Emergency Preparedness, Month 1

Month 1 (December 2012)

Welcome to emergency preparedness!  December is a great time to think about emergency kits - you can get some great gift ideas looking at neat gadgets that might go in an emergency kit.  And the work load for the month is pretty light: saving some money (you've already been doing that), collecting emergency items you already have in one place, and getting a couple extra things when you grocery shop.


Emergencies happen quickly and you don’t have time to search or shop for things you need, so the heart of any emergency preparedness is a well-stocked emergency kit that will last you 3 days (or 72 hours, the time when it's most difficult for outside aid to reach you).  The goals for the next 8 months are: complete 72-hour emergency kits for each person; kits for each vehicle; and complete emergency plans.

You can buy an already stocked kit from many places (a few of which are listed below), but it’s also surprisingly easy to make one out of things you probably already have around your house.  The first step is bringing together all those parts of a kit that are scattered around your house or appartment.  Use the attached basic kit list and treat it like a scavenger hunt (FHE lesson anyone?) to collect in one place what you already have.  Then make a shopping list for next month from what you don’t have on the list.  We’ll address first aid in an upcoming month. 

Potential sources for purchasing pre-made emergency kits: redcrossstore.org , Emergency Essentials: beprepared.com , rei.com , costco.com .

SUMMARY:

* Using a basic emergency kit list, find as many things from around the house as you can, put it all in a box and write down what you need to complete the list.  (Or buy pre-made kits)

*Save $11 per person for your year’s food storage supply

*For 3-month storage: Buy 1 week of 3-month-type food this month

See “Basic Emergency Kit” attached to this email or under Emergency Preparedness on the Document Website.