How To Prepare For A Hurricane & Disasters – Hacks You Didn’t Think Of!

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We prepare our homes around here for other things like holiday decor, but do we know how to prepare for a hurricane or other disasters like we should? I’m guilty too, y’all, even though I know firsthand what it feels like to lose it all.  Depending on hurricane categories, they can be so powerful!  The the Florida Keys and Gulf Coast beaches recovery is still going on many months later. So I’m sharing quick ways you may not have thought of, friends, to prepare for hurricanes and other natural disasters!

view of dog in rain boots with umbrella

I’m sharing how to prepare for a hurricane list & other disaster home tips from our own experiences.  Go through my list of things to do for tornado, flood, or hurricanes for a little piece of mind!

How to prepare for a hurricane at home

There are so many things that we as wives can do around the house before the threat of a storm (or any other natural disaster) heads our way (hurricane supply list link near the end). The most important thing we can do is begin!

Preparing our home outdoors

We all lead incredibly busy lives and things to do to improve our home on the outside often get overlooked, so let’s take a stroll outside together to check it out and see how to prepare for a hurricane and other scary disasters.  With eminent disasters in mind, how does everything look?  I’ll ask some questions as we look around.

Are there lots of unnecessary objects in your yard that could be tossed around in dangerously high winds?  If you have a trampoline, figure out how to tie it down safety now before the threat of tornado causes more danger.  Remove random objects now that don’t serve a purpose (your place will look less cluttered that way too)!

How does the roof look?  Figure out how old your roof is and get the hubs or a professional to check it out for you.  This could solve a lot of leakage heartbreak in the future.

How are your windows?  If you have storm shutters, make sure they are in good working condition.  If not, make sure windows are leak proof and that dangerous branches nearby are taken care of.

How do your drains and gutters look?  Make sure both are clean and clear.

Do you have check valves on plumbing?  If not, make sure to install those (thank you, YouTube!) or get the hubs or a professional to do so.  Having these plumbing check valves installed will prevent backups.

Do you own a generator?  Make sure that yours is in working order but figure out now where it will be used that can be outdoors and away from windows.  It would be a good investment to own one if at all possible.

Preparing our home indoors

There are several ways we can check out how to prepare for a hurricane and other things inside the home as well.  Let’s have a look around the homestead, shall we?

Do you know where your insurance policy is It is a great idea to read through it quickly to see what is covered and what is not.  After doing so, put it and other important documents in a waterproof/fireproof place.  You can also create password-protected digital copies.

Do you have photos and descriptions of items in your home Trust me, this would have been an incredible blessing to us when we lost our home and contents to fire.  Take photos of all valuables and housewares that you will have to replace if you were to lose it all and have to start over.  Store images “in the cloud” or in a waterproof/fireproof container of your choice.

Do you have your most precious memories protected?  It’s not a bad idea to take a hard look at just a handful of mementos that can’t be replaced (most important photos, certificates, etc) should a flood, tornado or fire come knocking at your door.  Figure out the best way to protect these items that meet your family’s needs.  Safety deposit boxes, fireproof gun safes, digital scanners, indestructible containers, etc.

Do you have backup chargers for cell phones?  I’ve started a new habit of making sure my phone is close to a full charge and making sure my portable chargers are ready to go at all times too.  You never know when you might lose power and desperately need to be in contact with others.

Do you have your own wifey toolkit I realized a long time ago that if I wanted to put my hands on a hammer or screwdriver at a moment’s notice, I’d need to have my own toolkit.  My family gave me one as a gift so I wouldn’t have to keep hunting down where Superman had left his tools last (bless!)  We all need a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities.  Duct tape could come in handy as well.

Do you have a working, battery-operated radio in your home?  Don’t rely on the internet or “Alexa” or the like. You can also get a hand crank radio with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) alerts.  While you’re at it, be sure to sign up for your local community’s warning system.

Do you have a shelter & evacuation escape plan in writing?  Talk with your family about the best plan in your home that would be the safest during a disaster (small, interior, windowless room or hallway on the lowest floor that is not subject to flooding is normally the best bet).  If you are called to evaluate your home, review the best evacuation route and shelter location written on paper to be stored with your emergency kit.

By the way, I’ve got my eye on this little gem…

Hand-Crank emergency radio with flashlight, beacon, & cell phone charger

General preparedness for wives.

You can find a basic survival kit supplies and/or an emergency preparedness list at the American Red Cross, Ready.gov or your state-operated emergency agency so I won’t put the exhaustive list.  But, here are a few bare minimum emergency preparedness list items that I’m working on personally to store in the closet that are easy and inexpensive (and less stressful) to gather now:

  • Matches
  • Manual can opener
  • Flashlight & plenty of batteries
  • Well-stocked kit first-aid kit
  • Plastic plates, forks, knives, and spoons
  • A seven-day supply of water & food for each member of the family

Moist towelettes, heavy-duty garbage bags, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, gloves, and plastic ties


you feel better about how to prepare for a hurricane & other disasters around your home?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!


