Top-Off Preps: Eight Things to do at the Last Minute

As regular readers know, I failed to take several last-minute steps that could have made our recent Hurricane Helene three-week power outage more palatable. I decided a formal list of things to do at the last minute would help prevent me from skipping something the next time a disaster threatens.

While I had a last-minute shopping list focused on food, it was for a TEOTWAWKI emergency, not a hurricane. My new list, below, goes beyond food and can cover not only massive global disruptions like nuclear war, but smaller, more localized events like an earthquake, hurricane, or blizzard.

The premise is that you are already a prepper and have the basics covered, but you have some time—say 12 to 48 hours—to make last-minute preps. It may be preferable to maintain a high state of readiness, but if you have slipped a bit, as I did, then perhaps this list can help. Consider it as you plan for the possibility of post-election or pre-inauguration violence, take steps after a terrorist attack, or prep for the next arctic blast predicted to hit your area.

1. Fuel Up

Most of us know to keep the tanks of our cars at least half full so we can bug out if necessary, or so we can run the heater occasionally if we are trapped in the car overnight. In this case, “fuel up” goes beyond your car.

Specifically, fill up your spare gas cans. Better yet, if you have a generator, fill up your generator tank, and then go to the gas station and fill up the gas can you emptied into it. (Use ethanol-free gasoline for small engines if you can, but any gas is better than no gas.) I had 27 gallons of gas on hand and two empty five-gallon cans I should have filled. It turns out I didn’t use anywhere close to 27 gallons, but had the power been out as long as they originally estimated, I would have.

If you have a dual-fuel generator, or a whole-house generator that runs on propane, consider filling its tank(s). Likewise, if your plans for food prep include using your propane-powered grill for cooking, be sure to have at least one extra propane canister. I had two, both partially used, and now have a third full tank on standby.

If you have a camper that uses propane, top off those tanks as well. If you plan to rely on small propane heaters, make sure you have lots of 1-pound canisters or a way to feed the small heater off of the larger propane tanks. You may need to stay warm for days.

Depending on your situation, fuel might also include firewood. If you can burn wood for heat, food prep, or to boil water, be sure to have a supply of dry, seasoned firewood on hand. In our market, it is less expensive than propane on a per BTU basis.

We always store a few days’ worth of firewood inside near the stove and fireplace insert and have a pallet of “emergency wood” in our garage that we can use in the event of a snow storm. During Helene, the wind ripped tarps over our woodpile to shreds, so if it had been cold, we would have needed that emergency firewood.

2. Top Off your Water Stores

During Helene, something like 180 municipal water facilities were taken off line, meaning no water for those who thought they had an endless supply at the twist of a tap. We still have towns in this area that are under boil-water advisories. Many people don’t trust the water even if the municipalities say it is OK to drink.

Keep some bottled water on hand and have a way to produce more. We have four or five cases of bottled water, half a dozen five-gallon plastic water containers, a 55-gallon plastic barrel, and multiple water filters. Did I fill the barrel? Not this time, because I figured our spring water would continue to flow. (Thankfully, it did.) In our last house, I kept the 55-gallon drum filled in the garage. We also would fill bathtub to have a handy source of water.

You have probably read that you need a gallon of water per person. That may be the case if you are in a secret underground bunker and do little or no physical activity. If you are out there in a survival situation working, you’ll need more. In addition to drinking water, store enough for food prep, cleaning, pets and any livestock.

We had multiple friends who lived in their campers or RVs after the storm because they had a propane stove, a small refrigerator, and even a shower inside it. Of course, you will only have the latter if you fill your RV’s water tanks. In the winter, you have to be careful because you don’t want to freeze your RV’s water system. So this might not be the best approach for a blizzard, but it worked well for a hurricane.

For those who rely on wells, you know your water stops flowing when your power goes out. While you can use a large generator to run most well pumps, you have to be handy with wiring to set this up. (Hint: have an electrician set this up well before the last 48 hours.)

3. Charge and Re-Charge

How many rechargeable devices do you own? Phones, tablets, laptops, ear buds, flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, radios, etc. Charge them all in the hours and days leading up to the potential threat.

This was one area I did prep, and it worked in our favor. We went through fourteen 18650 rechargeable batteries, mostly in headlamps.

If you have a power bank, which can recharge your phone multiple times, top off its charge. This is a far better choice than running your car just so you can charge your phone.

