10 Ways To Prep For Summer Storms

It seems strange to be talking about how to prep for summer storms when it is currently the middle of winter. (sigh) But that is what preppers do – plan ahead! Summer storm season has shown up this year with a vengeance. With flooding in Texas, tornados in Oklahoma, and more, this year is shaping up to be a monster season.

A Bolt of Lightning Strikes in a Stormy Desert Night

While we can’t really help what the weather does (or really predict it past more than a few days), there are a few things we can do to protect ourselves and our families for when those strong storms come knocking. These 10 ways to prep for summer storms are just a few ideas that you may want to consider.

10 Ways to Prep for Summer Storms

Food storage

Did you know that the average American family keeps a food supply of 3 days or less in their fridge, freezer, and cabinets? If the power is knocked out at your home for longer, what would happen?

You would quickly run out of food. To prepare for that possibility, make sure you have at least a 2 week supply on hand.

Do you have to stock up on those survivalist freeze-dried MREs? No, you can find a lot of very suitable things in your local grocery store.

What kind of food? Think about ready-to-eat meals that only need to be heated up – like canned ravioli, chili, Spam, etc. Even canned condensed soups are a good bet.

Water

Back in 2008, when the State of Wisconsin flooded, there were multiple cities that lost their water supply to contamination. In an emergency, water is one of the very first items to disappear.

Instead of having to scramble to find some for your family, store it now before you need it. Ideally, you’ll want to store 1 gallon, per person, per day, and extra for each pet that you have.

Light

Power outages are no fun for anyone so be sure that you keep flashlights, a supply of batteries, candles, and matches on hand. If you’ve got small kids, you may want to consider flameless LED candles, just be sure to stock extra batteries if you’re going to use them.

Prep for Summer Storms with Batteries

Speaking of batteries? Flashlights and LED Candles aren’t the only things that take them. Make sure you have extras just in case you need them.

My big tip? Black Friday is when Menard’s has had a fantastic deal on both AA and AAA batteries – we always stock up and for literal pennies when compared to the rest of the year.

Do NOT get these at the local Dollar Store. I know it is tempting but they seriously don’t have that great a shelf life. It would really suck to need them and realize that they were dead.

Grab and Go

As little as we want to think about it, there are some situations where it’s best to not stay in your home. Flooding, fire from a lightning strike, roof leaks, and more. To prepare for this, be sure you have a Bug Out Bag for each family member that is packed and ready.

Gasoline

Keeping a few extra gallons of gas on hand serves two purposes. One, if you have a generator, you can use the gas to fuel it in the event that your power is out.

Two, it can also be used in your car to evacuate if needed. If you’re going to be storing it for a while, be sure to add a bottle of Stabil to it to keep it from going bad.

Emergency Radio

If the power goes out, you’ll still need to be able to keep up with the weather and any alerts. Picking up a NOAA Weather Radio will help you do that. Y

ou can find them as cheap as $13 on Amazon. Be sure you spend some time picking yours out because you can find them with a ton of different features.

This weather radio is our favorite as it a hand crank but also has a solar charge option. It is great for charging your phone too! It boasts these features:

  • NOAA weather radio with 7 NOAA channels to get the latest weather and hazard information
  • The hand crank radio flashlight cell phone charger with a 4000 mAh li-ion battery, which charges more than one smartphone in the emergency
  • 4 Ways( Micro USB charge, Solar charge; Hand crank; Replaceable li-ion battery; ) to keep the hand crank generator on power
  • The electricity label will notice you clearly the electricity of the emergency radio
  • The flashlight radio with a super-bright 3 mode flashlight for any dark places you are in
  • Motion sensor reading lamp for you to get up in the mid-night to avoid waking your family

Prep for Summer Storms with Plywood

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, you may want to consider keeping some plywood on hand to cover windows with. While it may not fully prevent damage, it will help some. You’ll also need nails or staples and a hammer to make sure you can hang the sheets.

You may also want to look at the window film that secures against breakage.

Fire safe lockbox

Having a lockbox is a must to protect your important documents like birth certificates, social security cards, and any custody papers. Having them in a fire-safe box as well is just a second precaution.

Insure me

Do you have renters or homeowners insurance? Storm damage is usually considered an “act of God” for insurance purposes which means that they will cover it. Flood insurance is not provided through an insurance company but through the federal government.

Both are typically very affordable and if by some tragedy, you would lose everything in a storm, your home and possessions are covered. On the same note, we never know what is going to happen and there have been many people killed by storms.

Make sure that you have proper life insurance as well. The last thing any of us want is to leave our family behind with no way to pay for debts or take care of themselves.

Other posts you may enjoy once you Prep For Summer Storms: