Hurricane Preparation Guide

Get a hurricane eval of your home by an inspector and create a program to upgrade your home to hurricane standards if needed.
Ensure trees are trimmed and canopy opened up. Do this before the hurricane season starts each year, in May.
Create more permanent solutions to regenerative resilience so that you are always prepared. This is good to do regardless of hurricanes. See some of the resources we offer in the “Further Actions” section below.

If you live on the top floor of an apartment – both you and your neighbors need to be ready to ensure roof integrity. This may mean, for instance, that you all have hurricane shutters and use them.

Have an evacuation plan in place and ready to execute for severe hurricanes.

If everybody took these steps, hurricanes would be much less traumatic and hard to recover from. You want to be prepared with what can help you during a hurricane, and also afterwards if there is no power or water or easy access for a while (could be days, or worse case scenario, weeks).

Water is life. Don’t mess around. Store enough for your needs!

Ensure you have a working water filter (Berkee is an inexpensive, very effective low tech solution, and there are a number of others out there that are good).

Make sure the water filter is operational (test it if you haven’t used it for a while).

Store as much water as you can. Hopefully, you have a rainwater tank but if not, fill up your bathtub and any other container that will hold many gallons of water. Purchase some 5 gallon containers from the store and fill them. Keep in mind, you may not have access to water from either the city or your well for days or weeks if the grid is down and you don’t have your own electric source. Figure you will need at least two gallons per person per day. That is minimal use with bare minimum water used for bathing or cooking. Add gallons as needed. Then figure out the needs of your animals and plants.

Superchlorinate your pool, especially if you won’t be there right after the hurricane passes.

Don’t forget to store water for your animals. Animals have died because of lack of water after a hurricane, especially large animals kept in pens.

Don’t forget your plants need water as well. Do you have a plan on how to keep your plants alive if there is a drought and you don’t have water access? This is unlikely to happen but not impossible. If you have a greenhouse operation, can you access water for your seedlings? Do you have a garden or crops growing? Potted plants? Think through how much water you would need if your power was off for two weeks or more and it didn't rain.

Consider using a dry/compost toilet system. Flushing the toilet takes a lot of water, and you may not be able to do so with no water running. So be prepared to handle your waste.

A very simple, inexpensive way to do this is to create a “pee” bucket with a 5 gallon bucket and camping toilet seat that snaps on. Fill it with leaves or mulch. Pee into the mulch until full (it will absorb the odors), then pour it on a fruit tree or compost pile. Pee is sterile so it is safe to compost and is a fantastic fertilizer. Poo needs to be properly processed. Set up a “poo” bucket in the same way but just put a bit of mulch in the bottom of the bucket.

Cover your poo with mulch every time you use the bucket. When it’s full, store it with the lid tightly secured and start a new bucket. You do need to know how to process poo safely - if you do not and there isn’t time to learn before the hurricane strikes, just buy enough buckets to store them until you can call someone like us to help you correctly process it (or study how to do it yourself). A gradient approach would be to flush poo, but use pee in your yard. And ensure you have low flow toilets! See Resource section for more information on compost toilets.

And the simple lesson is - store way more water than you think you will need. And be thankful when you don’t have to use it!

Florida has greatly increased its building standards so as to withstand hurricanes. Buildings built after 2002 in Florida are required to have these standards, and earlier in some parts of Florida. Some older buildings have been retrofitted. If you live in a building with these updates, you are much more secure than if you are in an older structure. We will address older structures below.

#1 in importance in a hurricane of any magnitude: Cover windows - 2-3 days before hurricane arrives with hurricane shutters or plywood. If using plywood it needs to be minimally ¾” (Important note: Make sure the wood is plywood and not particle board). You are not fully protected if you have less than minimum. If you do not cover your windows, and anything breaks any of them and wind gets inside two things will happen:
1. Water damage to whatever is exposed, and likely wind damage too.

2. Your roof could come off, more windows can break, etc. The risk of this is much greater in a Cat 4 or 5. Most houses do not have roof damage in Cat 1 or 2 storms, and there may be limited damage in a Cat 3 (shingles missing, for instance). It is not true that open windows will help “balance out the pressure.” They will make you (if you’re staying there), and your home much, much more vulnerable to damage on a number of fronts.

Understand, it is not the wind speed, but the fact that the wind is blowing at a high speed for many hours. Think about flying glass and other debris at 100+ miles per hour. There is an attrition effect as joints and glass weakens, shingles blow off, etc. Allowing wind inside of your house increases the problems exponentially.

