As I’m sure of you have seen, Southern California is about to get slammed with the tail end of Hurricane Hillary.

Most of us here in SoCal have never been in this kind of weather storm, so here are a few tips to get your home ready.

For those of us who have been here through wildfires, you may notice that some of these tips are the same, but this time for different reasons. We won’t be worried about ash debris, instead leaves, branches, and maybe items that have not been secured (depending on how high the winds are gusting).

Outside your home:

1. Secure any loose items. Bikes, scooters, plants, patio furniture, outdoor toys, and play equipment. If it can be put inside the house or garage, great! If not, make sure it’s secured into the ground.
2. Close your windows and doors. Make sure they can lock. Caulk any gaps. Water stays out!
3. If you live on the ground floor, sandbags might be needed. Check with your local Public Works department for free sandbags.
4. Pick up any fallen branches, large rocks, or loose wood- Anything that can be picked up in the gusts of wind and can turn into a projectile.

Inside your home:

1. Charge everything. Phones, laptops, tablets, portable gaming devices, portable batteries, flashlights, walkie-talkies.  I also have a portable battery that charges via a small solar panel. I am charging that in my front window right now. If power is lost, you can still keep in touch and stay entertained.
2. If you have tablets and streaming services, download some movies or cartoons to keep the kids entertained and their minds off the storm. I downloaded a bunch of movies and books onto the iPad and tablets last night.
3. Everyone needs to take a shower or bath. Wash your hair, shave your shaveables. Clean out your tubs afterward and fill the tubs (Or fill some buckets) so you can flush the toilet if there is a disruption in water service.
4. Speaking of water, everyone in the house needs at least a gallon of water to drink. Fill up pitchers for hand washing and any minor dishwashing and keep them near sinks.
5. Put some bottles of water inside the freezer. If the power goes out, the frozen water bottles can keep your food cold. also- DO NOT keep opening the fridge and freezer if the power goes out. You are letting the cold air out!

Personal matters:

1. Make sure you have a week’s worth of meds. We use the daily med boxes (like these). I filled them all last night.
2. Stock up on any personal care items you may need- especially TP. Body cleaning wipes (don’t flush them). If you are or will be menstruating, make sure you have supplies.
3. Don’t forget the pets. Make sure you have enough food, water, and treats for them.
4. Have a plan in case you need to leave your home. Coordinate with someone on higher ground or contact the Red Cross to see where shelters may be located.  This also means you may need to pack an emergency bag to go.  My post about wildfire bug-out bags can be found here. Most of the info is transferable.
5. Snacks- check your cupboards to ensure that you have ready-to-serve snacks that your family will eat. We took a quick trip to Dollar Tree yesterday. Each kid got $20 to spend on storm snacks.
6. Fill up your gas tank. Each car/vehicle. If there is an extended amount of time without power, the gas stations will be closed.
7. Check your car’s windshield wiper blades and replace them if needed.
8. Check the tires and inflate them as needed.

We are spending our morning getting ready for back to school. I’ve been doing these prep activities when the kids are occupied, so they don’t get the feeling something is off. They know a storm is coming, but beyond that, they are excited for the rain.