The caulk will not affect the taste of the water and cleans up easily. Just use a thick bead around the seams and it will pull away cleanly when dry.
• Manual can and bottle openers.
• Folding stove, oven mitts. Better to use a camp stove or grill; but don’t use them indoors. In a pinch, you can use ”canned heat” (Sterno, etc.) but it will only heat food; it won’t cook it.
• A battery-operated radio and/or television.
• Extra batteries.
• A windup clock.
• Battery-operated lanterns and enough flashlights for each member of the family, plus extra batteries and bulbs. Candles and kerosene lights can cause fires and severe burns. If you must use candles, never leave one burning unattended.
• Duct tape.
• Lightweight fire extinguishers.
• Wrench to turn off household gas and water. Keep it near the shut-off valves.
• Chain saw, gassed up, oiled and ready.
• Generator.

HOUSEWARES

• Plastic trash bags with ties and large, seal-able plastic bags. Use them to protect important documents and computer disks, furniture, clothing, blankets and pillows.
• Paper towels and plates, bowls, cups, detergent and plastic utensils.
• Toilet paper, pre-moistened towelettes and personal hygiene supplies like shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and tampons.
• Contact lens solution, extra eyeglasses.
• Baby supplies such as baby food, diapers and formula.
• A mop and bucket.
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Clothesline and clothespins.
• Camera for ”before” and ”after” pictures.
• Plain chlorine bleach or tincture of iodine.
• Clean, empty containers for storing drinking water — at least one gallon per person per day.
• Ice chests or coolers.
• Baking soda to deodorize the refrigerator, freezer and ice chests.
• Lime to sterilize garbage in case sanitation pickup is delayed.
• Pet supplies, such as cat litter, a scooper and any medicine.

FOOD

If the storm is severe, you may be without electricity for weeks. Keep your family’s size in mind when planning and pack at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food and water. Remember, many canned foods deteriorate rapidly once opened.

• Milk. Choose evaporated, dry powder or shelf-stable varieties.
• Canned foods like vegetables, soups, fish, meats, fruits and fruit juice.
• Peanut butter and jelly.
• Bread, crackers, cookies, other baked goods.
• Cereal and granola bars.
• Dried fruits, nuts.
• Cheese and cheese spreads.
• Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per day.
• Vitamins.
• Instant drink mixes (coffee, tea, etc.).
• Pet food and bowls.

MISCELLANEOUS

• A road map of the vicinity.
• Two week supply of medications, including birth-control pills. Keep copies of prescriptions.
• A first-aid kit, which might include gauze bandages, alcohol, aspirin, cotton balls, cough and diarrhea medicine, antiseptic ointment or spray for cuts, burn ointment or spray, ammonia inhalants, adhesive tape, scissors and tweezers.
• A change of clothing and footwear, and a blanket or sleeping bag for each person.
• Citronella candles and insect repellent.
• Sunscreen.
• Plenty of absorbent towels and rags.
• An air horn, available at marine supply stores. It makes a loud blast that can be heard for great distances.
• An airline crate for pets.

What I’ve learned:
Get plenty of plastic sheeting. It can be the cheap stuff in the painting aisle at Home Depot. Take your pictures off the wall, and along with any other pics and vulnerables, wrap in ziploc bags and plastic sheeting. Put those on your bed, and then drape another sheet over your entire bed and secure it with tape.
If your electronics get wet, give them plenty of time to dry off before using them again; they should be fine. Andrew soaked everything, but by the time I plugged them back in again, they fired right up and work to this day.

Laura from Vitamin Sea:
My mother in law in Perrine bought 3 large Rubbermaid trash containers from Kmart just before Andrew came in. She bleached them out to disinfect them, put those in the bathtub and filled them with water. A small bucket was put next to two of the containers to use for for sponge baths and the remaining one was used to dip a big bucket into to flush the toilets.

Don’t forget the tire plugs for the car. Andrew left debris all over the roads and we changed a lot of tires in the process.
AND: Use the thicker Gatorade bottles if you can, but freeze as many bottles as possible at a time.

Harvey’s Evac Kit:
I’m just going to list the text for the sake of having a handy printable checklist for quick reference. Packed in a large Hefty tub, he has:

— four packets of pre-cooked shrink-wrapped ham- and turkey meals
— coffee for The Mrs. and me, tea and drinking chocolate for the kids
— powdered vegetable soup
— pet food for the stupid dog (the cats get left behind with 14lbs. of dry cat food in a paper bags they’ll get it out when they need it)
— about a dozen Power Bars of various flavors
— canned food of various types: chicken, tuna, pilchards, corned beef, sausages
— canned milk
— about 2lbs of jerky
— peanut butter
— sugar
— salt, pepper and bouillon cubes
— Kool-Aid.
— water bottles with cooking/drinking cups
— water purifying tablets
— paper towels and wipes
— emergency shortwave radio, with wind-up capability
— small first-aid kit with bandages, sterile dressings, antiseptics and a suture kit
— tin with analgesics and other medications, scissors, small knife, soap, mouthwash and toothbrushes
— left out of the picture were a couple of open-carry holsters, because I forgot to put them in the pic (open-carry so that if the SHTF, we can be seen to be armed, if we want)
— also not in the pic (because I forgot etc.) are six Sterno cans, and a small waterproof case containing matches, firestarters and a compass.
— stakes for the tarpaulin (which is always in the Suburban)
— 8-hour handwarmers, and thermal blankets for each family member
— flashlights and a spare lantern battery
— duct tape
— a bush knife
— walkie-talkies
— a ‘bag o bags’: six 33gal. trash bags, and a few more Baggies
— 100′ of nylon parachute cord
— the NAA Mini and a bag of spare .22 ammo
— mini-toolkit, with a Sharpie, folding saw, Swiss Army knife, Leatherman, tape and rubber bands.
***if you’re on medication, don’t forget to take that.

MORE EXCELLENT TIPS:
Boudicca’s Voice: Cane Prep

 

Hurricane Harvey as of Friday, 8.25.17 8a.