You will need to ensure any double doors cannot fly open, either by covering them with plywood or bolting them shut. We put a 2X4 against the door at the bottom, screwed into the wall. There is hurricane glass that some windows have in Florida or you can get installed, and custom hurricane shutters you can purchase as well. Plywood is the least expensive solution. Here are more details about securing windows and doors: https://apps.floridadisaster.org/hrg/content/openings/openings_index.asp

Note, many people have not covered their windows in a Cat 1 or 2 and been fine, even in older structures. Some have had breakage or leaking damage at that level, which allowed internal damage to the home. If windows break in Cat 3 or above, which is very likely from flying objects, the house could be at severe risk of damage.

#2 if you are in a potential flood or evac zone, you should take appropriate precautions. Find out what the storm surge is expected to be on the high end and prepare for that. This might mean sandbagging your property, moving valuables to higher ground or higher in the house, and definitely evacuating. Storm surges plus wind have at times moved houses off their foundations or crushed them. You don’t want to be inside if that happens. Storm surges can be unpredictable as well, sometimes going very high because of a combination of high tide, heavy rain and already saturated ground. The biggest amount of damage is usually on the homes nearest to the seashore or waterways. Storm surges and drowning by trying to cross a flooded road are two of the major causes of death in hurricanes.

Take a video of your entire house, outside and in, and important contents. Be sure it is date stamped or you are saying things that identify the date.
Ensure you have plenty of flashlights and batteries on hand and accessible.

Pick up loose objects around the yard that could become missiles in 100 MPH wind. This could be tools, or lawn chairs, pool equipment, buckets, garden pots, etc. Walk around your yard specifically looking for anything that isn’t tied down. Turn outdoor tables upside down, etc.
Whenever you have valuable data on your computer, you really need to have multiple copies of it. Computers fail, often at the worst possible time. The more valuable, the more copies. For more details see Backup Levels at the end.

It’s too late to do proper tree trimming if a hurricane is headed your way (this should ideally be done in May, before hurricane season starts), but if you have branches overhanging your house that are half dead or otherwise, do what you can to get as much of that cut back as you can. Even if you cut back some of the leafiest parts to let some flow through, that reduces wind resistance. The idea is to let some of the wind through. That greatly reduces the impact of the wind on the tree. Trees can fall on your house, but also protect your roof from wind if it is vulnerable. Live oaks and longleaf pines are strong - native cabbage palms have some of the strongest resistance to hurricanes of any tree in Florida. In Category 5, almost all trees may come down.

Note: Manufactured housing can be damaged even in a Category 1 and totally destroyed in a Category 5.

Realize that in most hurricanes, even mild ones, the electric grid can be down for days, or weeks in some cases. If you don’t have an off grid source for electricity, there are a number of suggestions in other sections on how to handle that.
Be aware that electricians will be repairing wires and you cannot put any power (like a solar system) on the power grid while they are doing that or you put them at risk. Your solar system should have a way to cut power to the grid if you have one. Make sure it does. Also, understand that utility workers literally are working around the clock to get your power back on, and be nice to them when you see them. Take them some snacks. Thank them. Chances are, they are exhausted.

Turn off all appliances shortly before the hurricane hits, to avoid shorts, etc. You can unplug anything non essential. Some people turn off their breakers and natural gas lines totally during the hurricane and use flashlights. You should know how to do all of this before the hurricane hits. If you don’t know, ask a neighbor or a friend.

Ensure propane tanks and other explosive elements are protected. People have had their houses destroyed by a tree hitting a propane tank.
Take down/protect solar panels if concerned about wind damage or damage from flying objects. At a minimum ensure a wind guard is safely in place to help the wind around the panels. (This should be done at install time.)

If you have a rocket stove (which we highly recommend), ensure it and fuel are protected from water and accessible. A rocket stove is a super efficient wood burning stove that you can make from bricks or concrete blocks in a few minutes. You can cook meals on it using twigs and small sticks effectively. For more information about making and using one, see the Resources section.



If you have a generator, ensure that it is working, serviced, and you have fuel for it that is safely and properly stored. Don’t assume fuel will be available right after the hurricane.

Ensure you have sufficient batteries for whatever you will want to use that needs batteries, and they are working. We strongly recommend using only high quality rechargeable batteries for many reasons (including ecological). If you can avoid batteries completely, great. If you use rechargeables, make sure they are fully charged.

