Originally published August 2022.
Before I moved to New Orleans, a place with hurricanes, I did about six months of research on preparedness. Having been through almost every other natural disaster there is, I felt woefully uniformed about the one that was most likely about to impact my single life moving forward. The list that follows is a result of that research. Most of my friends, who have lived here for years, don’t do any of this beyond maybe keeping some emergency water and a flashlight around the house. But they all live in pairs, and I don’t, so I prep. I find that preparedness helps alleviate the anxieties that come along with weathering storms alone. Hurricane season officially begins June 1st but August and September are when it really hits the dance floor.
Yes, there are hurricane preparedness guides written by experts on hurricanes and that’s PRECISELY where you should get your information. But in my experience most guides focus on families, and ignore what it’s like to be alone and scared during a storm, so I want to focus on those of us who never seem to feature when it comes to preparing for meteorological mayhem. So below is a list of things I PERSONALLY find comforting/helpful during scary weather. I have been through tornadoes, earthquakes, and blizzards, and since I evacuated during hurricane Ida last year I have not actually been through one of those, but here’s how I stay ready anyway:
This Specific Lantern: No, you do not NEED to get this specific one, but it’s the one I have (I have two, actually) and it could light a goddamn football stadium. Any time there’s a significant thunderstorm, much less a hurricane, I set one on my coffee table and one in my bedroom, so that if the power goes out I know how to instantly shed light (a LOT of light, my god) on things. It doesn’t come with batteries so either go to Costco and get some or just buy a bulk package on Amazon. You will never be upset to have extra batteries, quite the opposite. I find them comforting and I also like knowing I can share with neighbors.
The Water Bob: Most people will just fill their bathtub, and you can certainly do that. But if you want a more sanitary way to have plenty of drinkable water on-hand, use a Water Bob. It sits in your tub, you fill it up, it keeps bugs and dust and heaven knows what else out of your water so that you never run out. You can only use each Water Bob once however, so keep that in mind when/if you’re deciding to use one. I filled one for hurricane Ida and then evacuated, so when I came home I just slowly used the water inside to water plants and do dishes.
Yard Gloves: Hurricane aftermath is messy to say the very least. Do NOT dig through debris with your bare hands or even those latex gloves you have leftover from 2020. Get a pair of yard gloves, these are the exact pair I have, and protect your paws.
The Jackery: The Jackery is essentially a big ass battery that ensures you have power for the essentials like charging your cell phone or in my case using my kettle to boil water for coffee. Many people take these camping, but I keep one around in the event of a power outage. This year I also invested in the solar panel accessory for the Jackery, to charge it outdoors during the day so that I always have power for a box fan at night. Sleep seems unlikely otherwise. If you cannot afford a whole-house generator or you rent your space, this is a way to feel confident that you have SOME backup power when you need it.
Flameless Candles: We do not use real candles in a storm. WE DO NOT USE REAL CANDLES IN A STORM. Are they a mood? Sure. Are they also a fire hazard during a time that’s ALREADY hazardous? You betcha. Opt for some flameless candles instead, I use these around my house as decor anyway. They’re battery operated and have a cute little remote control. All of the ambience with none of the risk.
Zip Ties: Chasing your garbage bins down the street is not a good look. Zip tie them to your fence/anything you got.
Headlamp: These are of course extremely practical to have but if I’m honest with you I just really love headlamps.
Water Jug with Spout: This is an alternative to the Water Bob. I keep one of these on the edge of my sink so that if I need clean, safe water to wash dishes with, the spout makes that super easy. I also only recommend using these once, I’ve tried to wash them out and reuse them but the mold smell always wins.
Duct Tape: I mean what CAN’T it do.
A Good Cooler: You don’t have to get the one I got, I bought this because it was a more affordable version of a Yeti and I wanted a cooler with some serious longevity. During hurricane season, I keep my freezer stocked with bags of ice so that when a storm comes I’m not running around or waiting in lines to get ice. If I don’t use it during a hurricane, I’ll use it during my Halloween party. ;) I also took this cooler on the road when we had to suddenly evacuate, and it helped us preserve items from our refrigerators and take them with us.
Trash Bags: This isn’t a time for cheap trash bags. Trust me. You CAN opt for the contractor-grade trash bags, and I would recommend this if you have a particularly large front/back yard or lots of foliage around your house/neighborhood, but I do okay with the kind you’d typically keep in the house. After hurricane Ida I cleaned up debris, roof shingles, and the contents of a refrigerator (long story) from my back yard and I was VERY glad I had trash bags I could trust.
Good Rain Boots: Your Nike’s can’t handle hurricanes, I’m sorry. Honestly, when I first moved to New Orleans and asked friends what I needed to prep for storms, they said, and I quote, “Rain boots so you can walk to the bars afterward.” I like having them for yard work of all kinds and just in case I need to be outside after a storm, I’m good.
Battery Packs For Cell Phones: I don’t care, literally at all, which cell phone battery pack you buy, but buy one. I have three.
Hurricane Food: I also have a big plastic tub full of what I’m calling Hurricane Food which is essentially things I can eat even if there’s no power in my house such as crackers (the good kind), EasyMac which I can make with hot water from my kettle which I can power with my Jackery, peanut butter and jelly for the loaf of emergency bread I keep in my freezer, a giant box of Honey Nut Cheerios because I don’t allow myself to have them at any other time (Almond Milk will be in my cooler). I also just love a good multipack of Clif bars because we’re talking about eating in 100% humidity and 90+ degree heat with no power or A/C. Let’s just get it over with. If you include canned food in your hurricane supplies PLEASE also make sure you own a can opener and that you know precisely where it is. The same goes for corkscrews. ;)
First Aid Kit: This is smart to have all year, but especially post-storm just in case.
Cash: If the power goes out, so does the ability to pay with credit cards or your phone. I typically HATE keeping cash in my house, so this is one of the last things I prepare, but please don’t skip this one—it will provide peace of mind and likely help you with basic functionality after a storm.
What did I miss? Leave your ideas in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.
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