Disasters can happen anywhere, anytime—even in someone’s own home. September is National Preparedness Month and the American Red Cross is urging everyone to take three easy steps to get their household ready for emergencies.
These three action steps are as follows: Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed. This post will give you all the details on how to build your emergency kit so you and your loved ones can react quickly when a disaster strikes.
BUILDING AN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KIT
Being prepared means being equipped with the proper supplies you may need in the event of an emergency or disaster. Keep your supplies in an easy-to-carry emergency preparedness kit that you can use at home or take with you in case you must evacuate. Assemble two kits of emergency supplies – a stay-at-home kit and an evacuation kit. You will also want to put together a medical kit to use at home or to take with you when you evacuate.
Start with this basic supply list. Customize your kits to meet your needs.
Stay-at-home kit (2 weeks of emergency supplies): Include everything you need to stay at home for at least two weeks with items such as food, water, household cleaning and disinfectant supplies, soap, paper products and personal hygiene items.
Evacuation kit (3 days of supplies in a “go bag”): Your second kit should be a lightweight, smaller version that you can take with you if you must leave your home quickly. Include everything you need to be on your own for three days – food, water, personal hygiene items, and cleaning and disinfectant supplies that you can use on the go (tissues, hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol and disinfection wipes).
Medical Kit: 1-month supply of prescription medication, as well as over-the-counter medications like cough suppressants and fever reducing drugs and medical supplies or equipment. Keep these items together in a separate container so you can take them with you if you have to evacuate.
Tips for building an emergency kits during COVID-19 pandemic:
- Include personal hygiene items, cleaning and disinfectant supplies and cloth face coverings.
- Some supplies may be hard to get due to the pandemic, and availability may worsen in a disaster, so start gathering supplies now.
- Cloth face coverings are not a substitute for physical distancing. Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others in public. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unable to remove it without help.