Are you prepared? Active hurricane season prompts emergency kit reminders

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – With potential cyclonic activity already brewing on the first day of the 2026 hurricane season, now is the time to get emergency supplies ready.

Read more Repairs underway of massive Maui sinkhole after March storms

Officials say that ideally, families should have anywhere from seven to 14 days worth of goods stored and ready to go.

Essentials include water, medicine, non-perishable food, and flashlights. A water storage tank like a water bob can store large amounts for cooking, utilities, and showering.

City Mill says recent storms have encouraged people to actually prepare this time around.

“The floods on the North Shore really scared people, and so people are really trying to be prepared, much more proactively than they’ve ever been before,” City Mill merchant Iris Wilhelm-Norseth said.

Read more First Alert Forecast: More trade wind showers and it is the official start to hurricane season

She encourages families to gather emergency supplies in a single box, and often times, they’ll realize they already have key items on hand and won’t have to go and buy more.

“I believe you should always have an emergency box for everything. You never know if you’ll have a tsunami. Tsunamis don’t really care what season it is,” she said. “Earthquake, happened out of the blue. You really should have something prepared all the time just in case something happens.”

City Mill says they’re working to restock items like hand crank radios, which have been in high demand.

Read more Emergency officials to assess earthquake damage on Hawaii Island