Top 5 Hurricane Hacks

By Angela Sharkey

If living in South Florida has prepared me for anything, it’s how to survive a hurricane. While running frantically to the grocery store for water and canned food and waiting in line to fill up your gas tank is all part of the tradition, putting these hurricane hacks into practice to equip your home for the storm will be some of the best advice you could take from this Florida gal.

1. Freeze Ziploc bags with water

Fill up Ziploc bags three-quarters full of water and stack them in your fridge as you wait for the storm. Not only will they keep your freezer cool if you lose power, but you’ll also have plenty of drinking water available!

2. Use your washing machine as a cooler

One of the oldest party hacks is also a new classic hurricane hack! Fill up your washing machine with ice to keep your drinks and other perishable items cold in case of a power outage. Why the washing machine? Because water will drain out as the ice melts! GENIUS.

“Don’t forget to unhook all the lines from your washer so that water/sewage back up isn’t an issue”— U.S First Responders Association.

Note: This image is the “party” edition of this hack. If beer is part of your hurricane essentials, by all means…

3. Fill your bathtub up with water

Hurricane experts love this trick! Many suggest filling your bathtub up with water before a storm hits. This way, if power is down for an extended period of time, you can use the water to clean, drink or flush toilets. Don’t forget to sanitize your tub with bleach and rinse with water first!

Bonus tip: Use a plastic tablecloth or shower curtain to line your tub in order to make sure water stays clean.

4. Store valuables in the dishwasher

Did you know that your dishwasher is built to keep water in? So, when it comes to flooding, it will also keep water out! This hack is perfect if you don’t have your own water/fireproof safe, since it is the next best place to store valuables like photo albums or legal documents. What’s even better is that since dishwashers are often bolted to kitchen counters, they are more likely to stay put!

5. Set up indoor dog potty

One hurricane hack for you fur parents out there? Your very own hurricane puppy potty! With heavy wins, rain, and flooding, walking your pup will be out of the question. Which is why laying sod inside of a kiddie pool will be a lifesaver. No kiddie pool? No problem! Use trash bags as liners instead.