Realize that in most hurricanes, even mild ones, the electric grid can be down for days, or weeks in some cases. If you don’t have an off grid source for electricity, there are a number of suggestions in other sections on how to handle that.

Be aware that electricians will be repairing wires and you cannot put any power (like a solar system) on the power grid while they are doing that or you put them at risk. Your solar system should have a way to cut power to the grid if you have one. Make sure it does. Also, understand that utility workers literally are working around the clock to get your power back on, and be nice to them when you see them. Take them some snacks. Thank them. Chances are, they are exhausted.

Turn off all appliances shortly before the hurricane hits, to avoid shorts, etc. You can unplug anything non essential. Some people turn off their breakers and natural gas lines totally during the hurricane and use flashlights. You should know how to do all of this before the hurricane hits. If you don’t know, ask a neighbor or a friend.

Ensure propane tanks and other explosive elements are protected. People have had their houses destroyed by a tree hitting a propane tank.
Take down/protect solar panels if concerned about wind damage or damage from flying objects. At a minimum ensure a wind guard is safely in place to help the wind around the panels. (This should be done at install time.)

If you have a rocket stove (which we highly recommend), ensure it and fuel are protected from water and accessible. A rocket stove is a super efficient wood burning stove that you can make from bricks or concrete blocks in a few minutes. You can cook meals on it using twigs and small sticks effectively. For more information about making and using one, see the Resources section.

If you have a generator, ensure that it is working, serviced, and you have fuel for it that is safely and properly stored. Don’t assume fuel will be available right after the hurricane.

Ensure you have sufficient batteries for whatever you will want to use that needs batteries, and they are working. We strongly recommend using only high quality rechargeable batteries for many reasons (including ecological). If you can avoid batteries completely, great. If you use rechargeables, make sure they are fully charged.

Ensure you have key phone numbers to hand such as insurance companies, etc.

NOAA weather band/weather radios are a really, really good idea. If your electricity goes out, cell phone coverage goes out, and you may or may not have a way to find out what is happening. Irma jogged, and was unpredictable until the last minute. Harvey came back. Floods often peak several days after a hurricane. If solar or cranking, make sure it can also run on batteries and preferably also electricity.

If you may be separated from people you want to know are OK, get agreement to have one out of town contact that everybody knows about and then communicate to her/him. That way, you’re not jamming up lines that are needed for emergencies.

We have a HAM radio that will work if cell service is down. You can purchase hand held radios inexpensively and be able to access the HAM network. You must pass a not too hard test to gain a license to access this network. It’s a strong and useful network in disaster settings. The test is required to ensure anybody on the network knows how to not interfere with work being done, and to use the equipment properly.

If you have plants in pots, they will be safer if you lay the pot on its side. You never know which direction the wind will hit and it will come from multiple directions, but facing SW is often the safest. If there is a place surrounded by bushes or sheltered, in a corner, place them there for protection. You don’t need to worry about them getting too much water on their side, but if they are important to you, or if they are exposed enough that the wind could thrash them or pick them up even, bring them inside or move them somewhere more protected.

If some of your fruit trees are very thick, choose a few branches to trim that will open it up and let air flow through. The more air flow, the less likely your tree will come down. When a tree has thick leaves with little air flow possible through it, it can come down more easily. Often, trees will drop limbs that are weak or dead. This is mother nature’s way of tree trimming.

Ensure you pick up and safely store small logs, tools, buckets, and anything else that can become a projectile in high winds.
Harvest food that is ready or near ready. The winds will likely knock it off the tree or plant. Harvest herbs, as leaves may be stripped.
If you trees fall down, especially young trees, prop them back up after the storm. Chances are, they will recover and be fine. I’ve known of hundreds of trees and plants that survived hurricanes after being blown to the ground.

Ensure doors to garden sheds are securely fastened and won’t blow open.

If the hurricane is severe enough, consider removing greenhouse roofs or slashing openings in the plastic. Otherwise, the frame can be bent or pulled out and more damage done. Plastic is relatively easy to replace.

Ensure your animals have adequate shelter, and enough food and water to ride out the storm.

A chicken coop may not be adequate for chickens in a storm for instance, depending on how it is constructed. If it’s solid, you may want to lock them inside the enclosure with food and water. We put our chickens in a fully enclosed stall in our stable during hurricanes. It is much more secure than our coop.

Large animals are often left in the pasture to fend for themselves in a lesser hurricane. In a category four or five, there is a good risk that some could be injured, depending on how sheltered the land might be or how good their instincts. Flooding is something to be aware of as well.

It is good to have a place where you can take them out of the risk zone of the hurricane if you are near a coast or otherwise vulnerable. Ideally, arrangements would be made well before a hurricane threatens as to where you will go and how you will transport large animals.

Pets often prefer to stay home, in a familiar location, than going to a shelter which is chaotic, noisy, and full of other strange animals. I have a mini shelter for my cat in a walk-in closet where he likes to go normally. I put his food, water and litter box in there, plus have built a strong plywood protection for him. He naturally goes there during the storm and rarely comes out, but seems content once it is over.

Know your evacuation zone. You can find this by searching your county name plus “evacuation zone.” Most counties have a database where you can enter your address and see exactly what zone you are in. The county or city will announce which zones should evacuate, depending on the severity of the hurricane. If you are told to evacuate, please do so! You put other people’s lives at risk when you do not evacuate and then get into trouble.
The biggest risk in an evacuation zone is the storm surge. The surge is affected by hurricane winds, high tides and atmospheric pressure. If all three of these are optimum, the surge can be significant.

It acts not unlike a slow motion tidal wave. In downtown St Petersburg, there were posts at one point (not sure if they are still there), with markings to illustrate where the storm surge might be in a Category 1-5 hurricanes. In a Category 5 hurricane in downtown St Pete, per these poles, the water could reach into the second floor of some buildings. This is not something you want to be in. A good chunk of low lying land anywhere near water will be flooded even in a Cat 2 or 3 system that delivers a good storm surge.

If you are still thinking about staying even if you are in an evacuation zone, I urge you to go onto Youtube and do some homework by finding some videos of little creeks that have flooded to two feet deep in a parking lot taking out the entire lot of cars, or water a few feet deep moving buildings off of their foundations. Ocean surges are especially powerful. Check out our resource section for some examples.

Remember, it isn’t just the speed of the water, it is the mass or weight of it. It is a massive force going all the way upstream and weighing many tons. If it is moving, it is potentially dangerous. Often, hurricanes hit when the ground is already saturated, which means, with storm surge and rain both, flood waters can rise rapidly and keep rising after the hurricane is gone. Floodwaters often peak several days after the hurricane passes. So keep that in mind if you are in an evacuation zone. It can be terrifying to try to leave during a hurricane, and people die trying it.

If you are not in an evacuation zone, you are fine to stay in a less intense hurricane, but understand that they can be unpredictable, and some can get strong at the last minute (like Michael, which went to a Category 5 one day before landing). Even if you are in a block house that is boarded up, a Category 4 or 5 storm, depending on various factors, can take your roof off fully or partially. Look at photos of Puerto Rico after Maria, or Pensacola after Michael for some examples (again, in the resource section).

I am trying to scare you because if you’re reading this, I want you to be safe. As someone who has interviewed a number of hurricane survivors, a couple of them laying in the bathtub while 100+ mile per hour winds ripped through their roofless home for hours, it is not something most people want to experience twice, if they survive.

In New Orleans during Katrina, 1500 people died, mainly in flooding, because they didn’t evacuate. We’re better at evacuating now, so there are fewer deaths. And note, homes that have been retrofitted for hurricanes (with hurricane straps on roofs, etc) generally survive them. If there are many older trees in your neighborhood, winds will be slowed though the risk of a tree or tree limb hitting the house does exist. There are a number of factors that can reduce the impact on your home, and most homes do survive. If your home is exposed to the ocean or there is little cover between you and the ocean, your risk is higher. These are all points to assess when making a decision to leave.

Many people do choose to stay and survive, some of them even when their home disintegrates around them. Often, the home is not damaged enough to put them at risk even if there is some damage. Homes in the US are generally solidly constructed and many in Florida have been retrofitted to be stronger. Only you know what decision you should make regarding the risk. We’re providing data that can help you make a decision.

1. Red Cross or other local shelters. These are generally safe, even in a Cat 4. But nothing is guaranteed if the hurricane is strong enough.

2. Leave the area. Keep in mind that hurricanes are unpredictable. It may end up following you wherever you move, instead of hitting where you were. Study the paths of hurricanes like Irma or Harvey compared to their projected paths (and many others) for some examples. So be prepared to move far enough out of the area to not be in hurricane country at all. Consider a mini-vacation to Nashville, or Ohio maybe. Or visit your relatives you haven’t seen for a while in a distant state. See our Resources section for a list of places that give discounts in hurricanes including AirBnb’s, hotels, etc.

1. Check in at least a day early. You may want to ensure they have space by checking with them even 2 days ahead, especially if you have pets. There are shelters that have pets but not many so get in early if you want to bring your cat or dog.

2. Bring what you will need, especially if you have special dietary needs. They will have hot dogs most likely, maybe three times per day (every shelter is different but this has been the menu of one I’m aware of). Don’t expect them to have any blankets, pillows, or even water to drink. Bring your own. Shelters are not always adequately prepared. Many people prefer to take the hotel/vacation/friend visit option for this reason.

3. Be prepared to be neighborly, helpful, and not have any privacy whatsoever for however long you are there. It’s kind of like a big slumber party - enjoy it for what it is.

Bring for yourself
• Cot or air mattress.
• Any additional bedding or padding you want.
• Pillow.
• Several changes of clothing.
• Books or other entertainment.
• Book light (lights go out at 9 PM sometimes).
• Dietary needs and/or snacks.
• Water for you and your pet.
• Toiletries.
• Cell phone and charger (don’t expect to have Wifi or cell service though).


For your pet
• Pet carrier (required) - this should be large enough for the pet to be comfortable, lie down and stand up.
• Good leash (for bathroom breaks, etc).
• Proof of vaccinations (required)
• ID (microchip or tattoo are best).
• Photo of you and your pet together.
• Bowls, and up to 2 weeks supply of food and water.
• Bedding, litter box, whatever else will make them comfortable.

If you leave the area, leave early. Leave several days before the hurricane strikes if you can, before an evacuation order is given.

In Florida, the major freeways become parking lots. The back roads are usually much more open. This has been true in a number of hurricanes.

Choose a place in your home with the most protection to stay in during the worst of the hurricane which could last a number of hours. This might be a room in the middle of your home, with few or no windows, or a smaller room surrounded by other rooms. Hurricane Dorian is slated to be 250 miles across moving at 13 MPH. Thus, the winds will last 20 hours if the storm moves directly over an area (of course, the worst winds are near the center and there will be lulls). High winds for that length of time can do some serious damage.

Have some things to do, as you likely will not have the internet, lights, etc.

Be prepared for no electricity for a week or more after the hurricane. After Irma, areas throughout Florida waited anywhere from 3 days to more than a month to get electric service back. In Puerto Rico, some people waited a year before electric service was restored. This is an excellent reason to have a solar system that can operate with or without utility companies.

People miss their refrigerator the most in a lot of cases, and it draws more power than some generators can deliver. If you don’t have enough generators or solar power to run your refrigerator after the hurricane, consider investing in an electric “ travel cooler” or smaller super energy efficient refrigerator for emergencies.

Photograph and document any damage for insurance purposes.

If any roof is damaged, get it protected with a tarp or suitable material until it can be repaired.

Clean up any water damage as soon as possible, before mold sets in.

If there is salt water damage on plants, flush it with fresh water. You can save plants by doing that. Hurricanes often carry salt with them, especially near the sea.

Assess for any repairs and analyze which are most important to fix, and which can wait.

A flooded creek can move a parking lot of cars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUpkPTcqPY

Of course, a storm surge is not a tsunami, but this gives the idea of the power of the ocean when it moves inland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF3BtgemJco

A category five hurricane can take a roof off if it isn’t properly tied down with hurricane ties. Even then, depending on how exposed your house is, it can pulverize a house. Note that in the below photos, houses next to the shore and that were the most exposed to both wind and water sustained the most damage. However, Michael knocked down entire forests 50 miles inland, per on the ground reports we received and there was damage to vulnerable housing. South Florida has more stringent hurricane code for buildings and many are built to withstand even a Cat 4 or 5 hit. Counties in North Florida have weaker codes. https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-michael-photos-mexico-beach-florida-2018-10#resident-tony-feller-is-one-of-the-residents-who-stayed-in-mexico-beach-6

Building codes in Florida
https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/South-Floridas-Hurricane-Building-Code-StrongAnd-North-Floridas-Could-Be-Stronger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane-proof_building
https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-early-lesson-from-irma-hurricane-building-codes-work-1505559600

