HURRICANE KIT

• Assemble this now. Put aside in a special box. Keep heat-sensitive items inside home and rotate stock throughout season:
• Flashlights and extra bulbs
• Clock (wind-up or battery-operated)
• Battery-operated radio
• Extra batteries (can be stored in refrigerator)
• Toilet paper
• Matches (camping stores have waterproof matches)
• Scissors
• Plastic garbage bags
• Working fire extinguisher
• Clean change of clothes, rain gear, sturdy swamp boots
• Fully charged battery-operated lanterns. Don’t use candles and kerosene lanterns. They are fire hazards.
• Map of the area
• List of phone numbers
• Copy of insurance policy

FOOD SUPPLIES

• Get enough nonperishable foods now to last two weeks. Then put them in a box and leave them alone. Note: Canned and other prepared foods that are salty or dry or high in fat or protein might make for good provisions, but they’ll also make you thirsty.
• Water: Enough for 1 gallon of drinking water per person/per day, for one-week minimum. Water for two weeks is ideal. (Also, figure another 1 gallon per person/per day of water for washing hands, flushing toilets and for pets.)
• Ice or dry ice
• Shelf-stable milk and juice boxes
• Canned and powdered milk
• Beverages (powdered or canned, fruit juices, instant coffee, tea)
• Raw vegetables that don’t need refrigeration (will last only a few days)
• Canned vegetables and fruits
• Dried fruits
• Prepared foods (canned soups, beef, spaghetti, tuna, chicken, ham, corned beef hash, packaged pudding)
• Snacks (crackers, cookies, hard candy, unsalted nuts)
• Snack spreads (peanut butter,cheese spreads, jelly)
• Cereals
• Sugar, salt, pepper
• Bread
• Dry and canned pet food

HARDWARE

• Hand tools: hammer, screwdrivers to use now, shovel and pickax for after the storm
• Power screwdriver
• Quarter-inch machine screw sockets and screws
• Plastic sheeting to cover furniture
• Rope
• Sturdy working gloves
• Duct tape to waterproof items; masking tape isn’t strong enough
• Canvas tarps
• Sturdy nails

FIRST-AID KIT

• Drugstores will be mobbed just before a storm and closed for days after. Keep a two-week supply of prescription drugs. Your first-aid kit should include:
• Medical supplies
• First-aid handbook
• Insect repellent sprays
• Citronella candles, insect bite lotion
• Petroleum jelly, for relieving itching
• Ointments for burns, cuts
• Antiseptic solution
• Sunscreen
• Extra over-the-counter medicine (for colds, allergies, cough)
• Aspirin, acetaminophen, antacid
• Children’s medicines
• Diarrhea medication
• Feminine hygiene items
• Incontinence supplies
• Rubbing alcohol
• Iodine
• Disinfectant
• Wet wipes
• Moist towelette packets
• Medic Alert tags
• Thermometer
• Hypoallergenic adhesive tape
• Cotton-tipped swabs
• Sterile rolls
• Adhesive bandages
• Sterile gauze pads
• Roller bandages
• Tweezers
• Needles
• Adhesive tape
• Safety pins
• Latex gloves

KITCHEN SUPPLIES

• Waterless hand sanitizer
• Manual can opener
• Water purification tablets
• Bottle opener
• Matches in a plastic bag
• Pocket knife
• Camp stove or other cooking device and plentyof fuel. (Use only canned fuel indoors — never charcoal or gas. Buy extragas or charcoal to use in well-ventilated space after storm has passed.)
• Ice chests or coolers
• Paper plates, napkins
• Plastic cups, utensils
• Disposable pans for cooking
• Plastic bags, jugs or containers for water and ice

BABY NEEDS

• Disposable diapers
• Baby wipes
• Diaper-rash ointment
• Baby medicines
• Medicine dropper
• Extra formula, baby food

EMERGENCY TOILET

• Garbage can with tight lid
• Plastic bags for liners
• Disinfectant or bleach
• Deodorizer
• Extra toilet paper