The One Where We Prepared for Hurricane Ian

Well guys, the stress of Hurricane Ian is officially here for me.

Something about the weekend gave it cushion and the comfort to even make a parody reel about hurricane prep shopping with the masses. With the news continuously showing the storm track with Tampa Bay in its cone and my mom asking me about the giant tree in our front yard – I finally had a bit of overwhelm this morning.

I think a lot of it comes from worrying about not doing ENOUGH. When Hurricane Irma came around, Ben and I were already heading to Illinois for a friend’s wedding. That event really took away the stress of having to prepare because we knew we weren’t going to be here anyway. Living through the preparations for Hurricane Ian is a completely different experience.

If you’re following along on Instagram then you know that our fridge just broke yesterday. This was likely due to the fact that I had it open the entire time while I was shooting a fridge organizing video, so it had to work overtime to cool itself down. Big OOPS (although let’s hope the video turns out well). Unfortunately, the fridge saga now has Ben and I living out of coolers with our food and drinks that we could save. Our mini fridge on the patio has swapped out its seltzers for sauces.

While this may have become the reality for us post-hurricane, it’s definitely awful to be going through it pre-hurricane.

We don’t have a main drinking water supply because our fridge is down so we’re breaking into the bottles that were purchased in preparation for what the storm might bring. The most shocking realization is how much we use water for. Our coffee machines, the boy’s water bowls, drinking of course. I’m a gallon a day gal myself, so this is in particular has been a big struggle.

I know we’re going to get through this.

Writing out thoughts and ideas always seems to help me, so I’m going to put together a list below of what we still need to do around here. Maybe this will help any other last minute hurricane prep girlies like me. Of course you should still assess your own needs and take your own precautions. This is solely based on what I know we need to do.

House:

Wash any remaining laundry and dishes before the storm

Bring in any patio furniture, floats and pool tools to a secure area so they don’t blow away

Assess your trees outside – do any of them pose a threat to your home? At times this can be super subjective.

Install hurricane shutters and batten down the hatches as they say

Determine where your safe space will be should there be an isolated tornado. I think usually this is a bathroom, a closet or an area of your home without windows.

Gather any important documents and make sure they are in a secured box or area so they don’t get ruined

Put together an emergency kit of tools. This should hold essentials you might need like flashlights, candles, lighters, first aid kit items, etc. 

Charge up all of your electronics and any mobile battery packs you have

Personal:

Make sure to shower the night before the storm and get your hair washed if you need to

Download any movies or playlists you may want to watch or listen to on your phone or mobile device

Check in on friends, family and neighbors to see if they need anything (i.e. a place to stay, supplies if you’re making a run, just someone to talk to, etc.)

Prepare a go-bag in case you need it. Include comfortable clothes, medications you may need, things like that. Essentially you’re packing for a lite-trip. Don’t forget your pet’s go-bag.

Give yourself a break about the fact that you’re not in your normal “routine” right now. You’re literally preparing for a hurricane (this is a toughie for me).

Stock Up:

Stock up on dry goods – some go-to’s for our house will be jerky, trail mix, granola bars, soups, Chef Boyardee specialties (I haven’t had CB raviolis in YEARS), SpaghettiO’s,

Make sure you have a bottled water supply – and that’s not just for drinking. I think this was the biggest shock for me. We use water for so much outside of just drinking it from the bottle (i.e. rinsing, for your pets, etc).

Pets (The Boys):

Stock up on food, treats and water for your pets

Bathe them ahead of the storm if necessary

Have any paperwork handy for your pets in the important documents box (mentioned above under “House”)

Pack a go-bag for your pets with any of their essentials (food, treats, toys, medications, etc.) in case you need it

Ensure your pets have toys in place that will keep them entertained especially if you can’t go outside to play or go for a walk

Speaking of walking – make sure they get their exercise in before the storm if at all possible (quick walks, play outside before it gets stormy, etc.)

It’s a good idea to designate a potty area somewhere inside for your pets. They likely will not be able to go outside during the hurricane (pretty certain Nash would simply blow away with the wind).

I might be forgetting something or at least I feel like I am, but this list should be a good start.

Florida friends: please stay safe and be smart. If you need me I’ll be prepping for Ian, stalking Denis Phillip’s Twitter and trying not to break into any of the hurricane snacks.

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