Many people did not evacuate and yet they survived Michael. Most people do survive. Most people die from flooding in hurricanes, some of them after the hurricane has passed. But I will urge people to leave in the face of a strong hurricane if there is any way possible, especially if you don’t live in a building built to modern code. See Resource section for some data on your options.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIDrBRlFvd4
https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-michael-photos-mexico-beach-florida-2018-10#resident-tony-feller-is-one-of-the-residents-who-stayed-in-mexico-beach-6
https://www.aeroedgeusa.com/index.php/videos-hurricane-roof-testing/hurricane-protection-for-roofs

Solar

We provide a basic hurricane ready solar system with batteries and everything you need to operate your basic household functions off grid after a disaster or other electric outage. It runs fine on the grid when the grid is up, but can be switched to run independent of the grid as well.

We offer full house solar solutions as well and usually at a better price than other companies. Our equipment is the highest quality, with excellent warranties and client relations from manufacturers. We would purchase and use any of it ourselves (and do use most of it).

Property assessment

We help people buy property by doing disaster vulnerability assessments, feasibility or suitability assessments and an analysis of client goals and property potential. We have worked in a wide range of disaster settings and code/zoning situations. We strongly recommend that clients do use us in the pre-purchase stage as we can cut short the feasibility process sometimes by weeks and prevent costly errors.

Disaster planning

We consult with clients and design disaster ready systems for existing homesteads, suburban homes, farms, and developments. If you would like to ensure you are more resilient in the face of a range of potential disasters, we’d like to help you!

Ebook on disaster prevention
This booklet focuses on handling a hurricane that is imminent. Stay tuned for our book on how to choose land that is disaster resistant and to retrofit existing property to maximize resistance - often very affordably.

What can you plant and where do you provide the most effective windbreaks?
Top ways to prevent damage.
How to make a simple, doable plan and execute it little by little.
How to create a solid evacuation plan, in depth.
Simple and doable steps to create more neighborhood wide resiliency.
And more.

We appreciate your feedback on this manual. It’s a work in progress and we’ll continue to add things that people find useful. Give us suggestions and feedback, pro or con, and we’ll add you to our list to provide all future updates to it! What was useful? What else do you want to know? What could be more clear? Anything incorrect? It’s important for us to be completely accurate with our information.

Hurricane data
https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Florida Division of Emergency Management overall disaster organization, has much advice and other data potentially useful
https://www.floridadisaster.org/

Plans for businesses, families, individuals
https://apps.floridadisaster.org/getaplan/

Florida Nursery License agency disaster planning
http://www.fngla.org/advocacy/disaster-assistance?_cldee=a29yZWVuYnJlbm5hbkBnbWFpbC5jb20%3d&recipientid=contact-4886a571474de51183c1005056a35a87-7a5f0082e2aa431aa53bae5b3c68ffbb&esid=6730c04c-c9c9-e911-815f-005056a32e0d

Apps for getting help before, during and after a hurricane
https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647463731/17-apps-to-help-you-get-through-the-hurricane?fbclid=IwAR2w1Rh8Evxw8uCrLFyBlnZeLm884GDXqLtXfvqFA_i1YISQNdbswrjo3nQ

DIY Rocket stove plans
https://morningchores.com/rocket-stove-plans/
http://thesciencebehindtherocketstove.blogspot.com/

Wood frame house specs for 100+ MPH wind (technical)
https://www.awc.org/pdf/codes-standards/publications/wfcm/AWC-WFCM2001-HWG100B-0610.pdf

Compost toilets
Simple separation toilets can be purchased, or hand built

Hand built toilets can be quick and simple, or more elaborate

Instructions for DIY compost toilets (Note: This is just a sampling of hundreds of ways you can do this. It is all up to personal preference. The simplest way is what we have described in the main body, above)
https://www.buildinggreen.com/news-article/urine-collection-beats-composting-toilets-nutrient-recycling
https://morningchores.com/diy-composting-toilet/

One should always have a backup of valuable data. Even though computers are pretty reliable, anyone keeping everything on a single point of failure is, well, out of luck if it fails. There are multiple methods of increasing the odds of surviving computer crashes.

First level is keeping the same data twice on the same drive. Not very redundant if the drive fails but can be better than nothing.

Better is to keep a copy on a separate drive than the first one.

Better yet on a different computer.

