What to Bring When Evacuating For a Hurricane

A hurricane can be dangerous and if you are not prepared, you are compromising you and your family’s safety. Being well-prepared will go a long way when it comes to natural calamities like this. Hurricanes hardly ever happen abruptly. Days before it pays a visit to your area, it will surely be all over the news. This will give you ample time to prepare your family. Aside from creating evacuation routes and having a list of emergency phone numbers as well as disaster shelters, you need to make a checklist of the stuff you need to carry with you should you need to evacuate.

1.) If you live in an area that is prone to hurricanes, it’s important for you to stock up on non-perishable food items. Pack enough MREs that can last you a minimum of three days. However, MREs are a little expensive and they are not the most appetizing thing you’ll come across with. The solution? Make your own MREs! It’s a lot cheaper plus you get to customize them according to your preference.

Bagged tuna and Spam, packed snack crackers, 3-in-1 coffee sachets, nuts, trail mix, hard candy, granola bars, dried milk powder and instant noodles are all great to include in your Bug Out Bag because they don’t take too much space.

You can carry bottles of water, but during a disaster this proves to be a little inconvenient. The next best thing will be to buy a small water filter like Katadyn Vario Water Filter or LifeStraw Personal Water Filter.

2.) Aside from food and water, you also need a survival kit. Your hurricane emergency kit should have all the essentials such as first aid supplies, medicines, prescription drugs, sleeping bag, pillow, fleece blanket, mylar blanket, battery operated radio, ham two-way radio, flashlight and extra batteries, solar charging kit, cash, waterproof matches, fire starter, camping stove, tools (hammer and pocket knife) and rope.

If you have pets, don’t forget to build a 72-hour kit for them too. For dogs and cats, you need to pack food, water, food & water bowls, carrier or cage, muzzle and leash, treats, toys, first aid supplies, immunization records and tags or IDs.

3.) Since you don’t have a lot of time to spare when a disaster strikes, you need to gather everything you need to bring in one spot. Important papers and documents need to be taken with you when evacuating especially when you don’t have a safety deposit box. Rather than wait for a calamity to wipe out all your documents, organize them in a waterproof pouch or envelope in advance for this purpose. Make sure you include birth certificates, social security cards, passports, house deed, car titles, financial information (bank accounts, credit cards, mortgage, loans, etc.), retirement plans, medical records and school transcripts in your evacuation kit.