You’re going to need supplies not just to get through the storm but for the potentially lengthy and unpleasant aftermath. Have enough non-perishable food, water and medicine to last each person in your family a minimum of three days. Electricity and water could be out for at least that long. You’ll need extra cash, a battery-powered radio and flashlights. You may need a portable crank or solar-powered USB charger for your cell phones.
If you need to go to a public shelter, the CDC recommends bringing items that can help protect you and others from COVID-19, such as hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, bar or liquid soap, disinfectant wipes (if available) and two masks for each person. (Children under two years old and people having trouble breathing should not wear face coverings.) - CREDIT NOAA.
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Today's blog entry deals with `hurricane' advice, with stressed supply chains, and the potential for seeing temporary shortages of food, medicine, gasoline, and other essential supplies in the months ahead, we should all be preparing for one type of storm or another.
And as we've seen so many times with the approach of a hurricane or a blizzard, store shelves are often emptied days in advance. In 2017, when Hurricane Irma was still 1000 miles east of Miami, I wrote:
If you live in Florida you already know that most store shelves were stripped of bottled water, flashlights, batteries, and other hurricane supplies by early afternoon yesterday.
I talked to friends in Tampa, Orlando, and Apopka last night - all 200+ miles north of Miami - and heard identical stories of long lines and empty shelves from each location. This mad rush to stock up happens before every storm, and while there are always last minute items to get, much of it could be avoided if people prepared at the start of the hurricane season.
Even though power was restored in my area within 5 days, it took several more weeks before store shelves returned to normal stock levels. Often, in the wake of a major hurricane, it can take weeks to restore power, and months before life returns to `normal'.
So as to avoid disappointment and not to overstress the system, I keep a stash of `hurricane' heat-and-eat food (canned chili, ravioli, tinned meats, etc.) - enough to last at least couple of weeks - on hand at all times, and donate the stuff to a food bank (or neighbors) when they get close to their expiration date.
I didn't have to queue up at the grocery store the week before Irma's arrival, or go on a toilet paper hunt during the start of the pandemic, because I stay pretty well stocked. I also make sure to have a couple of extra weeks of essential Rx meds on hand as well.
When the next hurricane (or earthquake, Derecho, or other disaster) strikes, more people than normal will need disaster relief. The more you can do now to prepare, the less stressful it will be for you and your family later.
And as an extra bonus, you will help relieve some of the burden on relief efforts.Day 3 of National Hurricane Preparedness Week is about how to Assemble Disaster Supplies. Although their advice speaks of a minimum of 3 days supply, you should really be striving for a 7 to 14 day supply. And that's on top of your regular pantry inventory.
So . . . if a disaster struck your region today, and the power went out, stores closed their doors, and water stopped flowing from your kitchen tap for the next 7 to 14 days . . . do you already have:
- A battery operated NWS Emergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials
- A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries
- Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration
- A way to provide light when the grid is down.
- A way to cook safely without electricity
- A way to purify or filter water
- A way to stay cool (fans) or warm when the power is out.
- A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working
- An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy, and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag
- Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need
- A way to entertain yourself, or your kids, during a prolonged blackout
If your answer is `no’, you have some work to do. A good place to get started is by visiting Ready.gov.
And for some of my past preparedness blogs, you may wish to revisit:
