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Guides / Helene, part 2

What I Wish We'd Had in Our Preps for Hurricane Helene

October 2026 · 6 min read

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Several fallen trees stacked across the road at our mailbox, with neighbors gathering beyond them after Hurricane Helene.
Trees stacked across the road at our mailbox, with neighbors already out checking on each other.

We had the basics. Here's what was missing.

When Hurricane Helene tore through our corner of the mountains outside Asheville, more than 40 trees came down on our one acre. We lost our truck, our road, our power, our water and our internet. Thanks to about two years of prepping, we were never really in trouble.

But a real disaster is the ultimate test, and it showed us the gaps. These are the things I wish we'd had, or had set up differently. If you're building your preps now, learn from us.

What I wish we'd had

1. A layer of normal food before the emergency food

Our dehydrated food was a lifesaver. But I wish we'd had one layer of regular food to get through first, before we had to open the emergency stuff. Kids are already stressed in a disaster. Their favorite foods, granola bars and familiar snacks would have gone a long way toward keeping them happy and feeling normal.

Next time, I want a case of everyday kid food in the pantry that we rotate through and replace.

2. A taste test before the disaster

I wish we'd tried our emergency food before we needed it. The middle of a hurricane is not the time to find out which meals your kids won't eat. Buy a sample, cook it on a normal Tuesday, and see what your family actually likes.

3. Smaller packages

Short-term disasters are tricky. Most emergency food comes in big containers, and once you open one, the clock starts ticking. We used a little of each container, and then the grocery stores reopened about two weeks later. A lot of what we'd opened went to waste. Smaller pouches would have fit a two-week emergency much better.

4. Cooking oil and butter

Oil and butter are essential for cooking, and they're easy to overlook. Dehydrated food tastes a lot better with a little fat, and you can't fry up hurricane potatoes without it. Next time, I want extra cooking oil and shelf-stable butter in the pantry.

5. Extra gasoline

This one caused real panic. Thanks to Larry's half-tank rule, our cars weren't empty, but that was all we had, and we had no idea when the gas stations would have fuel again. It could have been months. So we rationed every trip. That meant we couldn't check on my parents or our friends as often as we wanted to.

When gas did come back about a week later, the lines were long. Stored fuel, kept fresh and rotated, would have let us drive to the people we love without doing math every time.

6. Water drums that were full and ready to use

We had plenty of drinking water, but not enough for everything else. At one point, we were flushing toilets with Miller Lite.

We did own 55-gallon water drums. But they weren't filled at the time. Even if they had been, I'm not sure we would have used them, because I didn't know how to work the spigot. In the middle of a disaster, you don't want to learn a new tool and risk breaking it. If you break the spigot, getting the water out is really hard.

My advice: keep your drums full, and install the spigot or pump now. Test it so everyone in the house knows how it works.

7. A generator, before the storm

We ended up buying a generator, but not in time. We lost everything in our kitchen fridge, our basement fridge and our deep freezer. That's a lot of food, and a lot of money, gone. A generator already set up and ready to run the freezer would have saved most of it.

8. A hot shower

The thing I missed most was a hot shower. We heated water on the stove and did sponge baths, and that got us by. But a real hot shower would have done wonders for my morale. I'm still figuring out the best solution for this one, and I'll share what I find.

9. More to share

We were lucky enough to have extra, and sharing it with neighbors and friends was one of the best parts of a hard time. I just wish we'd had more of it. Now, I plan for my family plus a few more.

10. Better first aid kits, and the training to use them

We had a couple of first aid kits, but they could have been a lot more complete. We also could have used more medication on hand, just in case. With roads blocked and stores closed, you can't run out for something you forgot.

Skills matter as much as supplies. Since Helene, Larry has taken first aid classes, including how to use a tourniquet. One of my daughters is a Life Scout and has first aid training too. I wish all of us had that training before the storm.

11. Extra contact lens solution

I ran out of contact solution, and it was a big lesson for me. The last thing you want in a disaster is to be fumbling around with glasses. Now I keep a backup supply of solution and contacts, plus a pair of glasses I can count on.

12. Plenty of feminine hygiene products

I remember stressing about whether I'd have enough. That's one worry nobody needs on top of everything else. Stock more than you think you'll need, because you can't count on the stores reopening on your schedule.

13. Cash on hand

This was a big one. We didn't have any cash, and we ended up borrowing from my parents. With the power out, cash was the only thing that worked.

And we needed it. The damage was far beyond anything we could handle ourselves. Clearing our driveway took heavy machinery and other people's help. Being able to pay the folks who showed up with equipment and muscle meant everything. A disaster like this isn't something you tackle alone, so keep enough cash at home to pay for the help you'll need.

The short version

If you take nothing else from our Helene story, take this:

You can't prepare for everything. We never expected a hurricane to reach our hillside. But every gap you fill now is one less thing to worry about when your day comes.

← Part 1 of our Helene storyWhat We Were So Glad We Had When Hurricane Helene Hit