Are you prepared?

It's amazing how easily we can let our guard down without even realizing it. It isn't hurricane season yet here in Florida. It doesn't usually even rain in the morning here. Just the afternoons. So I was definitely caught unprepared. It was raining when I woke up. Well, not just raining but Storming BADLY. I woke to no power.

Had no idea where the flashlights were other than the ones we keep in the car and I was not about to go outside.No power meant no tv or radio reports. Which means that I did not hear about the tornado watches and warnings until an hour later. NOT GOOD.

Not good at all!

The NOAA radio that we used to have is no more. A NOAA radio, for those of you that don't know, is a weather alert radio that will activate if the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issues an alert. They have a battery backup so that they will still work if the power is out. I will be purchasing one as soon as I finish this post. 

These are a must have for anyone that may get severe weather. 

Also this morning, 4 out of 6 of the cell phones in our house were dead. Made me realize how much we take having electricity for granted. That is not a good thing to do. You never know when an emergency may arise. Like the Boy Scouts say, BE PREPARED!

This reminded me to start getting this season's hurricane kit together.Since we are in Florida and the threat of a hurricane is very real, we need to be prepared to survive on our own for at least a week with no electricity.  I thought I'd share with you what goes in our kit.

For the most part, our supplies are generally scattered throughout the house because we will mainly "shelter in place". That means stay here and wait it out. This is only advisable if you are out of the flood zone and you are NOT in a mobile. We live in a cement block home,so we are a little safer. Also a big caveat, DO NOT EXPECT EMERGENCY SERVICES OF ANY KIND! If you are in doubt, evacuate to a shelter.

The first thing that you need is food and a source of clean water. 

When you know a storm is coming, bleach your bathtub and fill it with water. Your water supply may be compromised. If nothing else, you can use that water to flush your toilets. Purchase a few gallons of water as well. You can never have too much water. We have an inground pool and I keep bleach on hand to convert that water to drinkable water just in case.

Purchase food throughout the year that is shelf stable. Cans of soup, pancake mix, boxed potatoes, a few boxes of shelf stable milk. , peanut butter, jelly. etc. anything you would put in the pantry is good.

Don't forget to have a manual can opener! Very important because, uh, duh, the electric won't work!

Now you gotta cook...

a propane stove or grill is best to have but charcoal will work as well. Make sure you use it outdoors! You do not wan't to die from carbon monoxide poisoning! It Happens! Way too often! Wait until the majority of the storm passes before you go outside to cook. Eat things like granola bars or sandwiches until then.

Since this has already gotten so long, tomorrow I will explain what you need next.