How to prepare for a hurricane: Important lessons I've learned
Having experienced hurricanes in Puerto Rico while growing up, here’s what one New York City-based Shopping writer recommends to keep on hand during hurricane season.
A supply of water is critical when preparing for a natural disaster. Make sure you and your family keep their water bottles full with this 5-gallon water bottle — a simple addition to your kit. It is made from 100-percent BPA-free plastic. The water bottle features a 120mm screw cap with an air plug which helps for easier pouring and cleaning. It might not be the prettiest bottle but it’ll come in handy and quench your family’s thirst. If you want something more hi-fi, check out the best water bottles in 2020.
Having a portable charge (or two) will keep your phone charged in case of an emergency or if you need to reach out to family and friends. Anker’s PowerCore Charger, when fully powered, can charge your phone up to six times and equips three USB ports. The dual micro USB inputs charge the device twice as fast, in about six and a half hours. Over 14,000 Amazon reviewers gave it a 4.7-star average rating.
If you lose electricity, you will also lose access to the internet. If you don’t want to run through all your data, you can get this travel size router. It boasts up to 300 Mbps for Wi-Fi, ideal for lag free video streaming and online gaming, and is compatible with Google’s Chromecast. It also comes with a two-year warranty.
Flashlights are good to have handy in case of a power outages. GearLight’s LED Tactical Flashlight comes with two flashlights and five different settings: high, medium, low, strobe and SOS. It is built survive a 10-foot drop and submerged in water. The flashlights are powered with three AAA batteries, which are not included.
Welly’s Excursion Kit is fully equipped for cuts and scrapes of all sizes. The kit includes 150-variety of bandages, a roll of tape, eight non-stick pads, ten wound prep pads, ten butterfly strips, ten triple antibiotic packets, ten hydrocortisone packets and a vial of ibuprofen. Welly has kits of varying sizes and styles, such as the Human Repair Kit and Colorwash Quick Fix Kit.
In the case of an evacuation, the CDC recommends your “go kit” include hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Harold Lancer, MD, a board certified dermatologist, previously recommended Germ-X hand sanitizer to us. “I prefer soap and water, to tell you the truth, but if I had to pick, Germ-X is a great choice. Made up of 63 percent ethyl alcohol, it will fight off germs and the novel Covid-19,” he said.The pack comes with four 32-fluid-ounce bottles.
If you were to lose water due to a storm, having a water supply for drinking is important, but you might want to come up with an alternative for keeping yourself clean, too. The Hygiene Ready Set comes with a solid cleanser for your hair, body and face and antibacterial wipes that are alcohol-free and an ideal refresher when you don’t have access to water.
According to the CDC, your “go kit” should also include a face mask (at least two per person). Buck Mason Anti-Microbial masks come in packs of five and are treated with an anti-microbial coating on the inner layer. The masks are meant to last up to 30 wash cycles and made it into our most purchased face masks.
On a lighter note, it’s important to keep entertained when weathering a storm. Board games, books and video game consoles can be a great way to spend time with your friends or family as you wait for the storm to pass, or even in the aftermath if you have lost electricity. This Monopoly set includes everything from the classic game such as title deed cards, chance and community cards but with a new lineup of player tokens like a T-Rex and Rubber Duck.
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