Your Chill Guide to Hurricane Season Prep

Look, you don’t need to be the dude with six generators and a moat.

But if you live anywhere near the coast (or inland flood zones), having your life mildly together before or during hurricane season gets real is a huge win. Or even after to prepare for next year. Listen, you do you.

Here’s the low-lift stuff you can (and should) do right now, while the sun is shining:

Build a basic storm stash

You don’t need a bunker. You just need the essentials:

• Bottled water
• Canned or shelf-stable food
• First aid kit
• Batteries
• Flashlights and lanterns
• Phone chargers (bonus: a small solar charger if you can swing it)

Tuck it all in a closet, a box under the bed, a tote bag. Whatever works. Future you will thank you. And remember, you don’t necessarily need to buy anything new, ok?

Know your flood risk and evacuation routes

Seriously, just Google “[your town] flood map.”

If you’re in a sketchy spot, know how to bounce – which highways clog first, where shelters are, and where you could crash if needed.

(Also: if your area offers free sandbags, go grab them before the first storm makes it into your group chat.)

Handle your paperwork and backups

Think about:

• Scanning key documents (IDs, insurance, medical records) and backing them up online
• Keeping some cash tucked away
• Making a “what to grab if we have 5 minutes” list

Because when adrenaline hits, your brain may or may not turn into applesauce.

All this is well and good but I need help NOW

Check here for a better guide if a hurricane is actively on the way.

3 Takeaways

1. Stash some essentials somewhere you can actually find them.
2. Know if you need to evacuate and where/how you’d do it.
3. Have backups for your ID, insurance info, and the basics that would suck to lose.

Feature image courtesy SpaceX/Pexels