6 Steps to Emergency Preparedness

This time last year, many of us were focused on preparing for disaster. We didn’t know how the whole virus thing was going to play out. We stocked up on toilet paper, rice and beans, and acetaminophen. That’s all well and good, but how prepared are you right now to withstand an emergency situation? A fire, blizzard, earthquake, tornado, etc.? The spring equinox can be a great time to focus on reviewing your emergency preparedness and making sure you’re up to speed on what you need to have ready.

It should go without saying, but you should be prepared for many different emergencies! The recent deep-freeze in Texas is an example of a place where many people were not prepared for extreme low temperatures, and suffered greatly as a result. When disaster is about to strike is too late: you don’t want to be one of the thousands of people running to the grocery or hardware store at the last minute, fighting for whatever crumbs are left.

1. Know all routes out of your home in case of fire – actually sit down and think about it, and make sure each person in your household knows different exits from any room. Where is your meeting place near the house? Where is a meeting place away from the house, if your home or neighborhood are compromised? Also have a plan for your pets – where will they go if you cannot bring them to an emergency shelter? Add food, water, and medicines for them to your kits (outlined below).

2. Women may want to keep your purse near your bed with wallet, ID, bank cards, house and car keys, your glasses, etc. That way if there’s a fire in the middle of the night, you won’t have to run around looking for these essentials. Men, keep this stuff together too!

3. Do you have a fireproof, waterproof safe for your valuables? You may also want to keep copies of important documents in a waterproof, easily portable Ziploc or other container as part of your go-bag for emergencies.

4. Now is an excellent time to check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

5. Keep a card in your wallet (I use a bright pink index card) with emergency information such as:

• Allergies
• Medications taken, including vitamins and supplements
• Blood type
• Any medical conditions or other things people treating you may need to be aware of
• Contact info of emergency contact – ideally a local person as well as someone further away in case it’s easier to contact them.
• Make sure the contact name/# is not some cutesy pet name. If you’re in an accident, you don’t want the first responders to have to decide if “itsy bitsy wiggle bum” is your wife, your daughter, or your mistress.
• Contact information for your regular doctor

Having this information handy could save your life, or at least make it much easier to get the treatment you need faster!

6. Do you have an emergency preparedness kit? If not, make one. If so, make sure nothing has expired or needs to be replaced. Keep this go-bag in an easy-to access place where all household members know where it is.

Below I’ve listed some things you should have available. If picking all this up at once is not in your budget, simply add a couple of things to each shopping trip. Many of these will last for a long time so you won’t need to replace them often.

Emergency Kit for Your Vehicle:

• Bottled water and non-perishable high energy foods, such as granola bars, raisins and peanut butter
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Blanket
• Booster cables
• Fire extinguisher (5 lb., A-B-C type)
• First aid kit and manual
• Maps
• Shovel
• Tire repair kit and pump
• Flares or other emergency marking devices
• Car charger for your phone

Emergency Kit for Your Workplace:

• Bottled water and non-perishable high energy foods, such as granola bars, raisins and peanut butter
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Blanket
• First aid kit
• Walking shoes
• Emergency contacts list

Sanitation Kit:

• Toilet paper, towelettes, tissues
• Soap, liquid detergent
• Feminine supplies
• Personal hygiene items
• Plastic garbage bags, ties
• Plastic bucket with tight lid
• Disinfecting wipes
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Household chlorine bleach

Tools and Supplies:

• Emergency preparedness manual and a copy of your disaster plan, including your emergency contacts list
• Battery-operated radio and extra batteries or hand-crank radio
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Cash
• Manual can opener, utility knife
• Duct Tape
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic storage containers
• Signal flare
• Paper, pencil
• Needles, thread
• Medicine dropper
• Shut-off wrench or pliers, to turn off household gas and water
• Whistle
• Plastic sheeting to seal windows, etc.
• Extra phone chargers
• Map of the area (for locating shelters and evacuation routes)
• Change of clothing and shoes

First Aid Kits:

Assemble a first aid kit for your home and a smaller one for each car, and your workplace.

• Adhesive bandages, various sizes
• 5″ x 9″ sterile dressing
• Sterile gauze pads , various sizes
• Adhesive tape, 2″ width
• Antibacterial hand wipes and alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Large medical grade non-latex gloves
• Anti-bacterial ointment
• Cold pack
• Scissors (small, personal)
• Tweezers
• Masks and face shields
• First Aid Manual
• Aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Antacid (for stomach upset)
• Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Laxative
• Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Prescription drugs, as recommended by your physician, and copies of the prescriptions in case they need to be replaced
• Extra pair of glasses or a copy of your prescription , plus any contact lens solution and other supplies

For more information about first aid kits, visit www.redcross.org.

Food and Water:

Have at least a 3 day supply of food per person, plus water. Choose foods that:

• Have a long shelf-life and will not spoil (non-perishable).
• Do not require cooking.
• Can be easily stored.
• Have a low salt content as salty foods will make you more thirsty.

Also:

• At least 3 gallons of water per person (1 gal/day)
• Manual can opener
• Paper cups, plates, and plastic utensils
• Water purification tablets

Tech preparedness:

• Sign up for the FEMA app to keep updated in case of natural disasters
• Keep your contacts updated across all devices
• Know which social media channels you will use to update friends and family in an emergency
• Have a backup portable powerstation (charged and ready to go) for your devices, plus any cable you may need
• You might also consider scanning and uploading your important documents to a secure cloud server so you can access them from anywhere
• Sign up for mobile banking so you have access to your funds from wherever you are

Mark the calendar and review your plan, your contacts, and your supplies every six months. Also make sure you know emergency plans for your workplace and your children’s schools.

For more preparation tips for all kinds of disasters, go to https://www.ready.gov.