Hurricane Preparation with Twins

Hurricane season is in full swing once again! If you live in the south, dangerous tropical storms and hurricanes are a fact of life. When you have young children or twins, you must be extra diligent to ensure you are all safe and as comfortable as possible while riding out the storm.

Last year, I was in south Florida when Hurricane Irma decided to pay a visit . . . I packed everything up, rented an SUV, and decided to head to northern Florida away from the track of the storm. As luck would have it, Hurricane Irma decided to follow us north, so after staying in Tampa for a few days, we headed to a hotel in Orlando, again, to avoid the storm track. We were safe in the hotel, but were locked in for quite some time with very limited supplies. Below are some tips on getting through a hurricane and its aftermath with kids.

- If you decide to stay in your home, get a generator. You can run your refrigerator at least, which is crucial to keep milk cold for the kids. Ice becomes extremely scarce when there are major power outages since no once can make it. Plus you don't want to have to venture out for it during a storm.

- If you decide you're going to leave, start booking hotels EARLY. Book a couple larger hotels if possible, that have liberal cancellation policies in the event the storm track changes and you have to change plans.

- Get GAS early and fill up your gas tank. Purchase large coolers and as much ice as possible. You will need this since ice will be scarce.

- Get plenty of milk for the coolers and lots of snacks that will keep without refrigeration. I recall driving from store to store right before Hurricane Irma searching empty shelves for healthy snacks or food that didn't need refrigeration.

- Stock up on things to occupy your twins. Depending on their age, pack puzzles, crayons and coloring books, games, play doh, etc. Even the hotel could lose power and be operating on a generator which may not power all TV's. There could be lots of down time when you're just waiting for the storm to move on.

- Charge all electronics! Backup phone chargers are very helpful, but in a pinch you can charge your phone in your car.

- Finally, if the power is out and there is no A/C it could get very hot. Bring shorts and tanks and light clothes for the kids and yourself. Stay safe! If you have any other advice or tips that have worked well during hurricanes, please share. #hurricane, #tropicalstorm, #twins,