Mission Organization: Week 45 - An Emergency Disaster Kit for the Home

Wow, after seeing the devastation that Superstorm Sandy caused recently for so many, I have been thinking about what would happen at our house in a similar emergency. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have an emergency kit put together for a situation such as that, and it's high time that I got one assembled. The area I live in does not have a high risk factor for a disaster just like Hurricane Sandy, but we do have a high risk of disaster from tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods, and we have seen ice storms that shut down power for weeks, so disaster preparedness is important wherever you live.

I wasn't sure I knew exactly what needed to go in an emergency disaster kit, so I did some research on the subject. Probably the most essential item in a home kit would be a supply of water and food to last for at least a 72 hour period. Some of the other suggested items include flashlights with extra batteries, first aid supplies, a hand-crank or battery powered NOAA weather radio, dust masks, wrenches to turn off utilities, moist wipes, and garbage bags.

For a more complete list of supplies and information, these are a few of the sites that can help:

ready.gov

redcross.org

weather.com

Disaster Preparedness - YouTube

An emergency disaster kit may be quite expensive to put together if you tackle it all at once. I plan to make a list of the supplies needed using the resources above, and put mine together a few items at a time. Of course, no pre-made list is exactly right for everyone. The kit should be personalized for your family. If you have an infant you will want to include formula and diapers, or if someone in the family needs prescription medications those need to be included in the emergency kit.

After my emergency disaster kit list is made, I'll want to prioritize the supplies in order of importance for the kit. Every week when shopping I'll add another item from the list until I have everything that is needed.

My emergency disaster kit will need to start with water and non-perishable food. One of the first extra purchases that I want to make for my kit is a NOAA weather radio that has a hand crank and the capability to charge cell phones.

My heart goes out to all those who have struggled with the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Some have not yet found needed relief. Disaster is no respecter of persons; you never know where it will happen next. All one has to do is turn on the news any day of the week to see people somewhere in the world in need of emergency assistance from a disaster. Because I know that emergencies can strike anywhere, anytime, I'm going to try to get some important things together that might help out when the unthinkable comes calling at my house.