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from our List Hostess Shirley

ADVANCE PREPARATIONS
http://www.storm98.com

Put together supplies and follow instructions in the Shopping List for perishable food and water. If you need to leave, you will want to be able to pack quickly.

Indentify your important documents - passports, wills, contracts, insurance papers, household inventory, car titles, deeds, leases, phone number list and tax information - so that they can be placed in your safe deposit box before the storm. Otherwise, you'll need have a safe, dry place for them.

SUPPLIES

Buy supplies early to prepare for the storm. When storm threatens, lines will be long and supplies short.

FOOD SUPPLIES

Get enough nonperishable foods now for two weeks. Then put them in a box and leave them alone. Don't buy foods that are salty or dry or high in fat or protein; they'll make you thirsty.

___ Water: 2 quarts to 1 gallon per person (get a week's supply)
___ Ice
___ Shelf-package juice and milk boxes
___ Canned and powdered milk
___ Beverages (powdered or canned,
fruit juices, instant coffee, tea)
___ Prepared foods (canned soups, beef,
spaghetti, tuna, chicken, ham,
corned beef hash, packaged pudding)
___ Canned vegetables and fruits
___ Dried fruits
___ Snacks (crackers, cookies, hard candy, nuts)
___ Snack spreads (peanut butter,
cheese spreads, jelly)
___ Cereals
___ Raw vegetables
___ Sugar, salt, pepper
___ Bread
___ Dry and canned pet food
___ Extra formula, baby food

HARDWARE

___ Hand tools - hammer, screwdrivers to use now,
shovel and pickax for after the storm
___ Power screwdriver
___ 4-by 8-foot sheets of plywood 3/8-inch to
1/2-inch thick to put over your windows.
Make sure you ask for exterior plywood.
___ 1/4-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
___ Nails. There are many kinds, so look over your home now and
determine what you will need. A nail too small, the wrong shape
or hammered in wrong will fail, and that will give the storm the
breach it needs to get into your home.

HURRICANE KIT

Assemble this now. Put aside in a special box in garage. Keep heat-sensitive items inside home and rotate stock throughout season. Batteries can go in refrigerator.

___ Flashlights and extra bulbs
___ Battery-operated radio
___ Fully charged battery-operated lanterns.
(Don't get candles and kerosene lanterns.
They are fire hazards.)
___ Extra batteries
___ Matches
___ Clock (wind-up or battery-operated)
___ Plastic garbage bags, assorted sizes *
___ Working fire extinguishers
___ Scissors
___ Toilet paper
___ Clean change of clothes, rain gear, sturdy swamp
boots you won't mind throwing away later
___ An inexpensive rabbit-ears television antenna
to use when cable goes out
___ Map of the area
___ List of phone numbers
___ Copy of insurance policy(s)

KITCHEN SUPPLIES

___ Manual can opener
___ Bottle opener
___ Matches in a plastic bag or waterproof container
___ Pocket knife - preferably Swiss Army-style
___ Camp stove or other cooking device and plenty of fuel.
Use canned fuel, not charcoal or gas
___ Ice chests or coolers
___ Paper plates, napkins
___ Plastic cups, knives, forks, spoons

MEDICAL NEEDS

Drugstores will be mobbed just before
a storm and closed for days after.
Keep a 2-week supply of prescription drugs.

___ Medic Alert tags
___ Insect repellent sprays and candles
___ Feminine hygiene items
___ Insect bite lotion
___ Sunscreen
___ Soap
___ First-aid kit
___ First-aid handbook
___ Extra over-the-counter medicine (for colds, allergies)
___ Children's medicines
___ Aspirin
___ Diarrhea medication
___ Bandages
___ Adhesive tape
___ Cotton-tipped swabs
___ Antiseptic solution
___ Sterile rolls, bandages
___ Tweezers
___ Needles
___ Disinfectant
___ Plastic bags, jugs or containers to store water and ice *
___ Water purification tablets (usually available at pharmacies and camping stores), 2 percent tincture of iodine or ordinary household bleach that contains hypochlorite as its only active ingredient - not bleach with soap, lemon or other additives.
___ Plastic to line bathtub.

BABY NEEDS

___ Disposable diapers
___ Wipes
___ Diaper rash ointment, petroleum jelly
___ Baby medicines (pain, cold, cough)
___ Medicine dropper
___ Extra formula, baby food

EMERGENCY TOILET

___ Small can or garbage can with tight-fitting lid
___ Plastic bags for liners
___ Disinfectant or bleach
___ Deodorizer

* Never use plastic garbage bags to store food or water. Part of the manufacturing process includes a pest repellant, which can be harmful to humans.

Go to the Emergency Preparedness Page, or on to Food and Ice Storage Tips.