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By Emily Schmidt

Hurricane Preparation Checklist: Everything You Need to Stay Safe

From the day a major storm is announced to the moment it lands in your area, you may not have a lot of time to prepare your home and family to weather the storm safely. In addition to things like putting up shutters and making sure all of your patio furniture is stored somewhere safe from the storm, you might start thinking about all the things you need for a hurricane preparation checklist.

Because you might go days or even weeks without power, depending on the strength of the storm, having a hurricane preparation list ready as you make your final trips to the store is imperative. These hurricane essentials will help make sure you and your family have all of the fundamental ingredients to get through a hurricane from start to finish.

What Are the Hurricane Essentials?

If you live in a coastal area that experiences a higher volume of tropical weather, you may want to put an emergency stockpile of these items together at the beginning of hurricane season. Last-minute shopping can be stressful, and it's not uncommon for some hurricane essentials like bottled water to sell out quickly.

If you plan to evacuate, it is a good idea to stock up on food and water during your evacuation, in a town that will not be as directly impacted as yours. It is important to leave enough supplies for those who are staying in the directly affected areas.

While we recommend evacuating if a hurricane is set to hit your area, if you plan to stay in your home to weather the storm, you will want to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Imagine your electricity is off for a week, you don't have access to grocery or convenience stores, you can't turn water on in your house: what will you need? Take a look at our checklist to help you create a baseline to work from.

1. Food and Water

  • • One gallon of water per person for each day
  • • Non-perishable food items
  • • A can-opener
  • • Baby food that requires no refrigeration for any children or infants in the home

2. First Aid Kit

  • • Bandages of various sizes
  • • Alcohol wipes or hand sanitizer
  • • Antibacterial salve or ointment
  • • A snap-to-activate cold pack
  • • Adhesive tape and gauze
  • • Pain relievers (like aspirin or ibuprofen)
  • • A full week supply of any regularly used prescription medication
  • • Scissors
  • • Tweezers
  • • Antiseptic
  • • Sunscreen
  • • Antacid
  • • Gloves
  • • Sewing needle and thread

3. Miscellaneous Supplies

  • • Blankets
  • • Cash
  • • Toilet paper and flushable towelettes
  • • Any necessary personal hygiene or feminine care products
  • • Functioning flashlights and extra batteries
  • • Fully charged portable power stations for small electronics
  • • Pet care supplies (food, water, leash, medications, identification, crate, etc.)
  • • Paper products including plates and cups
  • • A severe weather alert radio
  • • A fire extinguisher
  • • A generator with extra fuel stored in a safe place (outside your home/garage)
  • • Entertainment for children (books/games)

4. Clothes

  • • A full week's worth of clean clothes
  • • Rain gear
  • • Work boots or closed toed shoes for cleaning up the aftermath

5. Documents

  • • List of important phone numbers (emergency contacts, evacuation centers, relatives, doctors, etc.)
  • • Medical records
  • • Insurance cards
  • • Copy of birth/marriage certificate(s)
  • • Copies of social security cards
  • • Banking information
  • • Extra sets of important keys (house, car, office)
  • • Information about prescriptions or any medical supplies (where you get them, dosage amount, etc.)

What to Put on the Hurricane Prep List for Your Home

When you know there's a storm coming, there's a lot to do in order to get your family ready. Making sure you have the things you need to prepare for a hurricane is important. But what about your home?

Hurricanes can cause an overwhelming amount of damage to your home, so making sure you have an adequate level of homeowners insurance is an important part of being fully prepared for the storm.

If you don't know how much coverage you have, whether your current policy covers flooding or damage to your external property like the patio or pool, it might be time to double-check your coverage and explore the options offered by other providers in your area.

To prepare your home for a hurricane, it is a good idea to clear your yard of any items that may get picked up by wind, cover your windows and doors, and check your carbon monoxide and smoke alarms to make sure they are ready to alert you of any potential threats.