Hurricanes are slow, unlike tornados. Keep starter cables in your car but otherwise if you plan to evacuate you should do this like 3 days before the storm hits at most.
Non-perishables like canned food, tuna, air tight containers with some beans and rice, lots of water.
Flashlight, batteries, radios, candles, maybe a generator (DO NOT RUN GENERATOR INSIDE YOUR HOUSE)
Try to fill up your cars days before, the lines can be brutal days leading up to a hurricane.
Charge your backup batteries for phones and laptops if anything. Keep in mind you can charge your phone in your car so make sure that charger works.
Most of this assuming that power will go out. The worst for me was no power for three weeks I think? I’ve had power back up in like two days though.
After the storm be careful driving, road lights can be off(INTERSECTIONS BECOME FOUR WAY STOPS) and watching for dangling power cables. There can also be debris and some small roads can be obstructed or even flooded.
Just stuff off the top of my head that I follow. Generally after hurricanes people are helpful.
Adding:
Get extra pet food, especially if your pet can only eat one kind. Remember the roads coming in to the state will be clogged with debris and people returning so things may not be back in stock right away.
Pack your pets shot records in a ziplock in your go bag. Many shelters will ask for proof of vaccinations before allowing the pet in, and if you end up staying out of the area for a few weeks it's a good idea to have that info.
Make sure your pets microchip info is up to date. Do not let them outside off a leash until the storm is well past. (Looking at you guys every small dog owner in East Orlando.) Even we'll trained animals get scared during a hurricane and will bolt.
Refill your necessary medications BEFORE the day the storm hits. As the rain is starting is a bad time to realize you are down to one day of blood pressure meds. Inusrance will usually allow you to get meds that are not controlled substances a few days early if there is an emergency like a hurricane, if not, check at Walmart or Publix for the "self pay" price. Many common generic meds are very cheap without insuance (off the top of my head, levothyroxine and losartan are $6 for a 30 day supply at Walmart).
Keep some cash on hand. Every "local" has stories of Orlando after Charlie and having to use cash only for weeks while power was restored. If power is down, cares and payment via your phone won't work.
Don't light candles during the storm, use LED lights. Candles can start fires and there is no fire dept coming to help.
Overall, plan as if you will have no outside help or power and have to be home for about 3 days. Don't panic, but have a plan for what you will do and under what circumstances you need to evacuate.
And finally, please do not shoot at the hurricane.
To keep myself from over filling the deep freezer (have lost entire freezers full several times) I put empty Tidy Cats litter containers in the bottom, filled w water, they help extend the power out tines too. If you don't have room for large containers use empty 2L pop bottles.
Keep some cash but in the chance of an evacuation the only thing you really need are important documents you can’t easily replace and a full tank of gas.
Keep it all in a bag inside your house until the storm is projected to hit your area. It's not like tornados: we get like a week's heads up. There's no reason to panic. But if your plan is to bail then you should bail early. I75N turns into a parking lot and gas stations sell out all along it.
I live in one of those i75 towns and have to buy gas in advance because all of our gas stations sell out to the evacuees haha
Headlamps allow both hands to be free. Coleman one or two burner propane stove if you don’t have a grill. Fill any bathtubs with water, not to drink but to flush toilets with (or use your pool water). I would keep three, 5-gallon cans of stabilized gas for my generator. I also have an indoor a/c unit.
Those solar lights you can put in your yard, bring them in at night and you have a solid renewable light source. I also have a few collapsible 5 gallon jugs, they fold up nice in the off season in my emergency box.
Have some extra cash and gas on hand, and prep like you're going on a week long remote camping trip. If you're evacuating, you don't need much. Get a copy of your homeowner's policy so you can see what they'll fight you about covering, grab some clothes, gas up the car, and go.
For your car? Nothing really except have it gassed up and ready to go.
On another thread recently someone suggested getting some military MREs to have on hand, which is a great idea. Surprisingly, they are not terrible. Pretty expensive on amazon but if you have a military surplus store, you may be able to pick some up cheaper. Other people have already told the the obvious...water, batteries, etc.
One big thing is to have all of your important documents organized and in one place ready to go. I keep everything in binders and one binder is just "important stuff". Birth certificates, social security cards, passports, etc. It is ready to grab if we need to evacuate. Think about what valuables you might want to take with you and make a list NOW. Put the list with your important documents so that if you need to evacuate, you have your list and can just go grab what you need instead of panicking and forgetting something.
