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.
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” under Emergency Preparedness on the
Document
Website.
Grab
the shopping list you made last month and acquire the items you
need. When you build your own kit, you can do so quite
economically by buying in bulk and splitting a large package (of
batteries for instance) between friends, or by watching for sales.
Drug stores, dollar stores, grocery stores and national chain box
stores often carry canned goods and bottled water at very reasonable
prices. You can also get individual kit items from most of the sources mentioned last month.
Second,
try out a water purification technique so you’re comfortable with
how to do it. There are two steps to water purification (or you
can purchase a water filter made by companies such as Katadyn,
Berkey, Sawyer, etc.):
1.
Clarify: Cloudy or dirty water must be made clear. It may be
passed through a filter (paper, cloth or other) or allowed to settle
and the clear water on top carefully drawn off.
2.
Disinfect: Boil or add bleach. To disinfect by boiling, bring
the water to a rolling boil in an uncovered pot for 3 to 5 minutes;
boiling longer is not necessary. To disinfect with bleach, add
8 drops or ⅛ tsp household chlorine bleach (unscented; 5% to 6%
sodium hypochlorite) to 1 gallon warm water (colder temperatures keep
the bleach from working as well).
Note:
These methods do not address non-biological toxic contamination.
To learn more, visit the US EPA’s website:
http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/emergencydisinfection.cfm
Ready.gov
provides information on storing and treating drinking water.
Browse both the "Water" and "Managing Water"
options in the left-hand column. There's also a page for water
storage and treatment on the Church's providentliving.org.
*Use
list from month 1 to purchase supplies to complete the basic kit
list
*Learn
a water purification technique or purchase a commercial water filter
*Save
$11 per person for your year’s food storage supply
*Prepare
to visit the cannery again in two months (March) – notify the
cannery if you plan to purchase 8 or more of any one item so they can
have it in stock
*For
3-month storage: Buy 1 week of 3-month-type food this month
Month 3 (February 2013)
A
first aid kit is an important part of your general emergency kit. This
month, using the list on the website (linked below), look around your house for the
necessary first aid items. You will likely have most of what’s
on the list and perhaps even use the items regularly (our family uses bandaids
all the time!). If you’ve already got a first aid kit you
use, relocate it to be right next to your emergency kit. That
way you can still use your existing supplies while maintaining the
grab-and-go benefits of the emergency kit. Going in with
friends to purchase supplies is a great way to save money—you can
get them in bulk and split up a big package.
As
with emergency kits, first aid kits can be purchased pre-made.
Here are some examples of stores that sell them: target.com
, rei.com
, Emergency
Essentials: beprepared.com
, redcrossstore.org
, cvs.com
.
*
Purchase, or make from the list provided, a good first aid kit to add
to your emergency kit
*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
“First Aid Kit” under Emergency Preparedness on the Document
Website.
Month
4 (March 2013)
For
your emergency kit, the basics listed in Month 1 (December) and first
aid will get you pretty far, but extras like tools, some money and
important documents and information will make life-under-stress much
easier. Attached is the complete emergency kit list: the
basics, first aid, and “extras” like tools, diapers, medications,
and useful gadgets. Use your discretion as to what items
are absolutely necessary (and what items you would be willing to
carry) for your kit.
The
extended list suggests you’ll want a little money: some cash in
small bills and some quarters would be most useful. Consider
carrying enough to completely fill your car’s gas tank and buy a
meal for your family, and possibly enough for a hotel stay –
perhaps around $200. This may require saving for several
months. For example, you could withdraw $5 cash every time you
use your debit card at the grocery store, as long as you remember to
put it in your emergency kit! $200 can seem like a lot, but
having cash on hand in an emergency could be a lifesaver, literally.
Documents
that would be useful would be copies of titles, deeds, wills,
bank account info (this is listed on a check too), birth
certificates, government IDs, power of attorney documents, etc.
These should all be photocopies, and they should be in a large
plastic, watertight bag along with the cash.
This
month you will go to cannery and pick up 2 months worth of food
storage from the cannery. (If it seems a bit overwhelming to collect
emergency gear and visit the cannery, there’s built-in wiggle room
next month to finish collecting emergency gear). Use your $11
this month toward the cannery trip. You are ½ of the
way toward your goal of having a year supply of food!
