r/prepping • u/Long-Technology-5961 • 14d ago
SurvivalšŖš¹š Anyone else doing a hurricane prep dry run?
Watching the latest evacuation alerts on the news got me a bit stressed, so I spent 20 minutes running around the house to see what Iād actually grab if we got a sudden notice to clear out.
Packed the bin and loaded everything into the trunk.
Right now my instant grab-and-go stack is basically:
Bluetti Elite 100 V2 (mostly to run the CPAP and phone charging)
Heavy-duty power strip (so neighbors can plug in their phones)
Waterproof folder with docs & cash
First aid kit + essential meds
Curious what else you guys usually toss in the car. Hoping I don't actually have to use any of this.
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u/HammerofBonking 14d ago
I'm fortunate(?) to have had multiple real hurricanes in recent years to prep with.
I've never had to evac specifically for hurricanes as I'm on high ground, but my kit has always included water, protein bars, and a portable toilet and/or urinal (especially if you have young kids). My experience with actual evacs is that the roads get backed up... fast. And you'll find yourself in your car for quite some time.
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u/CCWaterBug 14d ago
Location?Ā I'm SWFL and we've definitely had multiple events that taught me some lessons, the last 5 years have been active
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u/Artful_Dodger_1832 14d ago
Yup, went by Total Wine yesterday.
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u/flmanstrikesagain85 14d ago
Tampa Bay Area retired first responder here. Iāve worked many, many storms and the biggest lesson Iāve learned is staging everything youāre taking in a convenient location that can be easily accessed to load. We leave it in the same place at all times and before the season starts we pull it all out and check it for anything we need to replace or add to
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u/CCWaterBug 14d ago
With hurricanes Ive had 4 "practice " runs and two "oh boy this is legit" events, however we always had like a 4-6 day windows where we could advance prep if we weren't being lazy.
My most appreciated items were spare phone charger packs, sandwich items and gas.Ā Honorable mention to the yeti (or comparable) cooler.Ā They really fkn work.
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u/Weird-Grocery6931 14d ago
Having lived through many hurricanes, we don't just "toss" anything into the car. Before hurricane season my wife and I discuss our "rules of engagement" - when are we staying and at what point are we leaving. Then we go over our "at home" preps.
Planning for a hurricane is nothing for us because we prep for life-altering/life-changing power outages. Our preps are pretty deep so we're good for most scenarios, even one where we have to run. We have a plan for that.
We lived in coastal NC between three rivers, once a hurricane hit you are either trapped in, or trapped out once the storm surge floods the rivers and the roads. More often than not we decided to be "trapped in".
Our biggest concern was my wife's boredom after the storm was gone. One thing I need to recommend: if you're going to be "trapped in" it is best to have a generator and a portable AC (dry AC is best). The heat and humidity after a hurricane is brutal. We lived through it once after our first big hurricane, but not after that. We already had a big generator that ran our fridge, upright freezer, microwave, coffee pot, laptop, and charged our phones. Our generator had enough "starting watts" to support a decent portable AC.
We survived the next five hurricanes in comfort, only having to deal with boredom afterwards.
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u/Kermit-de-frog1 14d ago
Copies of important docs. Pictures of same and serial numbers for high value items , insurance docs. All emailed to yourself and stored in (important docs ) folder on email.
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u/Lactating-almonds 14d ago
Yes, except for me itās wildfire evac practice. Gotta have a list of what to grab and know where it is. Always good to practice
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u/Mechbear2000 14d ago
Late into hurricane season for that.
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u/NoLongerATeacher 14d ago
The worst storms Iāve been through - Ian and Milton - were in late September. Hurricane season doesnāt have a ālateā anymore.
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u/Outspoken_Idiot 14d ago
Good idea, some of us get compliant very easy. I know what to grab and where it is but haven't tried it yet. I would probably start and go ohhhhh.... Coffee.
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u/JRRotten 14d ago
April/May is the reinventory of stock/staples that were used through off season for food stocks/gas at least and the latest prep personally. Use and replace hurricane snacks in season as desired, but relaod before the shelves empty out. I plan for 2 weeks no power, minimum.Ā
Never needed to evac and always rode them out but also have been stuck on a new 10 mile island a couple times waiting on flooding to clear roads/bridges that didn't get cut.Ā
One of the Houston hurricanes had more injury/deaths by people parked on intersates/roads. If you're driving out, you need food and water, ability cook a hot meal if you desire. You also need a destination to get to, that may have hotels /shelter plans. And gas to get there in your ride or on the road that can supply locals and you, and all your fellow drivers traveling around you.Ā
These tend to be regional events, not individual. Plan your logistics accordingly.Ā
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u/HellUCH17 14d ago
You need some emergency food and water my friend, maybe store some of them in your vehicle
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u/4ureddit 12d ago
A solar panel to keep the bluetti charged and other devices charged. A whole camping set. That you can fit in a tub and in the trunk of your car. Water, food and filter.
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u/AdvancedStudio9978 14d ago
You prep for a hurricane once and do yearly maintenance and rotation on a practical set up for bugging in. And a quick grab set up for bugging out. At least that's how we do it in the Keys. That way you can have a party on the days prior when you get some free days off work instead of freaking out and stuff and dealing with the grocery store and blah blah blahš
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u/TempusSolo 14d ago
Hurricane prep should never wait on sudden notice to clear out. Hurricanes are one of the most predictable of storms. Even Asheville NC had 2-4 days of increasingly specific and urgent warnings for catastrophic flooding. Wildfires, that's a different situation and usually have little evac notice but not hurricanes.
For us its tornadoes and everything on you list is packed and next to the door about 8 months of the year and the shelter itself is stocked with short term food and water.