Every spring, the National Hurricane Center reminds Mississippi that hurricane season starts June 1. Every spring, half of Pike County waits until the Weather Channel paints a red cone over the Gulf to start shopping for batteries, generators, and tarps. By then, the shelves at every hardware store from Hattiesburg to Baton Rouge are stripped clean and the gas stations have lines around the block.
You can avoid all of that by being stocked before June 1. This is the checklist we walk customers through at the counter — split into three phases so you're not buying the whole list at once, and so you actually know what to grab in the 48 hours when a storm is named.
Phase 1: Stock now (before the season starts)
These are the slow-burn items. Buy them this week, store them, forget about them. They cost the same in May as they do in August, but they vanish from shelves the moment a storm enters the Gulf.
| Item | Quantity | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty tarps (10x12 or 12x16) | 2 minimum | First to disappear after every storm. Cheap roof insurance. |
| Drinking water | 1 gal/person/day · 3 days min | City water often gets boil-notices after storms. |
| Battery-powered lantern + headlamps | 1 per room + 1 per person | Hands-free light beats fumbling flashlights. |
| D, AA, AAA batteries | 2x what you think | You'll use more than expected. Test in May, replace expired. |
| Manual can opener | 1 | Electric ones don't work in an outage. |
| First aid kit | 1 stocked | Check expirations now, not when someone gets cut. |
| Roll of plastic sheeting | 1 roll (4 mil) | Cover broken windows, wrap furniture. |
| Duct tape + gorilla tape | 2 rolls each | Tarps, sheeting, broken hose, busted screen. Universal. |
| Extension cords (heavy gauge, 50ft) | 2 minimum | For running generator power to fridge + fan. 12-gauge or thicker. |
Phase 2: Grab the week of a named storm
When the NHC names a storm and it's tracking toward the central Gulf, you have about 48 hours before things get crazy. Don't wait — these items get scarce fast.
- Fuel for the generator — gas stations run dry within 6–12 hours of a serious forecast. Top off 2–3 metal cans the day the cone shifts your way. Add fuel stabilizer if it's going to sit.
- Propane — swap out empty 20-lb tanks while the swap cage at Cardinal is still full. A propane camp stove with two full tanks runs a family for a week.
- Ice + cooler space — fill empty milk jugs with water, freeze them. They double as drinking water as they melt and they keep your fridge cold for days if power goes out.
- Cash — small bills. ATMs and card readers don't work without power. Most local shops post-storm only take cash for a week.
- Sandbags (if you're in a low spot) — Pike County floods in specific places. If you've ever had water near your door, you know who you are. Get them before the rain starts.
- Prescription refills — 7+ day supply. CVS and Walgreens close fast and reopen slow.
Phase 3: After the storm (the cleanup kit)
This is the phase nobody thinks about until they're standing in their driveway looking at a 60-foot pine across the entrance. Power is out, chainsaws are sold out everywhere within 100 miles, and the line at the gas station is two hours long. Pre-stock the cleanup tools so you're not part of that scene.
| Item | What it's for |
|---|---|
| 16" gas or battery chainsaw | Limbs across driveway, fence trees, debris piles. Buy one or rent ours. |
| Spare chain + bar oil + 2-cycle mix | Chains dull fast in storm debris. Extra mix because gas stations are dry. |
| Work gloves (leather or cut-resistant) | You will be moving debris with nails in it. |
| Pressure washer (rentable) | Cleaning mud, mildew, and storm grime off siding and concrete. |
| Heavy-duty rake + flat shovel | Wet leaves and pine straw — pounds of it. |
| Contractor trash bags (3 mil) | Regular bags rip on branches. Get the heavy ones. |
| Tarps (more) | Roof patches, equipment covers, makeshift shelter. |
| Mold-control spray or bleach + sprayer | If water got inside, mold starts in 24–48 hours. Move fast. |
Mobile home owners: a few extras
If you live in a mobile home in Pike County, you're in the demographic the supply chain forgets about after a storm. National chains stock standard residential parts; specialty plumbing fittings, skirting clips, P-traps, water heater elements, and anchor hardware for manufactured homes are harder to find — and the wait gets long when everyone needs them at once.
Cardinal Hardware is one of the only stores in Pike County that stocks mobile home supplies year-round. Before June 1, walk in and grab a spare of anything you've replaced on your unit in the last two years. P-traps and supply lines especially — they're the parts that crack when the temperature swings or a pipe shifts during a storm. We've got them on the shelf right now; we won't necessarily have them three days after a Cat 2 makes landfall.
Things you don't need to buy (the panic-purchase trap)
A few things people buy in the panic that they almost never end up using in Pike County:
- A 12,000+ watt portable generator for a 1,800 sqft house. You don't need that much — and we wrote a whole guide on why. Generator sizing for Pike County homes →
- Hurricane window film. Useful in coastal counties; almost never needed in Summit. If a storm is strong enough that film matters here, the windows are the least of your problems.
- A whole pallet of bottled water. Three days' worth in jugs is plenty unless you're the gathering point for the whole neighborhood. (In which case, get the pallet.)
- An emergency radio that only takes one specific weird battery type. Get the hand-crank or USB-rechargeable models.
The Cardinal hurricane prep aisle
We keep the prep stuff in stock year-round, not just when a storm is named. If you want to walk through your list with someone at the counter, come in any day before June 1 and we'll help you pull together what you actually need for your specific house. We stock:
- Pulsar generators — 3,200W gas inverter (about $400) and 6,580W dual-fuel (about $700)
- Gas and battery chainsaws
- Tarps in 10x12, 12x16, and 20x30
- Metal and plastic fuel cans
- Propane tanks (swap or refill)
- Heavy-gauge extension cords and surge strips
- Transfer switch components for your panel
- Mobile home plumbing, skirting, and tie-down hardware
- Batteries, lanterns, headlamps, and hand-crank radios
- Rental equipment: chainsaws, generators, pressure washers, debris-handling tools
Get stocked before the first cone.
We've got everything on this checklist in stock right now at 104 S Laurel Street in Summit. After June 1, the panic shoppers start clearing shelves — beat them by a week. Walk through your list with us and we'll make sure you don't overspend or miss something obvious.