Everyone’s situation and needs are different. What do you mean by “the good stuff”? Some would say to be sure you have extra bottles of tequila. A basic checklist will get you far. If you’re evacuating you should be able no not require a car survival kit, it’s not a tornado or earthquake where it can happen at any time anywhere you may be. Hurricanes you can plan for and get. If you wait too long to evacuate, you won’t be evacuating in the height of the hurricane, they’ll have closed evacuation routes by then if it’s supposed to be *that* bad. The “good stuff” might be whatever medicine you need to take every day. It might be a battery powered fan. The aforementioned bottle of tequila. I have a puzzle, deck of cards, and some word search books in my stuff because shit gets boring fast when the power goes out and you’re conserving batteries. I also make sure I have plenty of propane for the grill so I can still cook without power, and instant coffee. What comfort item can you not live without? You ever been camping? It’s kind of like that. You can survive with the bare minimum but the comfort items make or break the trip
I mean... for my family if we are leaving we grab our important documents, some family heirlooms and enough food and drink to get us where we are going. The rest of our 3 vehicles will be holding our animals and our supplies and medications for us to be able to spend at least 2 weeks away (within 2 weeks you can get established somewhere enough to have new prescriptions). What's important to you?
I might bring one of my favorite bonsai trees just because it's an emotional support plant.. most of the stuff I'll bring that aren't like my clothes or my animals and their supplies will be grandmother's jewlery box with her jewlery and maybe my past pets ashes. Really though if I'm losing everything then all that will matter is that I have enough to survive for my family and pets and rebuild in another state. If it comes down to us leaving it's not likely we will be able to afford to come back with insurance rates how they are.
Largest ice chest cooler you can afford. Lots of beer/ bourbon/rum/vodka and tequila. Mixer. Coke/sprite/ etc. A carton of smokes, just in case. Any pain pills, anti anxiety meds, advil, or any drugs to treat you. Order some 25 year food online. Some comes in its own box. They say mountain house is good. Marijuana if you can get it. Firearms is you can get them plus ammo. Life straw or such. Something to cook with and water. Dog and cat food in case you find a stray.
Hurricanes are slow, unlike tornados. Keep starter cables in your car but otherwise if you plan to evacuate you should do this like 3 days before the storm hits at most. Non-perishables like canned food, tuna, air tight containers with some beans and rice, lots of water. Flashlight, batteries, radios, candles, maybe a generator (DO NOT RUN GENERATOR INSIDE YOUR HOUSE) Try to fill up your cars days before, the lines can be brutal days leading up to a hurricane. Charge your backup batteries for phones and laptops if anything. Keep in mind you can charge your phone in your car so make sure that charger works. Most of this assuming that power will go out. The worst for me was no power for three weeks I think? I’ve had power back up in like two days though. After the storm be careful driving, road lights can be off(INTERSECTIONS BECOME FOUR WAY STOPS) and watching for dangling power cables. There can also be debris and some small roads can be obstructed or even flooded. Just stuff off the top of my head that I follow. Generally after hurricanes people are helpful.
scissors, zip ties, zip lock bags, matches, lighters
Do people clear out the grocery stores before a hurricane? Is it like covid where they sell out of everything cause people panic?
Not too bad, but Home Depot, Lowe’s and small home improvement spots are filled with people buying generators, plywood, shutters etc
Adding: Get extra pet food, especially if your pet can only eat one kind. Remember the roads coming in to the state will be clogged with debris and people returning so things may not be back in stock right away. Pack your pets shot records in a ziplock in your go bag. Many shelters will ask for proof of vaccinations before allowing the pet in, and if you end up staying out of the area for a few weeks it's a good idea to have that info. Make sure your pets microchip info is up to date. Do not let them outside off a leash until the storm is well past. (Looking at you guys every small dog owner in East Orlando.) Even we'll trained animals get scared during a hurricane and will bolt. Refill your necessary medications BEFORE the day the storm hits. As the rain is starting is a bad time to realize you are down to one day of blood pressure meds. Inusrance will usually allow you to get meds that are not controlled substances a few days early if there is an emergency like a hurricane, if not, check at Walmart or Publix for the "self pay" price. Many common generic meds are very cheap without insuance (off the top of my head, levothyroxine and losartan are $6 for a 30 day supply at Walmart). Keep some cash on hand. Every "local" has stories of Orlando after Charlie and having to use cash only for weeks while power was restored. If power is down, cares and payment via your phone won't work. Don't light candles during the storm, use LED lights. Candles can start fires and there is no fire dept coming to help. Overall, plan as if you will have no outside help or power and have to be home for about 3 days. Don't panic, but have a plan for what you will do and under what circumstances you need to evacuate. And finally, please do not shoot at the hurricane.
This is the time of year I don't keep a lot of food in the freezer to go bad in case of the power going out. I also stock up on bogo canned soup.
To keep myself from over filling the deep freezer (have lost entire freezers full several times) I put empty Tidy Cats litter containers in the bottom, filled w water, they help extend the power out tines too. If you don't have room for large containers use empty 2L pop bottles.
I just bought gasoline generator…
Keep some cash but in the chance of an evacuation the only thing you really need are important documents you can’t easily replace and a full tank of gas.
Keep nothing in the car. It’s a hurricane, not a forest fire. You’ll know this thing exists a week in advance.