We used a surge protection strip with eight outlets to set up a charging station. When we ran the generator, one of the extension cords went to this strip where we had a selection of charging blocks and cables, including regular, micro, and mini USB, USB-C, and lightning. It proved to be quite useful.

4. Communicate with Friends and Family

My wife sent a text to her sister warning her we might be out of touch due to what we expected would be a power outage of a few days. This accomplished little because we were out of touch nine days. We coordinated with one neighbor, but he told us he was going down the mountain to stay with a friend. Turns out he changed his mind at the last minute, but didn’t let anyone know.

We have plans for friends and family to bug out here, but we had no plans for what to do if we got hit; an oversight we have since addressed.

So do some pre-disaster coordinating if you expect an event. Let people important to you know what your plans are and perhaps let them know if they should come and “rescue” you or not. Decided if, when, and how you will communicate, and have a fallback plan.

My wife has expressed interest in learning to be a HAM, but we hope that having Starlink will allow us to stay in touch with the rest of the world.

5. Stock Up on Creature Comforts

When Helene hit, we hadn’t been to the grocery store for almost a week. Not the end of the world, but it was the end of fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products until we got resupplied. We also had a shortage of junk food, especially pretzels, which my wife seems to crave in the absence of social contact. (This was true during both COVID and past month.) She had to settle for a box of Kind bars.

This is also a good time to make sure you have plenty of coffee or other things to which you are addicted.

Next time we know a disaster is coming, I expect we’ll do a big grocery shopping, pick up some pretzels and chocolate, and maybe get a DVD or two. The closest I came this time around was getting six books from the library.

6. Fill Prescriptions

Right before the hurricane struck, my wife received a text from the pharmacy saying she had a prescription to pick up. We weren’t able to pick it up until two weeks later. Thankfully, she hadn’t run out as we both keep a stash of extra meds on hand.

In our area, there were only two pharmacies open ten days after the storm hit, and you had to pay cash. Both of them were small, independent pharmacies. I would guess that the large national companies could not open because they lacked the online connection needed to reach their data in the cloud. The local guys probably had their data on a server in the back room.

The field hospital the national guard set up would supposedly renew your medications, but you had to get there. We were not the only people trapped on a mountain or on the other side of a washed-out bridge. Maybe you live in a more accessible area, but you never know what a disaster will bring. If you rely on Rx or over-the-counter meds, try to stock up beforehand.

7. Preposition Things you Might Need

When the power goes out, it’s too late to find your lantern. We each carry a flashlight and have one by our bedside, but when we know a storm is coming, we take things a step further, positioning our lanterns, headlamps, weather radio, and other necessary items on a piece of furniture in the foyer.

I keep a 12-gauge in the bedroom for self-defense, but after Helene I added an AR-15, just in case, and another in the basement where I spend much of my time. I also have extra ammo with each gun. When 911 is down and no help is coming, I consider it prudent to be well-armed.

You should also pre-position other items you might need, whether that is a snow shovel near the door, matches near the fireplace, or digging the water filter or the camp stove out of your supplies so they are handy if you need them.

8. Go to the ATM

I’ve written multiple times that cash is king after a disaster knocks out the power and internet. That was certainly the case this time around, as no one accepted credit, debit, or EBT cards for the first two weeks. (Walmart was an exception. They appear to have an excellent corporate disaster relief team and were up and running before anyone else.)

If there is something you need to buy after the internet goes out, you will need cash. Your best bet is to store at least a few hundred dollars at home. If you don’t do this, remember to go to the ATM while it is still working.

I settled on carrying six $1 bills, two fives, one $10 dollar bill, at least six twenties, and a $100 bill. This allowed me to give close to exact change for any purchase under $200. I recall buying $27 worth of gas and $138 worth of chicken feed and being able to give them exact cash. Both vendors rounded to the nearest dollar because they ran out of coins for change.

Back when I had kids at home, I had to save all my small bills so I could give them lunch money for school. That habit has stuck with me, and decades later, I still have a stack of small bills in my gun safe. We use it to make change when people buy eggs or honey, but it was very useful after Helene. The merchants were thrilled to get small bills.

It’s the Little Things

As we found out, we were well prepped to survive. We were a little less well prepped to enjoy our post-disaster time isolated from society. Had I followed this list before Helene hit, we would have worried less about running out of gasoline and enjoyed ourselves more.

Keep this advice in mind if civil unrest breaks out or a natural disaster heads your way.