Survival Kits are your best bet in Emergency Preparedness

Extreme weather such as tornadoes, tsunamis and hurricanes can bring about floods and landslides that can knock out your electricity for a few hours to weeks or in more extreme cases, require you to leave your home.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes can happen suddenly and if we are lucky we will know about the wildfires or volcanic eruptions that are about to happen. It is important to learn about the natural hazards that may impact you based on where you live.

Whether it happens suddenly or you have some warning, being prepared for a natural or man made disaster is very important. One of the easiest and most basic things people can do is to create an emergency kit. These allow you to take care of yourself and your family during and after an emergency.

Here is a list of items to include in an emergency kit that will allow you to be self sufficient for about 72 hours:

Essential items for basic survival:

Water – two litres of water per person per day (Include small bottles
that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order) Food – that
won’t spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods
(remember to replace the food and water once a year) Manual can opener
Small fuel–driven stove and fuel – follow manufacturer’s directions
and store properly First aid kit Special needs items – prescription
medications, infant formula or equipment for people with disabilities
Extra keys – for your car and house Cash – include smaller bills, such
as $10 bills (travellers cheques are also useful) and change for
payphones Copies of personal documents – such as passport and birth
certificate A whistle – in case you need to attract attention Garbage
bags – for personal sanitation Toilet paper and other personal care
supplies

Items for comfort:

Flashlight and batteries
Battery–powered or wind–up radio (and extra batteries) Safety gloves
Basic tools – hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, fasteners, work
gloves Candles and matches or lighter Change of clothing and footwear
for each household member Sleeping bag or warm blanket – for each
household member

You probably have most of these items already, it is just a case of being organized and having them packed together in an easy to carry case and placing the items in an easy find location.

We did purchase one specialty item for our emergency disaster kit, the FlashPan Stove. This is a very cleverly designed “stove” as it is compact and uses fuel tablets that can be safely stored. It even has an “add on” picnic bag that we’ve packed up with canned food, water, opener and few of the other essential items so we have an emergency “grab bag” just in case.

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