Emergency Preparedness

If there’s one thing in your home and car you should have with you at all times, it’s some sort of emergency kit. For my family, here on the west coast of Canada we need to be prepared for a few different things like an earthquake, tsunami and even forest fires. Depending on what natural disasters may occur in your area, you may want to consider different emergency supplies. I have two emergency kits; one is located in my car and stays in there at all times. The other is located in my home, specifically my front hall closet so it is easily accessible if we need to rush out of the house. I’’ll go into a bit more detail about what I put in each kit and why…

CAR EMERGENCY KIT

If you could only have one emergency kit, I would always choose to have it in your car. This is because for most of us, our car is basically wherever we are, even if that’s at home. Emergencies can happen anywhere and they may just be when you are in your car on your way to work or running errands on the weekend. I have a simple backpack in the trunk of my car and I keep the following in it;

-Emergency blankets

-ponchos

-dehydrated food (good for 5 years)

-canned food

-can opener

-water

-water purification drops

-stove

-utility knife

-matches

-flares

-money (cash in all denominations)

-pencil/notepad

-am/fm radio

-hand warmers

-flashlights

-batteries

-tent

-whistle

-gardening type gloves

-rope

-masks

-first aid kit

-toothbrush and toothpaste

HOME EMERGENCY KIT

-3 day supply of food and water in a bucket with a stove

-suitcase with the following;

-spare pair of clothing for each family member

-feminine products

-toiletries

-shoes

COPIES OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS;

-Our will

-Our investments

-Our Insurance

-Our birth certificates and passports

-Important contacts with numbers