With hurricane season in full force, there is a lot of attention on hurricane preparedness. After you get all the basic preparations (food, water, and shelter) taken care of, check out these organizing inspired ways you can prep for the storm:
1. Merge and Protect Photos
Get all your photos together in one place so you can grab them in an emergency. At a minimum, make sure you can put your hands on family keepsake items like wedding albums and baby books. Take it one step further and protect the photos and albums by putting them a plastic tote or large ziplock or space bags to protect from potential water damage. Check out my blog post on protecting your photos for more information.
2. Gather Important Papers
Locate your vital documents like birth certificates, passports, marriage licenses, and cash. You want to be able to grab them in an emergency evacuation situation. Here is my blog post on organizing vital documents for more details.
3. Edit the Freezer
Keeping the freezer as packed as possible will keep the items frozen longer in case of extended power outages. Take some time to throw out what you don’t need and organize what you do. Then freeze containers of water to make ice blocks and pack them in! While you are at it, spend some time on the refrigerator. Throw out what you don’t need and make it easier to find what you do need. In times of power outages, you want to make sure to open the fridge as little as possible. By making your essentials easier to locate, you won’t waste time searching for them and will spend less time with the door open.
4. Organize Garage to Make Room for Outside Items
Part of storm prep includes securing loose outside items that might become projectiles in the storm. Take some time to organize your garage or shed to make room to securely store these items.
5. Edit Pantry to Create Space for Shelf-Stable Food
Storm prep inevitably includes stocking up on can foods, water, and other shelf-stable goods. Use this opportunity to edit the pantry. Get rid of expired foods and foods you no longer want, and make room for your hurricane stash. You will need it for the next few months!
6. Organize Closets to Accommodate the Laundry
If you are like most people, you will spend a good bit of the last remaining hours with electricity washing clothes. With everything clean, you may be short on space in the closet to put everything away. Use this time edit the clothes that no longer fit and that you no longer wear. Make sure the clothes that you are wearing have a place to go in the closet.
7. Create a Home Inventory
Having a home inventory is vital in emergency situations. Not sure what a home inventory is or how to create one? Check out my previous blog post on creating a home inventory.
Approaching hurricanes can be very scary. Following these tips can help you gain control and make this stressful situation a little less intimidating.
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