Torpedoes, as the saying goes, hit from the side. While you can never be fully ready when disaster strikes, you can certainly take steps to be prepared. Here’s a look at what you want to have on hand in case of a severe and disruptive event. No matter what the disaster, being prepared will make you and your loved ones far more ready to face it and survive.
Food — Ready.gov recommends having at least a three day supply of non-perishable food on hand. When gathering your supplies, keep in mind any special dietary needs and infant foods. Choose foods you know your family will eat. Salty foods are not a good idea, as they will make you thirsty and deplete your water supply faster. Unsalted crackers would be a good choice here. Ready-to-eat canned fruits and vegetable with a high liquid content are recommended and will keep you hydrated. And don’t forget the can opener. (Manual, of course.) Throw in some of your favorite comfort foods to reduce the inevitable stress that follows in these situations. Vitamins naturally get depleted faster during stressful situations. Keep some of those in your kit as well.
Water — Water is essential to your survival. It is quite common that your water supply gets cut off or contaminated during natural disasters. FEMA recommends you have one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days. This will be used for both drinking and sanitation as well. More is always better. Buy commercially bottled water and store it in its original container. Check the expiration date periodically. This holds true for all your supplies.
Other Supplies – This list will vary widely from source to source, locality to locality and situation to situation, but somethings are standard.
Here are some essentials only:
- Flashlight and extra batteries (Be sure to change them when necessary)
- Battery powered radio tuned to NOAA alerts
- First aid kit
- Prescription medicines
- Wet wipes, plastic bags with ties for personal sanitation
- Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
A full list of suggestions can be found here on the FEMA website. It’s a printable .pdf for convenience.
Most of these items you already have around the house. But DO NOT wait for a disaster to gather them together. The key is to have your kit assembled and ready to use, not scattered all over your house. Schedule a routine check at regular intervals (e.g. spring and fall time changes) to make sure everything is in working order, not expired or leaking and that no one is sneaking those comfort foods from your finished kit!
Freedom Insurance cares about your safety. We can help you and your family recover losses from natural disasters. Call us to day. We’re here to help!
