be prepared

Nick, Madeline and I survived our first hurricane experience here in Philadelphia. I'm not going to lie, all the media and talk a few days before the storm hit had my heart racing and feeling very uneasy. Mainly because I've never been in a hurricane before and I wasn't sure what to expect. And mainly because I was worried about Madeline.

I grew up with Tornado weather and experienced heavy storms and scary situations... but I never saw a tornado growing up despite the crazy weather I've seen. I have actually always loved tornado weather... but I really think it's because tornado's have never actually threatened my home. I love the sound of thunder and rain and the amazing sights of lightning bolts lighting up the sky. We used to sit on our front porch, windows open and everything, watching the storm brew in the big Texas sky.

Being in a hurricane was a much different experience.

 I had a husband and baby to worry about ( I care about them more than anything). Again, I wasn't sure what to expect. When the storm finally hit on Monday, everything was shut down, Nick's school was canceled, and we just sat and waited inside our little apartment. It rained hard all day long with gusts of strong wind every now and then. It really made me feel super vulnerable because mother nature doesn't mess around when she's angry. There was literally nothing we could do but sit tight and just wait. We figured the worst that could happen would be flooding & power outage for days if not weeks. I kept thinking the worst: our windows breaking because of fallen trees, flooding in our home, my baby girl getting hurt, etc, etc. My mind kept racing.

All day long we were wondering if our power would go out... but nothing ever happened. Nothing. I kept looking out the window and looking at the trees to see how hard the wind was blowing. It definitely was blowing hard... I kept seeing the tree outside my window bend over and almost touch the ground because of the wind. Tuesday morning, I woke up, definitely expecting the power to be out this time... but our home was warm and our power was still on. Blessings from above.

The storm had passed.

 Our area had only experienced strong winds and rains. A few trees had fallen in our area, but no one was hurt. ( The heart of Philadelphia experienced lots of flooding and fallen trees & power lines.) My heart was so full and never before have I been so grateful for the little things ( like water.) I was so thankful the storm didn't hit us as bad as it could have.

We checked online to hear the sad news that Jersey and New York got hit the worst. My prayers go out to those people who are currently suffering because of the hurricane.

I feel like we dodged a bullet and it really opened my eyes to how fragile life is and how important it is to listen to the living prophets. ( Keep food storage up to date and 72 hour kits!)

Friday, when I heard Philadelphia ( and the east coast) was expecting a HUGE hurricane to hit on Monday, I immediately started researching 72 hour kits and things to have during a hurricane. 

Nick and I have talked about 72 hour kits and we *kind-of* already had them ( but I looked through them and they were SUPER lame... so I dumped everything out of them and started fresh.) 

I went to Target and filled our cart with everything I felt we'd need during the storm. I'm going to share those items with you now incase you need some ideas for YOUR 72 hour kits. :) 

ps- On Sunday, we heard that many stores were out of water, bread, peanut butter, etc. Many people were scrambling at the last minute to get much needed food and water. Saturday night, Nick and I decided to get a battery powered radio incase we needed to hear the news during the storm. We thought it wouldn't be too hard to find one at the last second... but we went to 7 different stores and they were ALL sold out. Everyone else had the same thoughts as us. Finally, the last store we tried had a few left. Another eye opener to just be prepared long before a storm hits. 

( I'm no professional) 

OUR 72 HOUR KITS: 

( I bought large zip lock bags to put our first aid stuff, food, and other items in.) 

FIRST AID:

sterile adhesive bandages (4-6)

2 and 4 inch gauze pads ( 4-6)

adhesive tape

scissors

tweezers

bandages and Band-Aids

needle and thread

moistened towelettes

antiseptic

thermometer

safety pins

cleansing agent/soap

latex gloves

baby ibuprofen

ibuprofen 

tums

pepto bismol 

TOILETRIES

Toilet paper

girl supplies

plastic garbage bags ( could also be used as ponchos if needed)

anti-bacterial hand sanitizer 

toothbrushes and toothpaste

BABY ITEMS

extra diapers

extra formula/bottles

binkies

lots of extra baby food jars and spoons

3-4 changes of clothes

4-5 socks

coat

2 blankets

beanie

a few toys

( anything your baby might need.)

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:

( I bought a binder and sheet protectors to put all our documents in. Keep this in a safe, fireproof place.) 

Family evacuation plan 

Our Will

Important contracts

Social Security Cards

bank info

ID's

Birth Certificates

Wedding Certificate 

checks/cards

Important phone numbers

A current family photo ( incase they need to do a search)

passports

immunization records

family records

CASH ( make sure it's all small bills because people might not be able to give change during or after a disaster.) 

OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS:

flashlights

extra batteries

waterproof matches

hand and feet warmers

thermous

whistle

Map of the area you live

Radio

can opener

external hard drive with important documents/photos 

a deck of cards :)

books :)

Nick and I packed back packs with 2-3 pairs of clothes, shoes, beanies, gloves, & a warm coat. We also put these things I mentioned above in zip lock bags and distributed them into each other's 72 hour kits. 

FOOD

lots of bottled water ( we also filled zip lock bags with water and put those in our freezer. We also filled our bath tub with water.) 

ready to eat canned foods ( like soups) 

canned fruit

canned chicken

PB & Jelly

bread

crackers

trail mix

( basically things that you don't need to cook and won't go bad.) 

* We also gathered our photo albums, Madeline's baby book and journals and put them in a spot (or container) so we could grab them if we needed to evacuate.* 

We filled our cars with gas & kept our phones charged. 

Even though I felt uneasy at times before & during the storm... I felt peace in my heart because we were prepared. As prepared as we could be for a hurricane. 

I urge each of you... even if you don't live in a hurricane zone... you probably live in a place where tornados or earthquakes could hit . Listen to the prophets and get your homes in order. :) I promise you won't regret it. 

and finally... my most important recommendation to have during a storm: 

is PRAYER & FAITH. 

I feel so blessed that my little family is safe. Again, my heart goes out to those who are facing the effects of the awful storm & we're going to find ways to help them. 

click HERE and HERE for more great 72 hour kit ideas! 

“We have built grain storage and storehouses and stocked them with the necessities of life in the event of a disaster. But the real storehouse is the family storeroom. In words of revelation the Lord has said, ‘Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing’ (D&C 109:8.)”