Prepare: What's In Your Hurricane Disaster Kit?

With Hurricane Sandy heading up the Eastern Seaboard, weather officials are warning residents to brace for a possible Category 1 hurricane. Portsmouth area residents should take this advice to heart and make sure they are ready to deal with whatever Hurricane Sandy leaves in its wake.

Having a disaster kit together is one of the top recommendations of emergency planners. But just what should you put into a kit?

We gathered some suggestions from the National Hurricane Center, but also want to hear your suggestions.

• Water. Have at least one gallon for each person for up to seven days.
• Food. Make sure to have nonperishable food items for up to seven days for each person in the household. Be sure to include a hand can opener and paper or plastic plates and utensils. It’s also a good idea to store snacks, specialty foods for infants or seniors and cooking utensils.
• Important papers. Use a waterproof container to store insurance documents, medical records, Social Security cards, bank records, birth certificates and so on.
• First aid supplies, as well as items to care for any babies, special needs or elderly people in the household.
• Blankets and pillows.
• Clothes.
• Toiletries.
• Flashlights and batteries.
• A battery-operated radio or weather radio.
• Charged mobile phones (extra batteries are a good idea, too).
• Cash and credit cards.
• Keys.
• Tools.

Source: National Hurricane Center