Don’t wait until you hear the weather forecast to prepare for the worst that nature throws at you during a natural disaster. By preparing before there’s a storm in sight, you can take the time to do your homework and get the best deals on the essentials needed to get you through any disaster and disaster cleanup.

Here are some must-haves to be on the lookout for when you’re bargain hunting:

Long-Socket Shovels

A high-quality shovel should be at the top of your list when you’re preparing your home for a natural disaster. Whether a hurricane, tornado or earthquake occurs, a sturdy shovel will come in handy to help clean up debris and get your home and yard back to normal. Square-nose and round-point shovels are ideal additions to any preparedness kit. When choosing a shovel, just be sure to get a long socket style shovel, to make sure the head stays firmly affixed to the handle when you’re using it to do hours of heavy-duty cleanup.

Portable Gas Generator

What do hurricanes, blizzards, earthquakes and most other natural disasters have in common? The all wreak havoc on the power grid and often cause electricity outages that can take days to remedy. While this may not sound like a long time, days without heat, air conditioning, power for the refrigerator, a cooking source and even power to charge your cellphone can make essential needs difficult to meet.

But you don’t have to be stuck without power if you’re prepared with a backup generator. There a variety of sizes available on the market and you should choose a size based on how many household items you plan to power. To get a better idea of what you need before investing, consider renting a generator and testing it out on your appliances to find out how many kilowatts of power capability you need.

Gas Containers

It always comes in handy to have a stash of backup gasoline on hand, so pick up a few extra portable gasoline containers. Whether you use the gas to power your portable gas generator during a power outage or just to top off your car or lawn mower, having a few spare gas containers around is worth giving up the shelf real estate in the garage. Just be sure to use and rotate your backup fuel stash every year, as it can degrade over time.

Sturdy Saws

Don’t skimp when it comes to purchasing saws. Ideally you want to have both a gasoline-powered chainsaw and a traditional bow saw. A bow saw can’t compete with the power of a good chainsaw, however in the event of a lengthy power outage, you may want to save your gasoline to fuel the generator and use the bow saw instead. Be sure to have a few spare blades on hand for the bow saw, as some tend to dull quickly when doing a lot of tough work during debris cleanup.

Bow Rake

If you live in an area prone to hurricanes or flooding, invest in a sturdy bow rake to more efficiently clean up soggy debris after the storm is over and the water recedes. When choosing a rake, make sure the rake head is crafted from a single piece of forged steel for maximum durability. A forged head that’s welded to the rake bow or even a construction-style road rake are options to consider if you can’t find the sturdier option.