This is my front yard the morning after Hurricane Ike. In the days before we brought in all the plants and kids toys we could. We nailed down everything possible and taped all the windows.
While many people were panicking and spending all their available cash on supplies, we were comforted knowing that we didn’t need to join the rush and that we were well prepared. We ran into Walmart on Thursday evening and were stunned to see the shelves. It was a very errie feeling when your huge supercenter is cleared out COMPLETELY!
Because of couponing and my food storage there was nothing that we needed, save for some fresh fruit and vegetables.
Alright, so are you guys out east ready? What about along the Gulf coast? With hurricane memories still fresh, I have gone through our supplies this past weekend to take a little inventory. If you have a chance you might want to do the same thing. Snacks and regular supermarket products are usually what you can find on the new ads.
::Here are a few food and supply items that have coupons to go with them!::
::Bottled Water::
– $0.55/1 Nestle Pure Life Sparkling Exotics Sparkling Water; 8 pk 12 oz;
– 5% OFF Market Pantry Sparkling Water (Target eCoupon) – (exp 08/01/15)
– $2.00/1 Kirkland Signature Flavored Sparkling Water – Costco Monthly Coupon
– $3.00/1 Brita Water Filter (Target Coupon); Includes 3 pk (exp 07/09/15)
– $0.50/1 AquaBall Naturally Flavored Water Drink; Includes 6 pk Only
– $3.00/1 Bobble Reusable Water Bottle (Zip Code 77477)
::Candles::
– $1.25/2 Glade Jar Candles – 5-3-15 SS (exp 06/14/15)
– $1.00/1 Febreze Candle; Excludes Trial and Travel Size;
– $1.00/2 Glade Jar Candles
– $0.50/1 Unstopables Candle; Excludes Trial or Travel Size;
– $2.00/2 Air Wick Scented Candles or Wax Melts;
::Cleaning::
– $1.00/2 Clorox Bleach – 5-3-15 SS; Excludes 16 oz (exp 06/30/15)
– $1.00/1 Clorox 2 Product – 5-3-15 SS; Excludes Pen (exp 06/30/15)
– $1.00/2 Clorox Branded Products; Excludes Travel Packs and Sample Size
– $1.00/1 Lysol Power & Free Taptop Multipurpose Cleaner – 5-17-15 RP; (exp 06/17/15)
– $0.50/1 Lysol Disinfectant Spray – 6-7-15 SS; Includes 12.5 oz or Larger Only (exp 07/05/15)
– $0.50/2 Lysol Disinfecting Wipes – 6-7-15 SS; Includes 35 ct or Larger Only (exp 07/05/15)
::Batteries::
– $1.00/1 Rayovac Alkaline Batteries
– $1.00/1 Duracell Batteries – 5-31-15 PG; Includes Coppertop, Quantum, (exp 06/30/15)
– $0.50/1 Energizer Batteries or Flashlights – 5-31-15 SS (exp 06/27/15)
– $1.50/1 Energizer Ultimate Lithium, Advanced Lithium, Recharge Power Plus, or Recharge Universal Batteries – 5-31-15 SS; Includes AA or AAA, 4 ct or Larger Only (exp 06/27/15)
– $3.00/1 Duracell Alkaline Coppertop Batteries – Costco Monthly Coupon (Valid from 6/11/15); Includes AA or AAA; Limit 10 (exp 07/05/15)
::Supply Kit Items::
Water – at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
Food – at least enough for 3 to 7 days
— non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
— foods for infants or the elderly
— snack foods
— non-electric can opener
— cooking tools / fuel
— paper plates / plastic utensils
Blankets / Pillows, etc.
Clothing – seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes
First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs
Special Items – for babies and the elderly
Toiletries / Hygiene items /
Moisture wipes
Flashlight / Batteries
Radio – Battery operated and NOAA weather radio
Telephones – Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone set
Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards – Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods
Keys
Toys, Books and Games
Important documents – in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag — insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.
Tools – keep a set with you during the storm
Vehicle fuel tanks filled
Pet care items
— proper identification / immunization records / medications
— ample supply of food and water
— a carrier or cage
— muzzle and leash (shelters require this)
Thanks to NOAA
Part comedian, part Dad, part athlete. He will boss around your children while they play ball.
Just as angelic as she looks, this girl could easily raise a Village by herself, and all the children would grow up to be President.
Self proclaimed, she would be a webkinz dog. Because, "they're cute, and puppies are too. And they're sweet and they always get along with other puppies."
This mini-Martha Stewart can handle ANY craft you send her way. She isn't all bows and rainbows, she's got karate kid moves!
Not "Pick-Me-Up" like caffeine, she wants you to pick her up! AND NOW!
Anything that can be destroyed WILL be destroyed!
Practically Perfect in Every Way for now! Nicknamed "The Panda" she is rolly polly and lives by the motto, "the little one, is KING!"
The resident Labradoodle, Miller got his name because Mom won and got to name the baby! Need something chewed up? He'll take care of it. Especially if it's expensive..
Thanks Tiffany! I am here on the east coast in MD and I am preparing!
