Top 5 Items You Need for Hurricane Preparedness

One of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself and your family when hurricane season arrives is to get ready. Hurricanes can produce damaging winds, flooding, tornadoes, long power outages and loss of communication. Having the right emergency supplies, including a NOAA Weather Radio can significantly enhance your safety and peace of mind before a storm even begins to form. 

Here are the top five items every household should have for hurricane preparedness. 

1. NOAA Weather Radio

A NOAA Weather Radio should be the foundation of any hurricane preparedness plan. Many people rely on their smartphones to get weather updates, but hurricanes often cause power outages, cell tower failures, and internet disruptions. When those systems go down, a NOAA Weather Radio is still getting alerts directly from the National Weather Service. 

Why Every Home Needs a Midland WR120 NOAA Weather Radio

Key features include: 

• S.A.M.E. (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology enables the radio to alert only for the counties you select, eliminating unnecessary alarms from far away areas. 

• Alerts for over 60 hazards and emergencies including hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, flash floods and other emergency notifications. 

• Loud emergency alarm that will wake you up in overnight weather events. 

• Battery back up to keep it running during power outages. 

• Large display and simple programming make for easy set up by any homeowner. 

Hurricane warnings can be issued at 2 a.m. when families are sleeping. When a hurricane warning, tornado warning or flash flood warning is issued for your area, a WR120 will alert you immediately, giving you valuable moments to respond.

 

 

Why You Need a Midland ER310 for On-the-Go Preparedness

The WR120 NOAA Weather Radio is a great choice for your home, but if you want a portable device to prepare for hurricanes, go with the Midland ER310. Should you need to evacuate, suffer long-term power outages, or simply want a weather radio in your emergency kit – the ER310 was built for just those situations. 

Key features include: 

• NOAA Weather Alert feature which will alert you on the spot about any dangerous weather and emergency situation. 

• Three types of emergency charging options: rechargeable battery, solar panel, and hand crank. 

• USB charging port for recharging your phone and other devices during blackouts. 

• Bright LED light and SOS signal for emergencies at night. 

• Ability to listen to AM/FM radio broadcasts for information about the current situation. 

  

The WR120 should be thought of as your first layer of protection in your house, while the ER310 is your mobile emergency control center. Both will make sure that you are ready to go no matter what situation you find yourself in. 

2. Emergency Water Supply

Access to water is one of the first needs that may be unavailable following a hurricane. Water supplies may be disrupted by flooding, destruction of water processing plants, and electricity outages. 

The experts recommend having: 

• At least one gallon of water per person per day 

• At least a three-day supply on hand 

• An ideal seven-day supply 

Don't forget water for pets as well. 

3. Non-Perishable Food

After a hurricane, the supermarkets might not be operating normally or will take a while to refill their supplies. To ensure your family’s self-sufficiency, you should always keep some non-perishable food items at home. 

Some examples are: 

• Canned foods 

• Energy bars 

• Peanut butter 

• Meal-ready packages 

• Dried fruits 

• Snacks 

Be sure to include a manual can opener if your emergency food supply contains canned items. 

4. Back Up Power and Lighting

Power outages are one of the most common consequences of hurricanes. Outages could take anywhere from days to weeks, depending on how strong the hurricane is. 

Some useful devices for powering your electronics during outages include: 

• Power Banks 

• Batteries 

• Solar Chargers 

• Flashlights 

• Head Lamps 

• Gas Generators 

The presence of numerous devices that provide light and charge could prove to be very useful in such a situation. 

5. First Aid Kit and Emergency Documents 

The presence of a fully-stocked first aid kit is key to handling small injuries before first responders arrive. 

Your emergency supplies must include the following items: 

• Bandages and gauze 

• Antiseptic wipes 

• Painkillers 

• Medications 

• Gloves 

• Contact details for emergencies 

It’s also essential that you keep your insurance policies, identification papers, medical reports, and all relevant documents in waterproof storage or backed up digitally. 

Final Thoughts

Preparedness for hurricanes involve much more than just accumulating supplies; it's essential to be able to obtain important information in the crucial moments. Therefore, an important element of your preparedness list should be a dependable NOAA Weather Radio. 

In this context, the Midland WR120 and the Midland ER310 offer you both security by providing you with alerts specifically targeting your county, and convenience by offering alternative ways to power the radio and important alerts even during emergencies. When supplemented by such things as food, water, additional power source, and a first aid kit, these devices are sure to help you through a hurricane.