Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness List

The thing about emergencies is that they’re so unexpected that no one thinks about planning for one! We hope that this basic guide will help guide you towards having the basics covered in the event you and your children experience a sudden emergency, such as a power outage, a flood, an oncoming forest fire, or a home fire. This list is far from complete, but it’ll get you started:

• Extra drinking water: Store extra drinking water for the family for 7 days somewhere inside your home rather than in a garage where temperatures can become very hot or very cold.
• Extra toilet water: Use empty vinegar, detergent, or milk jugs to store tap water to use for toilets in the event of a power outage or other emergency that affects water flow into the home. In a storm-related power outage, fill a bathtub right away to use as an emergency reservoir.
• Extra food: Be certain you have enough extra non-perishable boxed and canned and bulk foods for the family for at least 7 days. Examples include canned beans, bulk nuts and dried fruits, canned vegetables and fruits, pastas and pasta sauces, rice, quinoa, et al. Make sure you have a manual can opener as well.
• Portable 1-Burner Butane Camping Stove: These are relatively inexpensive, often $40-60, and you’ll be so glad to have one during a prolonged power outage!
• Prescription Medications: Always keep at least 3 days of your or your children’s prescription medications on hand in case of a local emergency (snow, fire, earthquake, power outage et al).
• Candles & Matches, and Battery Powered Flashlights and Lamps: Have enough to illuminate each room of the house during a prolonged power outage. Of course, always have plenty of batteries on hand as well!
• Blankets: Be sure to keep extra blankets on hand, at least two per person, in case of a prolonged power outage. Also have a sleeping bag available for each person in the house.
• Power Banks: There are a wide variety of chargeable power banks available, usually ranging from $50-200. During a prolonged power outage, you’ll want to have a power bank to keep your phones and tablets charged!
• Surge Protection: Make certain your electronic devices, particularly your computers and small appliances, are connected to their outlets via surge protectors. To be safer yet, unplug these devices when the power goes out.
• Fire Blanket: You should have at least one fire blanket (such as the Prepared Hero™ brand) on hand in case a small house fire breaks out. Of course, every home should also have a fire extinguisher.
• Radio: You should own a battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Personal Sanitation: In the event of a prolonged power outage, you should always have extra toilet paper on hand, as well as extra feminine hygiene products, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties.
• Pet Food & Supplies: Don’t forget to prepare your pet for an emergency as well!
• Activities: Prepare an emergency-only box of books, games, cards, coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, and other activities to keep the kids busy during a power outage
• Vital Papers: Keep important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container. Also have cash or traveler's checks on hand. Keep all of these in a container that can be easily grabbed if you need to leave the house emergently.
• Emergency Dash Bag: For each person in the home, have a backpack or small duffel bag kept ready filled with extra clothing and underwear and outerwear in the event of an urgent or emergent dash from the home. If possible, keep your dash bags and vital papers collection near to an exit, and not deep in a closet.