According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), you may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
- Local maps
- Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
- Prescription medications and glasses
- Infant formula and diapers
- Pet food and extra water for your pet
- Cash or traveler's checks and change
- Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.
- Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from http://www.ready.gov/.
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
- Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
- Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Fire Extinguisher
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
- Paper and pencil
- Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
Do you have an emergency kit? Will you make one? Anything else you would recommend including?
1 comments:
I would triple that water amount at a modicum.
Better to have too much than not enough.
I suspect our greatest threats are snow/blizzard/deep arctic cold temps over a long time as number one.
A kerosene heater and some kerosene stored outdoors in a shed would be wise.
Second most likely threat would be the Perry Nuclear Plant a little over an hour to the West, on Lake Erie.
When the 9/11 planes were still flying around these parts (before crash into Shanksville), I presumed a crash into ANY nuclear plant, especially cooling towers, would do a lot of damage.
If the Perry Plant goes awry due to internal error, or terrorism, we can not escape to the North (Lake Erie in the way), nor to the West, as the nuclear plant is that way. That leaves East and South, and the winds will blow radiation BOTH directions.
Iodine tablets should be on hand.
Read more here:
http://www.disastermgmt.org/type/nuclear.html
I also suggest a Coleman stove, or the equivalent, and a Coleman lantern as for camping.
Dry coffee crystals and maybe tea, plus powdered milk, if you like it would all be a plus to have on hand....if you can heat water with the camping stove, or propane grill in the back yard.
Army surplus stores have coffee pots of metal (aluminum) too.
Depending on the ages of those in your household, I would get info from your family doctor as to iodide/iodine tablets to use for a given age.
Decent walking boots and warm socks would be a wise move too.
Last, ice fisherman use power drills to cut holes to fish. These also come hand powered. In the event a hassle occurred in winter, and water was needed through the ice, a hand drill for the ice-fishing-sized-hole would be a neat thing to have at home.
It would be my lowest priority of all the above, as stocking way more water in the house is easier.
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