GoPBI.com Storm Warning Center: Shopping List


Emergency Supplies
Shopping List

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: 7 gallons per family member including pets 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 & cereal bars
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.

Battery-operated radio
Clean change of clothes, rain gear, sturdy swamp boots you won't mind throwing away later
Clock (wind-up or battery- operated)
Extra batteries
Flashlights and extra bulbs
Fully charged battery-operated lanterns. Don't get candles and kerosene lanterns. They are fire hazards.
Insurance policy (copy) Map Phone numbers, list
Plastic garbage bags
Rabbit-ears television antenna (inexpensive) to use when cable goes out
Scissors
Toilet paper
Working fire extinguishers

KITCHEN SUPPLIES
Manual can opener
Bottle opener
Matches in a plastic bag
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 storm and closed for days after. Keep a 2-week supply of prescription drugs.
Antiseptic solution
Aspirin
Bandages and tape
Children's medicines
Cotton-tipped swabs
Diarrhea medication
Extra over-the-counter medicine (for colds, allergies)
Feminine hygiene items
First-aid handbook
First-aid kit
Medic Alert tags
Insect bite lotion
Insect repellent sprays and candles
Soap
Sunscreen
Sterile rolls, bandages
Tweezers
Needles
Disinfectant
Plastic bags, jugs or containers to store water and ice.
Water purification tablets (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
Baby medicines (pain, cold, cough)
Deodorizer Diaper-rash ointment, petroleum jelly
Disinfectant or bleach
Disposable diapers
Extra formula, baby food
Medicine dropper
Wipes

EMERGENCY TOILET
Small can or garbage can with tight lid
Plastic bags for liners