Hurricane Prep Checklist

Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

So a hurricane is on it’s way, what do you need to be prepared? Besides being tuned into the weather channel there are several steps you can take to ready for the storm itself and the aftermath whether you are planning to ride out the storm or evacuate.

Pre-Storm Checklist

Water

• 1 gallon per person per day for at least three days
• 1 gallon for cooking per day for at least four days
• Bags of ice

Food

• Paper plates and bowls, plastic utensils and cups
• Non-perishable packaged or canned food to last for up to 14 days
• Ready-to-eat canned meals
• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Bread
• Cookies and crackers
• Trail mix and granola bars
• Snack food

Pets

• Dog  or cat food
• Toys and chews
• Medications

First Aid

• First-aid kit
• Two week supply of prescription medications
• Two week supply of vitamins and other over the counter medications
• Antibacterial hard soap
• Large pair of scissors
• Mosquito repellant
• Sunscreen

Home Essentials

• Cash – If there’s no power, gas pumps and credit card machines will not work
• Flashlights (at least one per person) and candles
• Battery powered radio
• Battery operated fan
• Batteries for electronics and flashlights
• Grill with propane or fuel – have an extra propane tank on hand
• Mobile phone charger – charge your phones, iPads and kindles ahead of time
• Cigarette lighters and matches
• Toilet paper, paper towels and garbage bags
• Non-electric can opener
• Umbrellas
• Important documents and records (insurance, medical, social security cards, ID cards, emergency numbers, etc.) – keep your most important documents in a plastic bag

Vehicles

• Fill up your cars with Gas
• Gas can with extra gas
• Charge your car – if you have an electric car, fully charge your vehicle
• Park your cars in the garage for protection
• Garage door – set to manual mode, without power you will need to open the door by hand

Home Preparation

• Remove any loose items from your yard or lanai including furniture, small potted plants
• Put up your hurricane shutters
• Fill up your bathtub with water or use pool water so you have water to flush the toilet

Entertainment

• Books – if you read e-books, be sure to download several a couple days before the storm
• Magazines
• Deck of cards
• Board games, cross-word puzzles, sudoku, etc.
• Puzzles

Hurricane Evacuation

You may decide to evacuate if it is a larger storm. If you do plan to evacuate, don’t wait until the last minute. Due to high winds, airports and bridges will be closed which might prevent you from reaching your destination.

• Leave well in advance of the storm
• Grab your “to go bag” with important papers, id’s
• Know the evacuation routs
• Have a destination booked

Hurricane Wind Scale

Hurricanes are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the hurricane’s intensity at the indicated time. The scale provides examples of the type of damage impacts associated with winds of the indicated intensity. A tropical storm has storm force winds ranging from 39 to 74 miles per hour. It may result in scattered trees down, power outages, some roads blocked due to downed trees and power lines.

1. Category 1 – Winds 74-95 MPH
2. Category 2 – Winds 96-110 MPH
3. Category 3 – Winds 111-129 MPH
4. Category 4 – Winds 130-156 MPH
5. Category 5 – Winds 157+ MPH

Other Resources:

National Hurricane Center

National Weather Service

Collier County Emergency Center