Real storm prep tips for hurricane season (not just buying 50 cases of water)

Been sitting through storms in Spring since 1988 and the main lesson I learned after Hurricane Ike and every bad blow since is to freeze water in washed out milk jugs starting in May. Fill them three quarters full so they do not burst when they freeze. If power drops, you move two into the fridge and keep the rest in the freezer to hold the temp. When they melt, you have clean water for flushing toilets or washing hands. Also, buy a paper plate stash now. You do not want to use your stored drinking water to wash greasy dinner plates in the dark. My grandkids think it is a luxury to eat off paper plates for three days straight.

This is our fourth summer here since moving from Ohio and I still get so anxious when everyone starts talking about storm season. In the Midwest we had blizzards, but at least the heat worked. Is a full house generator something everyone actually has, or do most people just use portable ones? We are in Spring Trails and our power cut for three days last year. My husband bought a couple of those heavy duty battery packs for our phones, but I never know if that is enough or if I am being naive.

You do not need a twenty thousand dollar whole house setup unless you have medical equipment or just extra cash burning a hole in your pocket. A good five to six thousand watt inverter generator running off gasoline or dual fuel will run a window unit AC, your fridge, and a couple lamps. My prep every May: test run the generator with fresh gas, change the oil if needed, and run a heavy gauge extension cord to test the portable AC unit. Do not wait until the storm enters the Gulf to find out your carburetor is gummed up with old fuel from last summer. Also, clear tree limbs within six feet of your roof line. If a branch is hanging near the main service drop line from the pole, call CenterPoint now. Do not trim near power lines yourself.

Do not buy those overpriced storm kit buckets at the big box stores. Half the stuff inside is junk flashlight toys that break in ten minutes. Buy two blue five gallon water jugs at Walmart or HEB for under fifteen dollars each and fill them from your tap right before a storm approaches. Buy a manual can opener to leave in the pantry specifically for storm supplies. When canned goods go on sale at Dollar General or HEB, grab extra beans, tuna, and fruit cups. We feed five of us for days without spending a fortune on specialty dehydrated meal pouches.

No candles. Please, for the love of everything, stop using open flame candles when power drops. Every storm season we get house fire burns in the ER because someone knocked a candle over onto curtains or a mattress while trying to navigate a dark hallway. Get LED headlamps for everyone in the house, including kids. They cost maybe ten bucks online, leave your hands free, and do not burn the house down. Also, if anyone in your house takes daily prescription meds, do not let them run down to two pills before requesting a refill in June or July. Get a two week buffer now.

Fill your gas tank when the storm is four days out, not twelve hours before landfall. The lines at the HEB fuel station on Spring Cypress or the Buc-ee's off 290 get completely insane. I leave for work at 6:15 AM and even at that hour during a storm warning, people are idling in line blocking traffic. Keep fifty dollars in cash in your glove box or junk drawer. When cell towers or power go down, card readers at the few open gas stations or convenience stores off I-45 will not work. Cash is the only thing that gets you ice or gas when systems are offline.

Glow sticks from the dollar store for the kids bath time when lights are out! My twins think it is an underwater rave instead of a terrifying blackout. Keeps them calm and I can actually see where they are in the house when the hall is pitch black.

Put your important papers in gallon Ziploc bags inside a waterproof plastic tote. Birth certificates, insurance policies, house deed, pet record shots. If water comes through a roof leak near Airtex or anywhere, you are not scrambling to save soaked paper. Also, a small single burner butane camp stove saved us last time. My husband bought it at the Asian market off Veterans Memorial years ago. We could make fresh coffee every morning and heat up tortillas or soup right on the patio table. Coffee keeps morale high when the air conditioning is out.

If you work remotely, prep your tech setup before the storm hits the coast. I keep three high capacity Anker power banks charged in my desk drawer all summer. They will keep a cell phone and a mobile hotspot router alive for a couple of days if you need to check in with work or family. Also, charge your laptop fully before the storm line hits. A charged laptop battery can act as an extra power bank to charge your phone via USB if you run out of other options. And take down loose patio umbrellas, plastic kid toys, and hanging baskets. Anything loose in the yard becomes a missile at fifty miles per hour.