
It’s important to prepare for a hurricane long before severe weather is forecast for your area. Here are some easy steps to prepare for hurricanes and tornadoes.
Basic Preparations
Always have these items on hand during hurricanes or other emergencies:

- Food and Water: It’s important to stockpile drinking water and nonperishable food. Choose products that you can eat without cooking, and rotate food items in your pantry to keep them fresh. Also, keep a manual can opener on hand and stock up on pet food. When a hurricane heads your way, line bathtubs with plastic and fill them with water to use for bathing and flushing toilets.
- Fuel: Following a natural disaster, a gas grill might be the only cooking method available. Make sure the propane tank is full, and keep spare propane on hand. Also, if a hurricane is near, don’t wait until the last minute to top off your car’s gas tank — fill several approved gas cans as well. But be safe about it — never store gasoline in your home or near an ignition source such as a gas water heater.
- Lighting: You’ll need several flashlights and plenty of batteries. Also, portable battery-powered lamps are available in incandescent and fluorescent versions. Due to the increased risk of fire, avoid using candles. If you must use them, don’t leave candles unattended, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
- Information: After a natural disaster, a battery-powered weather radio and AM/FM radio are your lifelines to the outside world. Battery-powered televisions also are useful during and after hurricanes.
- Communication: Charge cell phones and keep a portable charger that you can plug into your car. Also, have a telephone that does not require electricity to operate.


Great article! I hope lots of people read this, esp. on the Gulf & south Atlantic coasts.
Thanks–good information. Keep up the good work.
Didn’t think about some of the things on Hurricane List to have,Thanks.