A thunderstorm the other day knocked out power for a portion of my local community for three days – getting power back on was hampered by epic flooding that washed out roads and kept roadcrews and law enforcement busy!

Weather disasters are arbitrary and can strike at any time; here is what you need at a minimum!

Generator and Fuel

These are the most basic items needed during a crisis scenario. Once you figure out what type of devices you need to power, you have to calculate how many watts it will take to run each piece of equipment. Add up the wattage requirements for each piece of equipment on your list and it will tell you what size of generators you will need.

When it comes to stocking fuel, you have to store the type of fuel your generator uses.

You can opt for diesel or gasoline generators to power your home during weather disasters. In general diesel generators are much more expensive than gasoline generators because they have better fuel efficiency and a longer engine life.

Water and Water purification items

Storing water is one of the basics of emergency preparedness. The recommended water quantity ranges from one gallon to one gallon and a half per person. This water will be used for both drinking and sanitation purposes. Storing water depends on the available space you have and the containers you can use.

Since you don’t know how the weather event will affect the integrity of your home and provisions, you should be able to purify water with the items you’ve stockpiled.

Food

When it comes to storing food to prepare for weather disasters, things are never easy.

First of all, you need to know how the eating habits of your family. And second, you should select the foods they eat based on the type of severe weather disasters that your region is known for. The idea would be to stockpile food that requires no refrigeration, preparation or cooking. Your food should require little or no water at all.

However, this is not always easy and it depends on the eating habits your family has developed. If you have young ones or old people to care for, having a few food comfort items becomes a must. Don’t forget about plastic eating utensils.

Radio or/and TV

Having a small battery powered TV or radio is recommended if you want to know what’s going on outside. A NOAA weather radio provides you with all the information you need.

It will help you figure out if you should hunker down or go to safety.

Nowadays, you can use your mobile phone for almost anything you can think of. People will spread the word about weather disasters and some will even provide live feeds.

Make sure you are able to keep your phone charged and you have a good decent data plan.

First-aid kit

No matter how you look at things, accidents happen all the time. Your chances of getting injured during weather disasters increase significantly. The tricky part about having a good first-aid kit is to be able to use it to its full extent. If you don’t have medical training, you should at least have the proper documentation to guide you through a medical emergency.

Cash is king

When the power grid goes down due to weather disaster, your credit card is useless. Since there are always items or services you would need, you should have hard cold cash. Each family should have a cash reserve, set aside for emergency situations.

Tools

The problem with severe weather disasters is that they always cause things to break. You should have all sorts of wrenches and pliers to turn off utilities in case the pipes are affected. You need all the tools that would keep your home standing. Everything from dust masks to fire extinguishers.

Sanitation and Hygene

Sanitation becomes an important survival task during extreme weather disasters. You need to keep a good hygiene to stay in proper shape. Things become difficult if you have infants to take care of or people with disabilities. Always stockpile diapers, moist towels, antibacterial sanitizer, feminine supplies and personal hygiene items.

Think about how you will get rid of the waste you produce. A few garbage bags are a must, but how about if the disaster lasts for more than a week?

You simply never know when a weather disaster will strike; no matter where you live, you can find yourself in a disaster zone = be it for a few hours or a few days, weeks or in the worst scenario, a few months.

That is why you have to have some basics stored away for use in such an event.

For more information on weather-related disaster preparation, please visit Prepper’s Will.