Storm Preparedness Makes Great Winter DIY Projects

Make Storm Preparedness a Family Affair

We have all seen multiple types of storm or emergency situations unfolding across the United States last year and this year. If you haven’t already put storm preparedness or emergency preparedness measures in place for your family, winter is a great time to take the time to do it!

I think many of us would agree that we have had some very turbulent weather patterns happening in the last few years and they seem to be gaining in strength, how many areas and people are affected. In 2022 alone there were so many major extreme weather events in the United States.

There were wildfires in the western United States, the Texas freeze and hailstorm, tornados throughout the south, hailstorms in the north-central United States, the central United States dealt with Derechos, both Kentucky and Missouri dealt with floods, and hurricanes took their toll on Florida, especially with Hurricane Ian. Those of us in California since the beginning of the year have seen record rainfall, flooding, and snowfall.

Storm Preparedness & Emergency Preparedness

The storm preparedness suggestions we make work for storms or emergencies are for any time of year. I just learned that floods kill or hurt more people each year than wildfires. That was astonishing to me, but a fact. We give you multiple ways below to stay aware, prepare, and be prepared for when emergencies and storms occur in your area. Many of these suggestions you won’t find on national or regional preparedness online resources, they have been put together by our team that has lived rurally and been affected by multiple storms and emergencies over the years.

Weather Apps for Storm Preparedness

Weather applications are a great resource for staying ahead of storms coming to your area. Everyone seems to have their favorite weather application, but we suggest having multiple weather apps on your phone to get a better picture of what storms could be coming your way.

In our area, we like Accuweather the best for accurate rainfall predictions and hourly forecasts. Weather Bug is our favorite for hurricane information and the accuracy of their lightning strike predictions and the mapping of lightning strikes. Knowing how close predicted lightning strikes could and are happening lets you make sure that you and your family are in a safe place to weather out the storm. Finally, Weather Channel for their storm maps. We have alerts set up for all weather apps so we get notified as soon as possible about incoming storms.

Emergency Alerts for Storm Preparedness

We suggest signing up for emergency alerts from your local storm preparedness office or emergency services office in your county. Also, there is a FEMA app to get storm preparedness strategies and real-time weather and emergency alerts. We have found that the app Watch Duty is great to have if you live in an area prone to wildfires. We have found that we get alerts from Watch Duty quicker than our local police or fire department. We also see the fire’s progress and what teams are working to bring the fire under control.

We have found that our local Facebook county group has been great for networking and getting help during storm events and local disasters. I’m sure someone has set up a Facebook group for your county. My local small community area has hand-held radios that are very inexpensive from Amazon a four-pack was $49 and they are programmable and have a range of 5 miles. Hand-held walkie-talkies are a great resource and are our communication source when power, phones, and cell towers are down and allow us to be in touch with people in our neighborhood. You can never have too many resources!

Storm Preparedness Stock a Home Emergency Kit

Creating a storm preparedness emergency kit is a great way to stay prepared for storms or emergencies. We have a great blog on what to stock up on for yourself or your family to have on hand to keep you in good shape when a storm or emergency arises, just read our blog on an Emergency Pantry. We also created a great blog on Food Security and growing your own food, along with a blog on starting your own Mini-Farm. Being energy self-sufficient also helps a lot in a storm or emergency and you can read about different ideas on how to Make Your Home Energy Self-Sufficient in this blog.

Portable Evacuation Kit for Storm Preparedness

Putting together a portable evacuation kit for storm preparedness, disasters, or emergencies is wise to do these days. We suggest personalizing any list you find on the internet and saving a copy to your computer, your cell phone, and also printing a hard copy that you have in a plastic protective sleeve in a handy place in your kitchen or what you consider the hub of your house. Here are some suggestions that you can adapt to fit the circumstances and the needs of your family:

• Water-one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation

• Food-at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food

• Battery-powered or hand crank radio

• Flashlights and battery-powered lanterns

• First aid kit and prescription and supplements your family usually take

• Extra batteries of various types

• Whistle: to signal for help-we have bought an air horn like you use boating, much louder

• Dust mask: to help filter contaminated air, we keep N95 masks on hand

• Plastic sheeting, duct tape, and zip ties for emergency repairs and shelter in place

• Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties

• Wrench or pliers and keep a tool kit in your vehicle for emergencies

• Manual can opener

• Local maps, a backup drive of your computer, passport, and any other documents kept at home and not in a safe deposit box

• Cell phones with chargers and a backup battery, we like having a solar backup battery for chargeable devices, contrary to popular belief they don’t need the sun to charge just daylight

Storm Preparedness–Generators to the Rescue

Generators are really important for storm preparedness. One of our friends’ kids us that you should have one to use and one as a backup in case your generator goes down during a storm. If you have the money and time a standby generator with either a 100 or 200-amp switch that automatically starts your generator when the power goes down is wonderful. A standby generator has been on my wish list, but for the time being, I use an inverter dual-fuel generator with an electric start. The reason I invested in an inverter generator is regular generators produce uneven electrical current and to keep computers, big-screen TVs, and today’s refrigerators safe you need an even electrical current.

The other option is to invest in a UPS, battery backup with pure sine wave and make sure you have it between the incoming electrical cord from your generator and any of your appliances and computers. Having a UPS with at least 12 outlets and 1500 VA/1000 W allows you to use a traditional gas generator because the sine wave will be pure when it reaches your electronics. You know the essentials you need to run in your home during a storm and can best calculate the wattage that would be needed to keep your appliances and computers safe.

Alternative Heating & Cooking Sources

When you are thinking about storm preparedness it’s good to give some thought to how you are going to cook and heat your home during a storm or emergency. Investing in a good size outdoor grill gives you a way to cook many food items if it is powered by wood, briquets, or propane. Unfortunately, some of the newer grills have electrical components that render them useless when the power goes out. Also, many of your comping supplies can be used to cook food when power is not available. We love our wood heating stove that heats our home because not only does our home remain heated when the power goes off but we can also heat water and cook on top of our wood stove.

Also, if you live or are building out in the country having your well above your house so you have gravity going for you when the power goes out is really handy. Also, in our blog on Energy Self-Sufficiency, we discussed solar-powered water well pumps, a great idea to reduce utility costs and keep your water running during power outages! If you have the money investing in solar for your home with a battery backup is the ultimate energy self-sufficient situation.

Prepare for Severe Weather Events

There are all sorts of severe weather events that can happen and you are probably the best judge of what types of storms would affect your area the most. Whether you are dealing with hurricanes, tornados, lightning, snow, ice storms, or flooding they all can pose a serious risk to your home, business, livelihood, and your well-being and that of your family. Most of us have been through serious storms and serve weather events and know best how to cope but we hope the ideas we have shared today help in some small way to lighten the load and help you prepare.

We hope 2023 is a wonderful year for you and your family. We have many new products coming online this year at Shed Windows and More so be sure to check back often. We are your best source as a DIY builder or small contractor for a wide selection of products that beat big box store pricing and are delivered timely with wonderful customer service worldwide.