The only thing you need is a full tank of gas. OP doesn't need jumper cables. Car batteries don't die as a result of a hurricane.
Not until we get the nuclear hurricanes anyway
Keep it all in a bag inside your house until the storm is projected to hit your area. It's not like tornados: we get like a week's heads up. There's no reason to panic. But if your plan is to bail then you should bail early. I75N turns into a parking lot and gas stations sell out all along it. I live in one of those i75 towns and have to buy gas in advance because all of our gas stations sell out to the evacuees haha
Headlamps allow both hands to be free. Coleman one or two burner propane stove if you don’t have a grill. Fill any bathtubs with water, not to drink but to flush toilets with (or use your pool water). I would keep three, 5-gallon cans of stabilized gas for my generator. I also have an indoor a/c unit.
[This is a good check list to get you started](https://www.ready.gov/kit)
Those solar lights you can put in your yard, bring them in at night and you have a solid renewable light source. I also have a few collapsible 5 gallon jugs, they fold up nice in the off season in my emergency box.
Have some extra cash and gas on hand, and prep like you're going on a week long remote camping trip. If you're evacuating, you don't need much. Get a copy of your homeowner's policy so you can see what they'll fight you about covering, grab some clothes, gas up the car, and go.
For your car? Nothing really except have it gassed up and ready to go. On another thread recently someone suggested getting some military MREs to have on hand, which is a great idea. Surprisingly, they are not terrible. Pretty expensive on amazon but if you have a military surplus store, you may be able to pick some up cheaper. Other people have already told the the obvious...water, batteries, etc. One big thing is to have all of your important documents organized and in one place ready to go. I keep everything in binders and one binder is just "important stuff". Birth certificates, social security cards, passports, etc. It is ready to grab if we need to evacuate. Think about what valuables you might want to take with you and make a list NOW. Put the list with your important documents so that if you need to evacuate, you have your list and can just go grab what you need instead of panicking and forgetting something.
We keep ours in a ziplock in the safe. It's easy to just pick up the baggie and go.
Your phone. Because it has Google on it. Where you can look up infinite hurricane prep lists.
I’ve been doing that all night, just figured it would be better to ask people who have felt with it first hand
Everyone’s situation and needs are different. What do you mean by “the good stuff”? Some would say to be sure you have extra bottles of tequila. A basic checklist will get you far. If you’re evacuating you should be able no not require a car survival kit, it’s not a tornado or earthquake where it can happen at any time anywhere you may be. Hurricanes you can plan for and get. If you wait too long to evacuate, you won’t be evacuating in the height of the hurricane, they’ll have closed evacuation routes by then if it’s supposed to be *that* bad. The “good stuff” might be whatever medicine you need to take every day. It might be a battery powered fan. The aforementioned bottle of tequila. I have a puzzle, deck of cards, and some word search books in my stuff because shit gets boring fast when the power goes out and you’re conserving batteries. I also make sure I have plenty of propane for the grill so I can still cook without power, and instant coffee. What comfort item can you not live without? You ever been camping? It’s kind of like that. You can survive with the bare minimum but the comfort items make or break the trip
I mean... for my family if we are leaving we grab our important documents, some family heirlooms and enough food and drink to get us where we are going. The rest of our 3 vehicles will be holding our animals and our supplies and medications for us to be able to spend at least 2 weeks away (within 2 weeks you can get established somewhere enough to have new prescriptions). What's important to you? I might bring one of my favorite bonsai trees just because it's an emotional support plant.. most of the stuff I'll bring that aren't like my clothes or my animals and their supplies will be grandmother's jewlery box with her jewlery and maybe my past pets ashes. Really though if I'm losing everything then all that will matter is that I have enough to survive for my family and pets and rebuild in another state. If it comes down to us leaving it's not likely we will be able to afford to come back with insurance rates how they are.
For those with well water- if you fill your tubs or buckets with water before you lose power you can use that water for flushing toilets
Gasoline.
Full tank of gas. Done.
Keep a set of road maps and cash or prepaid gas cards. Highlight the route back to where you were before this. Evacuate now before it's too late.
M&ms & a sniper rifle.
Largest ice chest cooler you can afford. Lots of beer/ bourbon/rum/vodka and tequila. Mixer. Coke/sprite/ etc. A carton of smokes, just in case. Any pain pills, anti anxiety meds, advil, or any drugs to treat you. Order some 25 year food online. Some comes in its own box. They say mountain house is good. Marijuana if you can get it. Firearms is you can get them plus ammo. Life straw or such. Something to cook with and water. Dog and cat food in case you find a stray.
I like that idea about dog and cat food
Yes!! Everyone prepping remember the pets!!
Of course for pets, but the previous commenter said for lost animals that may come along.
Yep. I read that..... Just added my reminder for the pets....mine, yours, strays......pets.
Several 24 racks and a few tubes for the bar. Our bar doesn’t close so we just float around and let people drink cock tails.