Hurricane Season Preparedness Tips & a Free Printable Checklist

Growing up in North Carolina, hurricanes have always been a part of life. From Hugo to Fran to Irma to most recently Florence, I can think back and tell you exactly where I was when these storms hit as well as the impact that they had on my family, my friends and my community. As hurricane season approaches again this year, I’ve been doing some thinking about how to best be prepared. And for all of you out there who may be in the path of hurricanes or other natural disasters in the coming months, I wanted to share not only my best tips for hurricane season preparedness but also how prepping for these massive storms helped my family discover a new and better way to drink water each and every day.

I will tell you that I’ve lived in almost every region of North Carolina. I grew up on the coast, spent my college years in the Triad and moved with my family to the mountains. While most people think that hurricanes only affect coastal areas, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many hurricanes like to come in through the Gulf coast and spin their way through the mountains, dumping tons of rain, spurring tornadoes and leaving massive damage. Just two short years ago, Hurricane Irma put our little mountain town directly in her impact and the damage was unbelievable.

We were without power for days. Having grown up on the coast, you’d think I would have been prepared for this scenario but the truth of the matter is, I wasn’t. I thought that because I had moved away from the coast I was no longer in the path of hurricanes and natural disasters. Those few days in September quickly taught me that I needed to make some changes and implement some Hurricane Season Preparedness tips and since then, I’ve done just that. Since I now feel like my family is prepared for hurricanes and natural disasters, I wanted to share some resources, tips and essentials with all of you.

Have Plenty of Primo® Water on Hand

We live out in the country and have well water which is great for showering and watering the flowers but not ideal for drinking. For some time now I’ve had my eye on a Primo in-home water dispenser because I knew it would be fantastic for encouraging my family (and especially me) to drink more water. Once I tasted the Primo water, adding the Primo Deluxe Bottom Loading Water Dispenser became a no-brainer. It is the perfect size to fit in our kitchen and allows us instant access to room temperature, hot and cold quality water that goes through a multi-step purification process that includes reverse osmosis. Not only is it my favorite new kitchen accessory but it guarantees that anytime my family wants fresh, quality water, it’s on hand. And the water it delivers? Well, if you’ve ever been told you can taste the difference with Primo water, you’ve been told the truth because it’s really a step above any other I have tried.

What I didn’t realize is that in addition to helping us all drink more purified water on a daily basis, Primo water dispensers are great for after natural disasters like hurricanes. We use Exchange Water. While everyone else is filling their bathtubs up with water, I’m able to simply visit a local Primo retailer and exchange all my empty water bottles that we’ve been drinking throughout the year for pre-filled water bottles that are sanitized, have added minerals for great taste and are perfect for having on hand when hurricanes strike.

I also have the option of refilling my Primo water bottles through one of Primo’s indoor and outdoor Refill stations that are self serve. I can simply find a refill location near me by clicking here and use my current bottles and a cap that I’m able to order from the Primo website to convert my exchange bottles to refill bottles. Refill bottles do not have added minerals the way Exchange water does. Trust me when I say that this is a HUGE help when water is contaminated from a storm and guarantees that I am able to give my family quality water that’s been through a multi-step purification process.

For my family, exchanging our Primo 5-gallon bottles of water is quick and easy and our choice for stocking on up on water to guarantee that my family has access to quality water year round but especially when hurricanes hit. It’s so easy for us to head to our local grocery store (you can find your closest store to purchase Primo water here) and purchase or exchange our bottles so that we always have extras on hand and never run out. While I love knowing that we can all enjoy purified water any time we want from our Primo Deluxe Bottom Loading Water Dispenser, it gives me extra peace of mind with hurricane season upon us.

But wait! For all of you who are going “But you said you lost power during the hurricane so how did you use your beloved Primo?”, I’m with you. That was one of my biggest concerns too! But Primo has me covered even when power is out with a manual pump dispenser that allows me to access my Primo water easily without electricity. I store it with my extra bottles of Primo water and that way I know that whether I simply want my family drinking better water or need to access fresh water after a hurricane, Primo has provided everything I need.

Want your own Primo Water Dispenser and Manual Pump Dispenser for Hurricane Season? Check out the Walmart website, for the manual pump. It’s so popular it’s already sold out on the Primo.com website.

Have A Supply Kit and Checklist

While without a doubt having water on hand is in my mind the most important preparedness tip during hurricane season, it’s a good idea to also have other essentials on hand and know where they are. Listen to me when I say don’t wait to gather your supplies including your five-gallon bottles of Primo water. To help you out I put together an easy Hurricane Season Preparedness Checklist that you can print here.

Some of the most important items to remember in addition to water when preparing for a hurricane or natural disaster are:

• Primo Water and Primo Manual Pump (I recommend one 5-gallon jug per family member)
• Batteries
• Flashlight
• Non-perishable food
• Candles
• Matches/Lighters
• Fully charged portable chargers
• Battery-powered radio
• Generator and gas

While I’ve been accused of being over-prepared, it’s good to have a simple checklist that gives you confidence that if you end up spending days without power, unable to get out of your home, you’ve got the essentials on hand to ensure that while you may have to rough it, you’ll have everything you need to keep your family safe.

Have an Evacuation Plan in Place

While the tips I’ve provided above are intended to keep you safe as you shelter in place, be sure to have an evacuation plan ready in case you need to or have to leave your home. This Hurricane Season Preparedness Checklist will help ensure you’ve got the essentials and don’t forget to add five-gallon bottles of Primo water to you supplies to make sure that your family has plenty of water on hand for whereever you end up riding out the storm.

While I’ll fully admit that my intention when I brought our Primo in-home dispenser into my home was to be ready for hurricane season, I want to take a minute and challenge all of you out there to take a good look at the benefits of having a Primo dispenser in your home not only for hurricane season but for all year round. While my love of this dispenser was fueled by my desire to be prepared for hurricane season, since adding our Primo dispenser to our home, we’ve been drinking more water and saying goodbye to disposable water bottles. Both my boys love using the Primo dispenser and where they used to reach for disposable bottles of water, they are now aware that our whole family is helping the environment and drinking water that we love the taste of.

Now it’s your turn to join the Primo family and not only be ready for hurricane season but discover the best way to encourage your family to drink more water and ditch the disposable bottles. To get started use the code WATERGOALS25 to save 25% off your purchase of a Primo at-home dispenser and get FREE fast shipping! Even better when you use this code you’ll receive a FREE coupon for a 5-gallon bottle of Primo water in the box when your dispenser is delivered and another one will be mailed to you! That means that you can get your family started on the best water around for less.

So act today. Be ready for hurricane season or simply discover a better way to hydrate your family this summer. Now tell me, do you have a Primo in-home dispense in your home?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Primo.