Prior to moving to Corpus Christi, the thought of living in a place that a hurricane could hit was TERRIFYING to me. Which, is kind of ironic since I spent most of my childhood living in NE Oklahoma where we had tornadoes regularly, but alas…it was the hurricane possibility that gave me great pause. {I know, I know…don’t judge. ;)}
I realize that there is no place that will keep you safe from natural disasters and weather events, so the best thing that we can do is make sure that we are prepared in the best way possible.
Hurricane Season is officially here which means I’m late the party on updating our Hurricane Readiness Kit. If you’re anything like me, having a handy dandy checklist is helpful and hopefully will help get you and your family ready in the case of emergency.
Things you can do right now:
- Make an Evacuation Plan – You can find routes at DriveTexas.org or call 2-1-1 to find out if you live in an evacuation zone.
- Sign-Up for Emergency Alerts – ReverseAlert is one option that we’ve shared on the blog before. Whatever service you use, be sure your device(s) are enabled to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts.
- Contact Information for local and, more specifically, out of town family/friends. Sometimes local phone lines can become overloaded or be out of service during a disaster. If this happens, it may be easier to call or send a text message long distance.
- Plans for pets – Many hotels and evacuation shelters will not accept pets, so it’s important to keep a list of pet-friendly hotels, kennels, and shelters that are along your evacuation routes.
- Prepare an Emergency Supply Kit – you can find a super comprehensive list (with downloads) here.
- Consider prepping a “Go-Bag” or Box – This is something that you can grab and go and could contain the following:
- Copies of important documents (e.g., birth certificates, property titles, insurance policies, medical information)
- At least $50-$100 in cash (small denominations)
- 1-2 bottles of water for each family member
- Snacks for each family member (energy or granola bars are good options)
- A flashlight and an extra set of batteries
- A battery-powered or hand crank radio (plus an extra set of batteries if the radio requires them)
- Prescription medications
- A first aid kit
- Regional map
- Baby care items (if needed)
- A blanket and raingear
When shopping for our home, being safe from a hurricane was a huge factor for me. In addition to electing to live more inland, we also bit the bullet and added hurricane screens and doors to our home. We joke that it’s basically a fortress. It was not an inexpensive addition, however, it gives me (and my out-of-town worrying family) a little bit of extra security. Being married to a safety guy (who rode out Hurricane Harvey) is also helpful. During Harvey, he stocked up on a couple of 50 gallon drum barrels to fill with water, extra fuel cans (which came in SUPER handy when the gas shortage occurred), and a generator.
Being prepared and aware is key in the event of any emergency, and hurricane prep is no different. We live in a beautiful place and taking these steps has given me peace of mind despite the weather potential.