Between the earthquake and now the hurricane as an east coaster I thank you for this list. I need batteries…totally forgot until I seen it on your list. Double checking everything. God Bless and be safe
Very nice job, Tiffany. Who can forget Ike and being without power for 8 days? Double check everything and buy batteries . . . . . . lots and lots of batteries. They go fast when you are having fun.
Oh my! We were without power for 20 days. It was a weird month!
We are 19 miles from the gulf in Galveston county. We stayed for Ike. It was certainly a crazy time. We have Direct TV and lose signal in a little shower but not ONCE during the hurricane. I’m truly thankful for generators and the 120 gallons of gas.
It’s really a great idea to get ready! I actually just moved to NJ (southern but inland) this past Sunday from FL so I never expected to deal with a hurricane up here. My family went through hurricane charley passing right over our house in Fl in 2004 we had wind gusts of 180mph so we say no storm is a joke. So stay safe everybody.
I just went through Issac. As everyone was scrambling to get supplies I just looked at my stock pile in relief. I had plenty of items and the best part was I used coupons on all of them and didn’t pay the crazy prices that others did at the last minute! Thanks Tiffany for all you do! You Literally helped me get my hurricane supplies through the past year!! Good luck to all of you in Issacs path!! It will be ok 😉
When Ike hit we were without water for 8 days (after it came back on we still had to boil it for 2 weeks) and without power for 15 days. Thanks for the list Tiffany! I will definitely check and make sure we are prepared!
I was sooooo pregnant with my first when Ike rolled through. (she was born Oct 7th) I had contractions the whole night the storm passed over & I was just SURE I’d be having her in the closet by flashlight. Lucky for me, she held out!! We only lost power for about 2 days, we were soo lucky. (pays to be on the same power grid as a fire station and a mega Walmart!) We didn’t really need supplies, but we went out to check on family/neighbors & to just see how crazy things were, it was scary! Ppl were in major panic mode! I think we’re a little more prepared now, which is good since we have 2 kiddos (and were expecting baby 3!) Thanks for the awesome list 🙂
Oh wow! I am glad she waited to get here!
Me too! My best friend was due a little before me, her daughter was born 9/9/08 via c-section because she was breech. They made her leave the hospital early because they were trying to clear non emergency cases out before the storm. She had to learn to breastfeed/take care of her first baby by flashlight at her parents house because a tree fell on she & her hubby’s house! It was a crazy time! I joked with my hubby that if our daughter was born during the storm, we’d have to change the name we had picked out (Hannah) to Ikea 😉 I seem to have a knack for being pregnant during hurricane season, you’d think I’d learn!!! At least this time, I’m only about 6m along. Now that we’re just about through the nightmarish stomach virus we’ve all been passing, I can take a good look at our stock and make sure we’re all set.
Thanks for the reminder for everyone. If not in a hurricane zone just plan ahead for any problems. I am on oxygen so I always make sure if the power goes out I have enough tanks and batteries for a few days. I can recharge in the car as long as I have gas. Snowstorms here are what we normally prepare for. My lovely husband purchased a generator about a year ago which has come in handy. Just be sure you have ventilation for it and your gas BQ.
Good luck to all in the path of the hurricane.
Thank you for the list…. A couple items that never occurred to me. 😉
I do not understand people who wait till the last minute and then run out to purchase what they need…then they whine and cry cuz the lines are long, they are out of everything, etc. etc. Be prepared! You don’t mess with mother nature…..stay safe everyone….
Thanks for posting this, Tiffany. I am not really sure how much to stock up though. I usually do keep a decent pantry, but I cant imagine it would last for a whole week or more. As a general rule of thumb, how much of these items would you say a family of four should stock up for hurricane season?
drinking water
canned foods
snacks
juices
Nancy… check the comments below!
What I have done in the past is write down everything I have used/eaten that day. Did I use toilet paper? Did I use water? Write down everything. You’ll be surprised at how much you use! Then you can just take that list and times it by 7, that way if you don’t have power for a week you have an idea of what you would need. Patty has a better answer though.
Nancy- for water, it’s a gallon of water for each person a day and they say to have about 5 days worth…. So 20 gallons of water for a family of 4. But remember, the water isn’t just for drinking but for food prep, teeth brushing, hand washing and bathing. Sometimes you can’t use your water b/c the pipes were damaged or if you can use your water then you have to boil it, so a gallon of water a day could be enough or not enough. As for food… how much food does each person in your family eat in a day? Times about 5 days. Do you have small kids that might not eat as much as adults or teenagers? How much each person can eat will depend on much you need. Usually things will start opening by the 5th day and purchases can resume again. Just remember perishables might be harder to get when businesses do reopen if there’s still no electricity in the area. Some places might be able to run a generator and have lights and registers but won’t have coolers to hold milk, eggs or meats. Also, stores and homes on the same grid as a hospital will usually get their power on a little quicker. And you want to have coolers handy too. They can keep your perishables cold a little longer and you might get an extra day on things in the fridge already when the lights go out. Also, don’t open and shut the fridge/freezer too much if it’s still cold when the power is out. The coolers will also come in handy when a store gets a shipment of ice and you want that ice so that you can have a cold drink after so many days of not having a cold drink.
Don’t forget basic firstaid supplies and some dried food that can be home dried or purchased
Don’t forget you need water for your pets as well. I always add a gallon of wAter per day for our dog.