Water Sanitation and Hurricane Supply Kit

There are a number of things that you need to do to prepare for the next hurricane if you live on the gulf or Atlantic coast of the United States, but those who have just moved there may not realize just what those things may be or which are the most important.

The thing that you will need to survive the most is clean water. The human body can survive for a week or longer without food, but without water, death will follow in a pretty short time. You may not be able to get to the store and obtain the water that you need, so you should save this up ahead of time. This is easily done if you keep milk jugs and rinse them out. Store these in a closet or other area of your house until the storm is on its way. Fill them up and you should have plenty of clean water to drink and bathe with, depending on how many people are staying with you.

Whatever you do, refrain from drinking water out of the faucet after the storm has already hit. This water could be contaminated with anything, including mud, silt, sewage, chemicals, and sea water. Sea water is dangerous enough by itself, since it can cause you to become extremely dehydrated and can even cause death within a few hours. You should never, ever, under any circumstances, drink sea water. It will kill you.

You will also need a fair supply of food to eat while you are stuck in the house. This should include mainly non-perishable items and foods that do not require cooking, since it is likely that the electricity will go out while you are there.

You should also make sure you have a decent amount of cash on you, in case your local bank and ATM is unavailable for a while after the storm is over.

Special items like medication for the elderly, babies, or those with different medical needs should be gathered up and put into a Ziploc bag or other kind of waterproof case.

You also need a flashlight and some extra batteries. A hand crank radio is also good to have around so you will know what is going on in the outside world even after the electricity goes out.

You will also want to have a rain coat or poncho, some heavy rubber boots, and an umbrella to use in case you have to go out of the house for anything, but you should avoid this if at all possible.

You can also include some water purification tablets in your supply kit. These usually can be bought at outdoor supply stores or at your local department store.