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How To Prepare For A Hurricane & Other Disasters For Wives - Lightening striking a house




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Shan

Published on HuffPost, Okefenokee Living Magazine, and more, Shan is a Family Travel Journalist with a passion for helping women lose the overwhelm of planning family-friendly trips in the south. She shares travel reviews & insider secrets that Women REALLY want to know about Georgia, Florida, & the Carolinas vacations.

☕️ It’s THE REAL DEAL around here ☕️

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21 Comments

  1. lau
    August 27, 2018 / 5:28 am

    this is a nice informative post. I never experienced one of those and i don’t live in a risky area, but I found this very helpful and interesting as well.

    xx

    malibluemymind

  2. Cris
    August 27, 2018 / 8:31 am

    These are some great information! I am lucky that I love in a place where hurricanes do not come. But it’s always good to know some basic survival tips!

  3. candy
    August 27, 2018 / 9:45 am

    We don’t get hurricane but do get hit with flooding, wind storms and tornadoes. Alway good to have the whole family prepared. Why we always keep ourselves stocked up and with a plan.

  4. Jazmin Williams
    August 27, 2018 / 10:31 am

    We don’t have hurricanes where I live, however I think this is such a great post! It’s always handy to have a guide like this to refer to rather than just panic.

  5. Kate Kreates
    August 27, 2018 / 12:45 pm

    Thankfully we don’t tend to get this kind of extreme weather in the UK, but this post continues some great advice!

  6. Jennifer
    August 27, 2018 / 2:13 pm

    Thank you for sharing. This is definitely helpful! I’m not looking forward to Hurricane season, I feel like we are going to be hit hard this year. :/

  7. Stephanie
    August 27, 2018 / 3:32 pm

    As a native Floridian who has been through more hurricanes than I can count, I completely agree with all of this! All of my family photos and scrapbooks have been digitized and on cloud servers in addition to my own. My important documents are all in one place. We have an emergency cabinet under my son’s bathroom sink since that’s the safest place in our home. Another tip: always have cash on hand, and in small bills. If the power is out for a few days but you need basic supplies, if a store is open they may be able to take cash but credit card machines and ATMs won’t work without power!!!

  8. Christa
    August 27, 2018 / 6:45 pm

    This is a very helpful post. Fortunately, I don’t live in an area affected by hurricanes, but I have lots of family and friends that do. I’ll have to pass this on.

  9. Maysz
    August 27, 2018 / 11:34 pm

    Here in Philippines is already rainy season. We encounter flash floods. Thanks for a great tips about preparing hurricanes/floods at home

  10. Yota Chelf Dortlouke
    August 28, 2018 / 3:10 am

    Better safe than sorry for sure! I never had to think about or deal with such a threat living in greece,thank you for bringing this to my attention. The more prepared we are the less stess we have to deal with during these times!

  11. Melanie williams
    August 28, 2018 / 6:48 am

    What top tips for areas with them and also travellers too. We don’t have any here is the UK. Luckily on all our travels we have never been subjected to hurricane weather x

  12. Marjie Mare
    August 28, 2018 / 8:11 am

    This post has a lot of great tips that are useful to me for the next big step of my life, thanks for sharing

  13. Jasmine Hewitt
    August 28, 2018 / 1:51 pm

    this is a good resource, we live in a hurricane area and theres so much to prepare for!

  14. Lois Alter Mark
    August 28, 2018 / 5:24 pm

    This is such great information. Living in Southern California, we don’t really deal with hurricanes but we definitely worry about earthquakes, and a lot of these tips will be just as useful for those – although I hope we never have to use them!

  15. Lisa
    August 30, 2018 / 9:13 am

    These are some great tips! Although Im from the midwest so no hurricanes here! lol

    XO-Lsia

  16. Diane
    September 5, 2018 / 9:38 am

    These is awesome information. I spent the last 5 years living in South Florida and then the coast of South Carolina…and before that the shoreline of Connecticut. So I am all too familiar with hurricanes but even still…we never seemed to be fully prepared. I am thankful now that I am out of the hurricane zone!! This will help so many people!!

  17. Julie
    September 5, 2018 / 10:17 am

    Wow! I had no idea you have to do all this when you live in a hurricane prone area. I’m in tornado alley. I’d rather have that then hurricanes. Of course, we have to drive a long time to get to the ocean. Bummer

  18. Marya
    September 5, 2018 / 4:48 pm

    We’re at the one year anniversary of Irma and the Atlantic is heating up. Time to get ready! Thanks for the tips.

  19. Laurie Gannon
    September 5, 2018 / 7:35 pm

    Very, very practical advice. I was on the road for work when Irma was coming. I told my fiance that he needed to go out as soon as possible to get water and other non-perishable staples. He didn’t take me seriously. The next day, the stores were out of EVERYTHING. I ended up Amazon Prime-ing water and tuna to my house with instructions for my fiance – “Look out for the packages. We don’t need Porch Pirates absconding with our hurricane booty.”

    True story.

  20. Madison at The Weaver Fam
    September 6, 2018 / 7:41 pm

    Such a great and informative post! It’s always best to be prepared. I need to do these things.

    • Shan
      Author
      September 7, 2018 / 1:05 pm

      Thanks, Madison! We all should – just takes being intentional! Gives lots of peace of mind to me. 😉

      love much,
      shan

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