*Round
out the kit with any desired extras: tools, money, documents, etc.
*Visit
the cannery and get 2 months' worth of food storage.
*Save
$11 per person for your year’s food storage supply
(use
this trip)
*For
3-month storage: Buy 1 week of 3-month-type food this month.
See
“Full Emergency Kit” under Emergency Preparedness on the Document
Website .
Month
5 (April 2013)
It
is time to put your emergency kit into one, easy-to-carry bag just in
case you need to leave in a hurry. This bag is for emergencies
only so the only requirements are that it holds together and you can
carry it for a fair distance. It does not need to be
beautiful. You can use an old school bag, shoulder bag,
carry-on, beach bag or even an old church bag. If you can sew,
you can make your own out of sturdy materials. Now, pack
everything you’ve collected in the bag and voila - You have a
finished kit! Place it near the door you would be most likely to use
in an emergency – maybe the one where you keep your keys – and
you're ready to go.
*Acquire/re-purpose/make
carrying bag for your emergency kit
*Finish
Month 4 (March) if necessary
*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.
Month
6 (May 2013)
In
case of fire you should know (and practice) how to evacuate in two
ways from each room in your home. You might want to draw a map of
your floor plan to help with this. Choose a familiar point a
short distance from your home as a place to meet once you get out of
the building. Make sure you have all necessary smoke and carbon
monoxide detectors in place with fresh batteries – and plan on
changing the batteries at least once a year. This is a good time to
bring up fire safety with kids - they need to know how safe you are
in case of a fire because you’ve planned and practice a home
evacuation.
Locate
your gas and water turn-off valves and make sure you have a wrench
that can turn them off (righty tighty, lefty loosey!). You may
need to turn off your gas and water if you need to leave your home
prior to an expected disaster (a hurricane for example). You
should also know how to turn off your electricity. For more
information see http://www.ready.gov/utility-shut-safety
Learn
how to shelter in place. An excellent resource for this is
Massachusetts’ emergency web page teaching how
to take cover in your own home. You will want to have on hand
things like heavy plastic garbage bags and plenty of duct tape.
*Create
and practice a house evacuation plan (in case of fire); Update smoke
detectors
*Know
how to shut off your gas and water
*Learn
how to shelter in place
*Save
$11 per person for your year’s food storage supply
*Prepare
to visit the cannery again in two months (July) – notify the
cannery if you plan to purchase 8 or more of any one item so they can
have it in stock
*For
3-month storage: Buy 1 week of 3-month-type food this month
Month
7 (June 2013)
Family
disaster plans allow you to keep track of loved ones in case of
separation during an emergency. If one person is at work, one at
home and several more at several schools when an emergency hits, you
need to plan how you will all get in touch with and find each other
afterwards. An excellent tool for making a such a plan is the Family
Emergency Plan created by FEMA and available at
ready.gov/make-a-plan.
The wallet-sized cards in the attachment do not include the regional
meeting place so you will want to write that in. Familiarize
yourself with this information and be sure to include a copy of your
plan in your emergency kit.
This
month is a great time to prepare for one more emergency, that of
sickness. By the time you realize you or one of your family
members are sick, it's usually too late to go to the store for what
you need. Stock things you might need that are non-perishable,
such as: ginger ale, sports drinks or something to keep you hydrated;
medicines, especially fever and pain reducers; simple crackers that
are easy on an unsettled stomach; canned chicken noodle soup.
*Create
a family disaster plan and put copies of it in each family member's
wallet and in your emergency kit
*Prepare
foods and medicines you might need in case of sickness
*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.
Month
8 (July 2013)
The
last kit to put together is one for your vehicle. Now that you’ve
prepared a full emergency kit, the car kit should feel easy.
The attached list is from ready.gov
. Make sure you include a copy of your emergency plan in your
kit.
This
month, go to the cannery and pick up 2 months worth of food storage.
Use your $11 for food storage toward this cannery trip.
You are 3/4 of the way toward your goal of having a year supply of
food!
*Put
together a car kit
*Visit
the cannery and get 2 months worth of food storage
*Save
$11 per person for your year’s food storage supply
(use
this trip)
*For
3-month storage: Buy 1 week of 3-month-type food this month
See
“Car Kit” under Emergency Preparedness on the Document
Website.