Best on multiple devices at multiple physical and geographical locations

Keeping a copy on a not electrically connected drive can save you from a large electrical strike, lightning, solar EMP (electromagnetic pulse) or worse.
Off-property in a physically different location not subject to the same threat vectors as the first one is increasing the odds of surviving.

Next can be at some backup location online that is geographically different from your own. The one comes with its own liabilities. For example, others may have access to your data. Others may not care for its integrity as much as you do. In the case of one particular ISP, they went down with a hurricane and lost all the backups they held for others. They failed hard with their clients' data not having different geographically located backups.

A relatively inexpensive option to keep your computer going even when electricity fails intermittently is to have a battery backup. It is also known as an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). They come with a USB cable that can automatically do a graceful shutdown of your computer if power fails for more than a couple of minutes. Simply disconnecting power to a computer can cause loss of data. It needs to be able to save any information still only in memory. If it is doing any kind of housekeeping, meaning reading and writing data, then data could be lost. Therefore you want to do a proper power down through the menu.

A laptop with a working battery works in the same way, but usually doesn't last as long as a larger battery in a UPS.
Companies usually have multiple of the above options.

Note, we have placed the basics list first, and “will likely be useful” list second. Some people may feel that things in the useful category are necessities and vice versa. You be the judge of your situation.
• Water filter (Berkey or other robust filter).
• Water for all people and all animals at your location for one week to one month or more.
• Blankets.
• Robust first aid kit.
• Waterproof plastic bags for valuable documents (including insurance information).
• Very bright flashlights or lanterns.
• Full tanks of gas for cars.
• Food that doesn’t need cooking or refrigeration (peanut butter, canned food, etc).
• Ice or ice packs for the freezer.
• Toiletries.
• Cleaning supplies.
• NOAA weather radio.
• Pet food.
• Matches.
• Supplies for infants/children (diapers, etc).
• Cash.
• Medically necessary equipment and/or medicine, sufficient for a couple of weeks.
• List of phone numbers.

• Battery operated or 12V fans or USB fans.
• Heavy duty outdoor extension cords - these are professional grade. Do not use anything but these to string electricity from a neighbor’s house or through the outdoors. American Wire Gauge 12 50-100 feet - at least 2 or more.
• LED lights, solar powered.
• Rain gear.
• Rope.
• Duct tape.
• Manual kitchen appliances (can openers, etc)
• Tools, screws, bolts, etc.
• Local maps.
• Tarps and plastic for leaks after a hurricane.
• Five gallon buckets and toilet seats for toilets.
• Propane stove and propane (if you use - be sure to store propane safely!)
• Fire extinguisher, charged.
• Small solar charger for cell phones, batteries, unless you have another solution (not a bad idea to have that backup anyway).
• Plastic storage boxes that latch for valuable documents, other valuables (waterproof).
• Games - cards, board games, etc.
• Generator (for back up only hopefully) - multi-fuel model. Fuel safety in a hurricane!
• Fuel (for generator).
• Regulation fuel containers.
• Rocket stove and dry fuel.
• A canoe or small boat, if air ensure you have a pump.

• Water for all people and all animals is sufficient for a few days (we go overboard on this).
• Blankets.
• First aid kit.
• Waterproof plastic bags for valuable documents (including insurance information).
• Very bright flashlights or lanterns.
• Full tanks of gas for cars.
• Good knife.
• Kitchen utensils.
• Food that doesn’t need cooking or refrigeration (peanut butter, canned food, etc).
• Toiletries.
• NOAA weather radio.
• Pet food.
• Maps.
• Fully charged cell phones and chargers.
• Matches.
• Supplies for infants/children (diapers, etc).
• Cash.
• Medically necessary equipment and/or medicine, sufficient for a couple of weeks.
• List of phone numbers.
• Water for all people and all animals is sufficient for a few days (we go overboard on this).
• Blankets.
• First aid kit.
• Waterproof plastic bags for valuable documents (including insurance information).
• Very bright flashlights or lanterns.
• Full tanks of gas for cars.
• Good knife.
• Kitchen utensils.
• Food that doesn’t need cooking or refrigeration (peanut butter, canned food, etc).
• Toiletries.
• NOAA weather radio.
• Pet food.
• Maps.
• Fully charged cell phones and chargers.
• Matches.
• Supplies for infants/children (diapers, etc).
• Cash.
• Medically necessary equipment and/or medicine, sufficient for a couple of weeks.
• List of phone numbers.