This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Prepare for Hurricane Season at Publix. All opinions are entirely my own.
It’s hard to believe another hurricane season is already upon us. It was less than a year ago that our area was hit by Hurricane Michael in October 2018. It was later upgraded to a category 5 at landfall. Even though there are few remaining signs of the damage here in Walton County, we’re just one county over from Panama City and Bay County, where so much devastation occurred. I’ve driven over to see friends, run errands or drop off donations several times and now, even 9 months later, it’s incredible how much of the aftermath and damage still remains.
Taken two days after Hurricane Michael
Taken two days after Hurricane Michael
I’ve been through countless hurricanes over the years and “waited them out” at home many times, but as we all experienced with Hurricane Michael, preparedness and education is more important than ever. That’s why I’m partnering with Prepare for Hurricane Season at Publix to share ways to prepare and ready ourselves and our homes for storms this season.
It’s been unbelievable to see the effects on the community when homes, businesses and miles and miles of forests have been destroyed for our neighbors. I’ve rallied to raise funds and join in relief efforts as I know so many of our local businesses and individuals have. Support goes a long way. But being ready and informed is even better.
Obviously, I’m not a weather expert, but I’ve had plenty of experience in Florida over the years and wanted to share what my family does in the event of an approaching storm.
We always watch weather updates and the latest storm tracking pages for any changes or important forecasts. Mike’s Weather Page is a favorite along with our local news stations and The Weather Channel! For lighter storms, where evacuation isn’t required, we make sure to have plenty of supplies on hand and gathered together. In case we need to evacuate, as we did with Hurricane Michael, it’s easy to grab everything together than to run around like crazy at the last minute.
For our current season of life, we are very family focused, so we make sure to talk about the process and our checklist with our oldest daughter, who is 8. We divide the checklist amongst us, so each person has a designated job and area to review. It helps us share the responsibility as a family, but also makes the importance of preparation more tangible. We all know babies need a lot and big kids need a lot of entertainment!
Here’s our brief checklist and a full printable graphic at the end:
Food + Water
Plan to buy any needed supplies well in advance. Be sure you have enough bottles and gallons of water, non-perishable food and snacks to last each person at least one week.
Medicine + First Aid
Grab a first aid kit and be sure it’s stocked with pain reliever, Band-Aids, and other minor medical needs. Fill any prescriptions in advance.
Emergency Tools + Miscellaneous Items
Stock up on batteries of various sizes, flashlights, matches, candles, walkie-talkies, and a battery-operated radio. Have basic tools handy like a hammer, screwdriver, screws, etc. Charge back up cell phone chargers, tablets, and secondary power sources.
Baby Needs
Stock baby needs including diapers, wipes, formula, toddler snacks, toys or entertainment, etc. This whole category deserves so much attention and if you have a baby in diapers or using formula, you know how much prep it takes for even just one of these items. If a hurricane were to leave us without power, or worse, in a state of devastation, we’d be scrambling to get through just a single day’s supplies of diapers, wipes, bottles (which we just finished with!) and the usual baby needs. That’s A LOT to plan for.
Pet Needs
Stock pet needs including food, bowl, leash, medicine, kennel crate.
Special Items and Documents
Gather important documents including IDs, birth certificates, insurance, financial papers, etc.
Other Tasks
Fill up your cars with gas and consider purchasing gas cans for additional supply. Stations may run out of gas and in case power goes out, you won’t be able to pump gas. Last fall as Hurricane Michael was approaching, the lines to get gas were crazy! People waited for hours just to fill up and several gas stations just didn’t have enough to go around. My husband always reminds me of this, but credit cards won’t serve much purpose without power. Visit the bank or ATM and take out cash to cover basic needs for a few days.
Publix is my go-to grocery store and I absolutely love that they have everything on hand. Not only is it easy for a mom like me to run in and grab everything we need in one go, but I can always count on Publix to have amazing savings. Here are some of the hurricane items on sale June 15 – July 13.
- $1.50 off Any ONE (1) Ziploc®
- Brand Big Bags
- Flexible Totes
- Space Bags (1-5 ct)
- $3.00 off Any ONE (1) Energizer® – MAX® brand batteries
- AA/AAA-16
- $2.00 off Any ONE (1) Energizer® – MAX® brand batteries
- AA/AAA-8
- C/D – 4 pack
- 9V – 2 pack
- $3.00 off Any ONE (1) Energizer® – Ultimate Lithium™ brand batteries
- AA/AAA – 4
- AA/AAA – 8
- 9V – 1
- $5.00 off Any ONE (1) Boost® 12 pack
- $2.00 off Any ONE (1) Aleve® 20-270ct.
- $1.00 off Any ONE (1) Carnation® Instant, Nonfat Dry Milk 9.625oz
- $2.00 off Any ONE (1) Zephyrhills® or Deer Park® Brand Natural Spring Water 12pl./5L
- $1.00 off Any ONE (1) Alkaline88® Water Gallon
- $3.00 off Any TWO (2) Carnation Breakfast Items
- $1.00 off Any TWO (2) Gerber® Toddler® items
Click here to take advantage of these savings or visit www.getthesavings.com/hurricane
Pin to save this handy checklist!
How are you prepping this season?