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With the threat of Hurricane Florence knocking on the door of the Carolinas, I know it is necessary to have emergency supplies for the “just in case” scenario. The coastal areas are being evacuated (you should always evacuate when advised to) but the remaining parts of South Carolina will be hit with major winds, flooding and possible power outages. That is why I am topping off my gas tank and heading to the store to buy what I need to prepare my first storm kit.
This will be the first time in 43 years that I am creating my own storm kit but I figure it will help me out in the long run for any type of weather that can cause power outages (because I don’t have a generator yet, yet being the key word lol). To put it into perspective, I am thinking about what I would need for a weekend camping trip.
You will want at have anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks worth of stocked goods. Just remember that the water and the food will need to be changed out about every 6 months so that it doesn’t get old and stale. My storm kit will include:
- Water – Water is number 1 on my list. It is recommended to have 1 – 3 gallons of water per person in your household. This is for drinking, cooking and sanitation. (Consider buying water flavor packets so that you don’t get burned out on drinking plain water.)
- Non-perishable foods – Think of foods that wont spoil like can vegetables, can beans, can fruits, can meats, soup, can milk, cereal/granola bars, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, dry cereal and nuts. Even though I don’t have either, you will want to include extra baby formula and pet food if they apply.
- Tools – A Leatherman is my choice of tools because it has a multitude of functions. I would also recommend a lighter or matches, a small fire extinguisher and a battery or hand crank weather radio. Oh yea, don’t forget the manual can opener so that you can open the can foods.
- First aid kit – I am going to buy a couple of premade first aid kits (one for house and one for the car) but if you want to create your own, here are some of the recommended items: different sizes of sterilized gauze pads, roll bandages, Band-Aids, hypoallergenic adhesive tape, scissors, cleansing wipes, sanitizer, antiseptic, latex gloves, thermometer, tweezers, nail clippers, needle, tongue depressors and dust masks.
- Flashlights & candles – Most flashlights use batteries so you will need to buy extra batteries for them. So to help keep from using up all the batteries, I plan on having candles. They burn slow and usually give off just enough light to get by.
- Blankets, covers and/or sleeping bags – If the power goes out in the extreme cold, you will want to make sure you have plenty of heavy blankets, covers and if needed sleeping bags. If people camp outside in the wilderness with sleeping bags to keep them warm, then they would surely work during a power outage. Extra clothing should be taken in consideration too.
- Personal items – Feminine products, cleansing wipes, diapers and personal hygiene products (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.). I will probably buy the travel size personal hygiene kits for everyone in my household and write their name on them so there is no confusion.
There are other items you need to think about putting in weatherproof containers like personal prescriptions, cell phones, cell phone batteries, an emergency contact list, copies of all your important documents and money.
If you are not having to evacuate your home but you don’t have a generator or power, you may want to add a small charcoal grill to your list. This way you still have a way to warm up your can goods and boil water. A gas grill would work until you run out of gas but it’s easier to stock up on charcoal and lighter fluid. You should also consider what you will be eating on, cooking with, eating with and drinking out of when selecting things for your kit. Last but not least, you will need trash bags to dispose of all the trash!
If you don’t already have a storm kit, you should consider making one because you never know when you might need one. If this post inspires at least one person to start making a storm kit, then it was totally worth the effort!
Do you have any more ideas to add to the storm kit? If so, please leave a comment below because I would love to hear from you and don’t forget to stay in loop by signing up to receive emails. As always have a blessed day!
