Hurricane season is upon us down here in South Florida. From June till November, we’re always on high alert tracking the next potential storm. Being born and raised in Miami, I know this all too well. Even though we can’t really prepare for the unexpected, here are 5 hurricane prep tips that hopefully help.
# 1 Food and Water
Don’t you always feel like you’re almost done with all your hurricane snacks before the storm even comes? I sure do. But it’s important to have non-perishable food items stocked in case of an emergency as well as bottled water. As soon as June 1st comes around, I like to buy one case of water per person in the household and store it in the garage. It is recommended to have one gallon per day per person in the household. This helps me be prepared and not have to deal with the madness of the stores. If no storm comes, it’s okay, we can always use them for the holiday parties which are right around the corner. You should stock enough non-perishable food items to last a minimum of 3 days, some experts even suggest up to 2 weeks.
#2 Keep important documents safe
With hurricanes, there can be flooding and high winds. If you are evacuating your home, don’t forget documents such as your passport, birth certificates, social security cards–basically anything that you will need later on. A plan to keep important documents safe can be storing them in waterproof plastic containers or even Ziploc bags in a pinch so they don’t get wet.
# 3 Have a safety plan
Always have a plan. If you live in an evacuation zone, plan on staying with a family member, or even travel to avoid the storm. During Hurricane Irma, we were living in a flood zone and went to my mother’s house. Luckily, nothing happened to our home. Having a safety plan also consists of securing your home prior to evacuating. Put up/close shutters, board up your windows (even if you have impact windows), and pick up outdoor patio furniture that can fly away and be a hazard. Also, if possible, have a generator handy (with enough gas to run it for at least a week), multiple filled propane tanks and coolers, first aid kits, batteries, and flashlights. Also, don’t forget to have any medications refilled and medicines on hand such as pain relievers and fever reducers.
# 4 Keep games handy
Dominoes is the first thing that comes to mind! Being Cuban, and with no power during the storm, we spent hours playing dominoes. Having board games can help the time pass and keep your littles busy during the storm.
# 5 Talk to your kids about what they may expect
My youngest came home from school recently asking if it was June, because a hurricane may come. This is when I realized we needed to talk to our littles about storms and what to expect. Naturally, my daughter was nervous, being 5 years old. We assured her that if the time comes, we will be prepared for a storm. My husband and I also shared stories about what we went through as kids during Hurricane Andrew, and later as adults during Hurricane Irma which helped her understand. Our littles know what is going on and may have questions.
If you take only one thing from my post start stocking up prior to actually having a storm to avoid the last-minute hurricane prep madness at the grocery store. There are many other great resources as well as checklists online with items you may want to check out.
