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In-Depth Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

Tuesday May 31, 2022

The first Hurricane of the 2022 season has already made landfall, marking an early start to this year’s season. Hurricane Agatha was named a Category 2 storm on Monday afternoon. While this storm will likely only affect Mexico and Central America, we can expect more activity in the U.S. sooner than we thought. Hurricane Agatha is expected to cause flooding and mudslides in Mexico and parts of Central America this week. Use this guide to prepare yourselves and your family now as hurricane season has officially arrived.


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Image Courtesy of The Weather Channel


In past articles we’ve discussed the importance of building/buying your own kit for hurricane preparedness, but we haven’t explained how the items can vary based on your specific situation. Building a disaster preparedness kit is not “one-size-fits-all” and can vary based on the people in your home, medical needs, location, the type of home you live in and much more.

 

The first thing to consider when building a kit is the 7-Day Rule. Your kit should include 7 Days’ worth of food and water per family member (and pets). For medications, 30-days’ worth of supplies should be kept as medicine can be even harder to find during a disaster situation. Need long shelf-life food and water for your kit? See our emergency water page and food page.

 

Understanding how your specific situation is different can be very important for creating a kit. For example, if you’ll be evacuating to a shelter, you likely won’t need food, water or a surface to sleep on because these items are usually provided. If you are evacuating to a family member or friends house, you’d likely want to bring these items as your host likely only has enough for their household.

 

Personal Kit (Go-Bag)

A Go-Bag should have everything needed to evacuate on short notice. Use this list as a guide for your personal go-bag.

 

 

Home Hurricane Kit

If you’re in a situation where you must shelter in place, having a home kit will make it much easier.

 

Vehicle Hurricane Kit

In some cases, a vehicle may be the safest place to stay after a storm.

 

Children’s Hurricane Kit

Whether evacuating or sheltering in place, your children should have a hurricane kit also.

  • Baby food
  • Baby wipes
  • Blankets, pillows
  • Books, games, playing cards, puzzles (do not rely on tablets to entertain children)
  • Child’s insurance ID
  • Clean bottles
  • Diapers
  • Drawing paper, crayons, markers, pens
  • Dry, extra clothing and underwear
  • Formula
  • Kid-friendly canned goods
  • Medical alert bracelet (if needed)
  • Non-prescription medication (anti-diarrheal, pain relievers, etc.)
  • Personal wipes (antibacterial)
  • Sturdy shoes, rubber boots
  • Toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss
  • Toys (that can be damaged or lost)

 

Pet Hurricane Kit

In addition to the below items, getting your pets microchipped and providing updated contact info on their tags will help keep your pets safe after a hurricane.

  • Blanket
  • Cat litter, newspaper, and even paper towels
  • Crate or sturdy carrier
  • Disposable litter trays for cats
  • Disposable bags for pet clean-up
  • Extra collar with updated pet tag, contact information
  • Extra leashes
  • Medications, 30-day supply
  • Medical records
  • Muzzle
  • Pet first-aid kit
  • Pet food, seven-day supply
  • Pet microchip (keep updated)
  • Pet toys
  • Pet wipes
  • Portable food and water bowls
  • Puppy pads
  • Recent photos of pets (in case you’re separated)
  • Service animal supplies
  • Treats 

First Aid Kit

View all of ProPac's First Aid Kits here.

 

For more detailed information on hurricane preparedness and news, visit the Tampa Bay Times Hurricane Page.