I always look forward to spring each year, but there’s one part of spring that I don’t especially enjoy–the stormy weather we experience as the warm temps move in and clash with the cold that’s already here. In years past we would get a lot of tornados during the months of March, April and May–peak tornado season. I’m not sure why, but thankfully, we haven’t gotten that many the last few years.
Tornados can be so scary…the build-up as they start warning on the news that one is coming. Then the ominous sound when the sirens go off, meaning one has actually been spotted in the area. Last year when it was looking like Hurricane Irma might actually make its way all the way up to Georgia, I stocked up with a lot of good supplies in case we lost power for a few days. I feel much more prepared for this year’s volatile spring weather than I did last year.
Today I’m sharing some of the items I purchased last year in case you would like to add a few items to your bad-weather arsenal. They really give me peace of mind and I hope you find them helpful, too.
I have these in every room of my home, including the basement. I also keep one in the crawl spaces off the bonus room dormers and in a couple of closets that are super deep and are not always easy to see inside. I like how they collapse for storage and light up when opened. They are super bright and will last for 12 hours of continuous use. They are available here: Lanterns.
A BNOTP reader told me about these and I purchased several for my home and for my son/dil’s home. They are awesome! They come on automatically when there’s a power failure and can be unplugged to use as a flashlight. I love that I don’t have to worry about waking up in a pitch-dark house if the power goes out at night.
My daughter-in-law keeps theirs in the “on” position so when the lights are turned off at night, the blackout buddy will come on and shine down on the floor to light up the hallways at night. There’s one in the hallway right outside the guest room that lights the way to the bath. Very convenient! Definitely recommend these, not just for bad weather. They are available here: Emergency Light.
It’s always good to have a first aid kit on hand, both at home and in the car. This one has great reviews, so it’s the one I just ordered. It’s available here: First Aid Kit. It’s very light-weight, so would be good for taking along when hiking, too. I think I’ll order one for my son’s family since they go hiking almost every weekend.
I purchased 4 of these blankets last year and love them. They are all cotton which is what I always prefer. They come in several colors, I especially like the navy and the gray. They are available here: Blankets.
Another item I purchased last year was a good inflatable mattress in case I needed to be in the basement during the night. I love these because they have their own built-in electric pump. It inflated very quickly and was effortless to deflate once it was no longer needed. This mattress can be found here: Mattress.
I also have a couple of back-up batteries for my phone. I have THIS one, it comes in a bigger size HERE.
I’ve always wanted a portable radio for the basement in case of bad weather. I tried and tried to find one last year as Hurricane Irma was headed our way, and they were sold out everywhere. I guess everyone had the same idea! I ordered this one and though it didn’t come before Irma arrived in Georgia, I’m glad I have it now for future stormy weather. It’s available here: Portable Battery-Powered Radio.
I just ordered this Weather Alert Radio today. The reviews looked good and I like that it can be set for the type of alert you want to know about and is area specific. Tornados are normally the thing we have to worry about here in Georgia, and I’ve always been worried that I wouldn’t hear the tornado sirens going off during the night since I sleep with a fan running all year long for the white noise. I’ve always wanted a Weather Alert Radio, but they are usually so expensive. Glad to have found one that is reasonably priced. This one is available here: Weather Alert Radio.
This isn’t a comprehensive list…you’ll still want to stock up on batteries, water, food, etc… but I hope this post is helpful as we move further into spring and the crazy weather that sometimes comes with it. Stay safe, dear Friends!
Have a wonderful weekend, see you on Monday for Metamorphosis Monday!
Thanks for the reminder, Susan! Just ordered the weather radio, lanterns and emergency light! Never know when extreme weather might hit this spring! I already have the lantern (think you recommended it before) but plan to put these in the car, too. The SAME technology for the weather radio is a nice feature- Thanks again for shopping so well and sharing your advice!
Thanks, Kay! I’m excited to get the weather radio, have always wanted one of those. I hope neither of us really needs it this spring, but glad to have it just in case.
Tornadoes are not a major concern this far north, but snow storms are. We are fortunate that the home we recently purchased has a whole house generator that goes on automatically when the electricity goes out. We prepared for this past winter with a full pantry, and the security of not having to go out when the roads are bad is a blessing.
Definitely! This girl stays home when the roads get bad! 🙂
One word: Water. You can never have enough water. A storm can knock out the pumping stations, just as Irma did. Fill your bathtubs, etc. and have bottled water stored. We don’t stay in hurricane country during the dangerous time (Aug-Oct), but on Swiss TV we watched Irma head straight for us, then turn away. At the last minute our classic-car insurance offered us $1000 to move the cars inland, and it turned out that if we had, they’d certainly have been destroyed!
