(WTXL) — Every year we talk about what items you need in your hurricane “bucket” at home.
Water, food, medicines, documents and more: The basics stay the same, however, there are a few New items you might want to consider for your kit this year.
There are dozens of different hurricane preparedness lists online and in stores with all of the basics listed out, but as you're getting your bucket together, you may think of other items to include to make surviving after the storm easier.
"You want to make sure you have things like shampoo and soap and even toilet paper," said Jeri Bush, the director of Leon County Volunteer Services. "You take the middle thing out and wrap it up so you don't have to struggle to do basic things."
Many items in a hurricane preparedness bucket can be used in a number of different ways, from tarps to the bucket itself.
"You can actually sit on the bucket," Bush explained. "If the wells are out and you don't have power, it's almost like a portable porta-potty, especially if you have small kids. Just line it with a plastic bag, have some Lysol."
While everyone should have the essentials, some may choose to buy camp equipment like battery operated fans as a way to stay comfortable after the storm. Other items that can be found in the camping section include solar powered phone chargers, or even a solar oven for cooking some of the non-perishable food in your kit.
"You're not going to have any power, so you want to make sure you have things in the bucket that kind of make life more
comfortable for you," said Bush. "These are the type of things you don't think about, but you're grateful you have to get you back up."
Bush suggests buying a few items at a time to avoid spending a lot of money all at once. City officials all over are urging everyone to prepare now for this hurricane season.
"June 1 is the beginning of hurricane season and it lasts until November," said Cory Thomas, the deputy EMA director for Miller County. "Now is the time to prepare. Not October. Not three days before it happens, but now is the time for people to prepare for hurricanes because it happened once. It can happen again."