Right now, buy all the nonperishable foods you will need, put them in a box and leave them alone, except to rotate stock. Stock up on ice and pack coolers as early as possible. Freezing them ahead of time is less hassle than fighting for them at a store.
Before the storm, turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting and drape blankets over them, but keep bottom vents clear. Then move perishables you'll use first into ice chests to limit opening of refrigerators.
Designate one cooler you will open regularly; fill that with drinks and less perishable items. Set aside other coolers for more perishable things such as meats and open them only rarely.
Crank up your ice maker, break out the ice cube trays or fill jugs with water, so you can be making and storing ice in your freezer or coolers around the clock.
Store cubes or small blocks of ice in sealed bags and containers so you can drink it after it melts.
Clean your bathtub out, then wash it with bleach. Rinse thoroughly. If possible, line it with plastic. Then fill it and as many clean bottles as you can with drinking water. Fill your toilet tank; you'll want it to flush after the storm.
Kitchen Supplies
Plastic to line bathtub to fill with water
Jugs or containers to store water
Water purification tablets (usually available only in drug stores), 2 percent tincture of iodine or ordinary household bleach, which contains hypochlorite as its only active ingredient - not bleach with soap, lemon or other additives.
Manual can opener
Bottle opener
Matches
Pocketknife - preferably Swiss Army style
Camp stove or other cooking device and plenty of fuel. Use canned fuel, not charcoal or gas