I remember last year saving water in the tub for flushing, just in case Irma was still huge by the time it reached GA. Fortunately, I didn’t need it since it was more of a tropical storm by the time it arrived.
Amazing about the cars!
I have to admit I am cheap, I mean thrifty, and stocked up on battery operated LED Christmas lights. They really came in handy for Irma. I had a tiny radio that had AM, FM, and a weather alert at the time. Don’t wait for the warning, stock up all year.
Also, if you have allergies, the pollen really did me in with the warm, cold, warm weather in FL. Missed the flu but this did me in. Consider an air cleaner for your home while you are shopping on these sites Susan was gracious enough to give us.
Thank you for sharing. I have the weather radio. But I did not know about the lanterns.
We aren’t quite as prepared as you, but getting there. But I need to review what we have and where. Didn’t think about the cars, so thanks for that one. But such a luxury to have a basement–we don’t need to worry about trees, but so many in our area have been hurt by such huge falling trees on their homes. Great ideas and great timing!
It is that time of year again. I will organize our safety equipment and stock up on water. We do have a finished basement. We had a tornado pass through a few years ago. All the telephone/utility poles were so bent they had to be replaced.
Wow…tornados are so powerful…very scary!
Thanks Susan for the great tips on these very important items and reminding us to review our equipment or purchase it if you haven’t done so already. Be sure to have extra water and food on hand for your pets also. ♥️
Great tip, Cyndi! So important!
Thanks Susan! Remember Irma and how we couldn’t find housing?! Ended up in TN for 10 days. Traumatic! Several friends moving out of SWFL due to the Irma experience. We got the roof fixed last week, roofers aren’t doing repairs only full roofs. Screen, dock, fascia, etc. 10k+. Out of pocket. Thanks for the reminder, I will start stocking up on our hurricane Arsenal!
Oh, yes…I remember now…there was that huge evacuation. I’d forgotten about that. I hope you don’t see anything like Irma again, Dawn Marie!
I am terrified of storms particularly since I have many trees on my property. I have some of the items you mentioned but am going to take another look and probably get the lanterns. Storms expected soon in Dallas. Thanks for the good advice.
We’ve had a few this spring, a really strong one about a week ago. That’s what got me thinking about this post. It’s that time of year.
What a great post. We live in Wisconsin, and do have tornados, but so far we, ourselves, have not been in danger. My husband and I live in a mobile home, so as Mia stated above, no basement, and we have several very large trees close to the home, which could do some serious damage. We always try to be stocked up with bottled water, and “easy” food, that doesn’t take any prep. Have one lantern like yours, and have put several more on our Amazon list. Blankets and 1st aid kit (ck) got that. Will be buying the radio and the weather alert radio that you posted also. Thank you so much for the reminder, and where to find these great items. It is very much appreciated. Bonnie in Central Wisconsin
Thanks, Bonnie. I know, big trees are such a worry during storms. I’m so glad you haven’t been in danger so far. Tornados are scary to go through, been through quite a few over the years.
I have the lanterns, and a radio, as far as weather alerts go, they come to my phone so another gadget isnt needed. That’s handy if you’re out and about and the weather turns. I was in a grocery store when a tornado warning was issued…..everyones phones were going crazy with the alerts.
Yup, I have a weather app on my phone, too. But I put my phone on mute at night, so I like the idea of having the weather radio for nighttime. If you don’t mute your phone at night, you should be okay.
I usually mean to mute it, but most nights I forget! We are not in a tornado prone area for most of the year.
Susan, this is my first time commenting but wanted to say thanks for all the pertinent “be prepared info”…especially here in Georgia which can be challenging during the spring. I already had a large plastic tote filled with water, food, blanket, pillow, 1st aid kit, and lantern in the basement. I recently purchased a blowup mattress, several more lanterns and have just ordered the radio you featured. I even have a preferred local meteorologist who is calm & collected…some get so excited that I almost panic thinking the tornado is on my roof. As scary as bad weather can be the last thing you need to be doing is hyperventilating! Thank you for reminding us that being prepared helps lessen that panicky feeling. Love all your helpful hints and recommendations.
That is so true…about a calm meteorologist. We have some really good ones here in Atlanta. I especially like Glenn Burns…although I’m afraid he will retire sometime soon.
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I have the weather radio and our local meteorologists will program it so that it relays warnings for just our specific county. We definitely have tornados here in Nebraska.
Ugh, sorry to hear you guys have them, too. This weather radio works that way, you can set it to just alert for your county or area.
This was a really helpful post, Susan! I wouldn’t have thought of some of these things. The mattress in the basement is a great idea. I don’t know why I never thought of that.