Guest post from Tiffany @ MyLitter.
This is my front yard the morning after Hurricane Ike. In the days before we brought in all the plants and kids toys we could. We nailed down everything possible and taped all the windows.
While many people were panicking and spending all their available cash on supplies, we were comforted knowing that we didn’t need to join the rush and that we were well prepared. We ran into Walmart on Thursday evening and were stunned to see the shelves. It was a very errie feeling when your huge supercenter is cleared out COMPLETELY!
Because of couponing and my food storage there was nothing that we needed, save for some fresh fruit and vegetables.
Alright, so are you guys out east ready? What about along the Gulf coast? With hurricane memories still fresh, I have gone through our supplies this past weekend to take a little inventory. If you have a chance you might want to do the same thing.
::Here are a few food and supply items that have coupons to go with them!::
::Bottled Water::
- $1.25/2 Nestle Pure Life Purified, exp. 9/9/12 (RP 07/29/12 #2)
- $1/2 Nestle Pure Life Purified Water, exp. 9/9/12 (RP 07/29/12 #2)
- B1G1 Evamor Natural Artesian Water printable
- $1/1 La Croix Water printable
::Candles::
- $2/2 Glade Jar Candles, exp. 9/22/12 (SS 08/26/12)
- B2G1 Glade Jar Candles printable
- B2G1 Glade Jar Candles printable
::Food/Snacks::
- $0.50 off Fiber One Chewy Bars
- $0.50 off Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies
- $0.40 off Fiber One Chewy Bars
- $0.75/2 Dole Real Fruit Bites, exp. 11/4/12 (SS 08/26/12)
- $0.75/2 Kellogg’s Fruit Flavored Snacks, exp. 9/30/12 (RP 08/05/12)
::Cleaning::
- $1/2 Scrubbing Bubbles All Purpose Cleaner with Fantastik, Windex Original, or Windex Multi-Surface printable
- $2.25/1 Dirty Jobs COMPLETE Product printable
- $0.50/1 Mr. Clean Product, exp. 8/31/12 (P&G 07/29/12)
- $0.75/1 Comet Stainless Steel Item, Bath Spray or Cream, exp. 9/1/12 (SS 04/01/12 R
- $0.75/1 Mean Green Cleaning Product printable
::Batteries::
- $0.75/1 Duracell Copper, Ultra Power, Photo or Specialty Batteries, exp. 9/30/12 (P&G 08/26/12)
- $0.75/1 Duracell Batteries, exp. 8/29/12 (RP 07/29/12 #2, Target)
- $2/1 Energizer Recharge Batteries or Chargers printable
- $2/1 Rayovac Portable Power Product, exp. 8/31/12 (SS 06/10/12 R)
- $0.55/1 Rayovac Alkaline Batteries printable
- $3/1 Rayovac Rechargeable Batteries or Chargers printable
::Supply Kit Items::
Water – at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
Food – at least enough for 3 to 7 days
— non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
— foods for infants or the elderly
— snack foods
— non-electric can opener
— cooking tools / fuel
— paper plates / plastic utensils
Blankets / Pillows, etc.
Clothing – seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes
First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs
Special Items – for babies and the elderly
Toiletries / Hygiene items /
Moisture wipes
Flashlight / Batteries
Radio – Battery operated and NOAA weather radio
Telephones – Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone set
Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards – Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods
Keys
Toys, Books and Games
Important documents – in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag — insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.
Tools – keep a set with you during the storm
Vehicle fuel tanks filled
Pet care items
— proper identification / immunization records / medications
— ample supply of food and water
— a carrier or cage
— muzzle and leash (shelters require this)
Thanks to NOAA
we not only keep bottled water but if you keep an eye out for the large orange drink coolers (we used them for family reunions and softball teams) you can get them pretty cheap sometimes, we filled those with water (we have 3). people in our neighborhood loved us, we baked all kinds of goodies when we knew hurricane rita was coming, made spaghetti on our outdoor grill and had people over for picnics on our front porch. we also keep a camping stove and a few bottles of propane on hand. has come in handy quite often,hurricanes, ice storms, etc.
Thankfully I’ve never been through that because I live in Upstate NY and I’m far enough from the coast that stuff never gets to us. But having a list like this is definitely necessary. I’m grateful for people like you who give us reminders all the time about things. We have ice storms quite often in the winter and this list is helpful.
I think it is wonderful how you took care of your neighbors, as well as your family.
BIC had a coupon in my local Sunday paper to get a free grill insert. I got one of these on the cheap with coupons before and it worked great! It burned for a long time, long enough to cook food for at least 20 people. I am putting these in our emergency preparedness kit. These could easily be used with any makeshift grill.
That was a well stocked pantry. Yes, I never understood the waiting until a storm was coming before shopping. Around here Walmart is always down to bare shelves while the local grocery stores still have food/supplies. Another item that some people might want to add to their list is alcohol if they want it. After Hurricane Frances in FL in 2004 the local area had curfew and prohibition for a few weeks. It can make everyone a bit cranky to go without beer when everything else in their world is falling apart.
Right now we are dealing with the aftermath of flooding from Tropical Storm Issac.
This is a great list! I live in Nebraska so no hurricanes, but we do have our share of tornado’s and snow storms. My kids thought I was crazy when I started to have a stock pile, but they have soon learned it has come in handy on many occasions. Thanks for showing me how to do it!!
I live in the Pacific North West of Washington state, I have never been through something like that, but our thoughts and prayers go with you. I’ve been following both of you for over a year now, and know how important stockpiling is. I just found out that our relitives that live in the far woods, have a real bad time of it when it snows or floods, there are 5 family’s that needed our help with stockpiling for the winter. The realitives are in there high 80’s and last year they were snowed in for 32 days, so today my husband and myself took 1/2 our stockpile up to them, they were so pleased and could hardly beleave what we paid for all the stuff. We might not have the storm’s you do but my motto is
FAMILY FIRST !!! We are just glad that we could help. Love and Prayers come your way from this side of the US.
I’m glad everyone is safe from the storm
These are all good but I also suggest you get a pet survival kit and Sawyer water filter (inexpensive and removes 99.99% of bacteria and viruses). We bought both at http://www.hurricanecamping.com. We found fresh water was easy to get but wouldn’t drink it w/out using a filter . Also- having a bag w/ basic supplies for our dog meant one less thing to worry about when we had to evacuate