Since as of September 7, 2017, there are three hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin in the United States (Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose, and Hurricane Katia), and it’s fairly certain that Hurricane Irma will affect the southeast coast from Florida to North Carolina, after devastating the Caribbean, and caregiving for our loved ones doesn’t stop just because of weather, here are some tips to help you throughout the crisis (hurricane recovery is long-term).

The Atlantic has a very good article on how ensure you have drinkable water for the duration. 

Other things to note if you’re in the potential path:

1. Make sure to have at least three weeks worth of medications (and a very good first aid kit, along with Neosporin, peroxide and alcohol) on hand
2. Fill all vehicles with gas (when electricity’s out, the pumps won’t work)
3. Get cash (ATMs won’t work and anybody open in the aftermath won’t be able to accept debit/credit cards until both power and internet service is restored)
4. Make sure you have a car cell phone charger (you can charge the phone in the car, even when power is out)
5. Make sure to have non-perishable food on hand (focus on as healthy choices as you can make, because a lot of this will be preprocessed)
6. Fill coolers with dry ice (wear gloves because it will burn your bare hands, but it last longer and there’s less mess to clean up)
7. If you have camping stove or an outside grill (propane or charcoal), make sure you have extra charcoal or propane on hand (freezer food will spoil quickly, so this is a good way to make sure you are able to cook it before it goes bad and also have hot meals – make sure your neighbors are fed as well; this is the time to check on everyone frequently, especially elderly folks and others who may be caregiving in the neighborhood)
8. If you’re a coffee drinker (this is always one of my first hurricane-prep items), make a lot of coffee beforehand and store it in gallon-size plastic jugs. If you have a grill, you can reheat the coffee and have hot coffee every morning/night. If you don’t have a camping stove or grill, but have tea candles and something open to burn them in, you can actually put a cup of coffee over the top and heat it that way (takes a while, but you get hot coffee in the end)
9. Make sure you have a lot of batteries, especially C and D, since most flashlights run on those
10. Barter with your neighbors to make sure everybody has what they need (money won’t do you much good, but exchanging goods will benefit everyone in the long run)

Time is running out to prepare.