Last week Hurricane Irene made her way up the East Coast leaving a path of destruction behind her. We’re grateful that nothing much happened to us where I live in New York. Our lights flickered a bit but that was able it. Other people in our neighborhood, even in the building next door, were not so lucky. We had A LOT of flooding and fallen trees. They even closed part of the New York State Thruway for a bit.
Before the Hurricane arrived my family trip to prepare ourselves for possibly loosing electricity. I guess we’re pretty naive to think that nothing WORST could happen to us.
When Hurricane Floyd came through about 10 years ago we lost power for 3 days. We had to toss out everything in our fridge and freezer and start over again. We also had to drive an hour upstate to my parents house just for a shower and a hot meal. Sadly many people go through A LOT worst then that. Some people are STILL without power from Hurricane Irene and it’s been well over a week. Other people tried to stick around as long as they could be ended up having to fee their homes for fear of their safety.
This reminds me of a recent homicide and arson that effected several families in a near by complex. Nine families had to feel for their lives from there homes (condos). They were not allowed to return for several days while the investigators checked things out and until the Fire Marshall said the building was safe to return to.
I couldn’t imagine having to up and flee my home in a moments notice, whether it’s due to acts of nature (flood, hurricane, tornado) or due to the irresponsibility of others.
Does your family have an action plan in place for what you would do if you had to up and flee on a moments notice? What about supplies? Do you have the necessary supplies on hand read to go when you are?
Did you know that September is National Preparedness Month. With the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th fast approaching, are you and your family and better prepared to deal with an emergency? Do you have a family meeting point if an emergency happened in your area and you were unable to reach your family members?
The Ad Council and the New York City Office of Emergency Management’s Ready New York campaign is encouraging parents to prepare in case of a natural disaster or emergency as part of National Preparedness Month and the 10th anniversary of September 11th.
Many parents think they can simply “wing it” during an emergency. To be honest with you I sort of felt the same way too. That is until I took the Ready New York’s Readiness Challenge (http://www.nycreadinesschallenge.org). It takes you through an online emergency simulation that forces you to make quick decisions at every turn. Sad to say I did not do so well. 
We live close to a nuclear plant which we are NOT happy about. I have told my husband in the past we should pick a meeting place in Vermont or some other far away place. We never did pick a SPECIFIC location (Vermont is a huge state) and perhaps Vermont is not very practical. Maybe my father’s house upstate (about a 50 minute drive) is more realistic? Or maybe we should have an alternate meeting place in case the first meeting place is not safe.
EVERY family needs a Go Kit. A Go Kit is a bag filled with emergency supplies that you can grab and take with you if you have to evacuate in a moments notice. My family never had such a bag before but now we do. It makes perfect sense to have one on hand. If you don’t already have one PLEASE take the time to create one.
You’ll need a sturdy bag, like a backpack or a small suitcase. You should include the following items inside the Go Kit.
- Credit and ATM cards and more especially cash. If the power goes out you will not be able to access money from an ATM machine. Therefore it’s a wise idea to keep cash (small denominations) on hand. It is recommended that you keep at least $50 – $100 in your Go Kit. Make sure you DON’T tap into that cash for other purchases. If you do make sure you replace it right away so you have the cash in your Go Kit.
- Copies of important documents such as medical prescriptions, insurance cards, proof of address, photo ID’s and so forth. Make sure to put them in a waterproof container to keep them safe.
- Extra keys for your car and home.
- LED Flashlight. They are more durable and last longer then flashlights with bulbs. Make sure you have plenty of extra batteries for the flashlight in your Go Kit too. Glo Sticks are a great thing to have on hand too. Many of them can last for hours and they are inexpensive. They are easy to find during the Halloween season. You can also buy them online at places like Oriental Trading or Amazon.
- AM/FM Radio with plenty of batteries too. I have seen dual flashlights and radios that use a crank for power rather then batteries. You might want to invest in something like that too, perhaps in addition to the traditional battery operated flashlight and radio.
- Medical information for each family member including what medications they take, why they take them and what the dosage is. You can include medication in your go bag but be sure it’s kept away from small children and check the expiration dates because medications do expire.
- First Aid Kit
- A regional map (this is something I would have never thought about having on hand).
- Contact information for all family members including a meeting place. If possible come up with an alternate meeting place just in case.
- Child care items. If you have an infant or toddler make sure you have enough food for them (formula) for at least three days. Always check the expiration date and replace if needed. Also make sure you have plenty of diapers, baby wipes, blankets and toys for your child. You might want to make a special Go Kit for your child, or each of your children if you are so inclined.
- A cell phone that does not run on electricity. Make sure the cell phone is always fully charged. You might want to look into alternative charging options too like portable chargers that run on batteries just to be on the safe side.
- A whistle in case if an emergency and you need to get someone’s attention.
- Personal hygiene items including feminine hygiene products, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and so forth. Travel size products are a perfect option. They are small and inexpensive.
- Activities for the kids such as a deck of cards, paper and crayons to keep them busy.
Many of these supplies and other things like emergency blankets, rain ponchos, Swiss Army Knives and more can also be found at your local camping supply store.
A change of clothes, especially socks and undergarments would be helpful too.
Don’t forget that you’ll need food and water supplies too. You need to account for at least three days just to be on the safe side. You will have to keep keep these in a different container instead of the Go Kit since they will take up a lot of room. You’ll need at least a gallon of water per family member for at least three days. For example my family of four would need 12 gallons of water (if possible). You’ll also need non-perishable foods such as energy bars or granola bars. Canned foods are fine too, just be sure that you have a hand held can opener in your Go Kit too. Small non-perishable items could go in your main Go Kit but the water might have to be kept in something separate due to the size and weight.
I’m a pet lover. We have four adult cats, a kitten and a dog. Unless it was a matter of life or death I would make sure to take all of our pets with us if we had to flee in case of en emergency. I would never willingly leave them behind. NO WAY! They are very much a part of our family.
If you have pets you might want to consider a special Go Kit just for them. Some items you will want to include are…
- At least a three day supply of food and water.
- Medications your pet might need to take.
- Leash and collar. If you dog tends to nip of frightened you might want to invest in a muzzle too.
- Animal first aid kit (check your local pet supply stores).
- Copies of your pet’s vaccinations.
- Pet crate or carrier.
- Pet toys, especially favorite toys, to help keep your pet from getting stressed out.
It’s also a good idea to have a photo of your pet in case they get lost or separated from your family. You might also want to consider places you can go with your pet if you need to evacuate such as a friend’s house, family member’s place, pet-friendly hotels or shelters that will accept pets. Locally our community college would allow pets as long as they were on a leash or in a crate. That is good to know. We have one crate but we are going to invest in another large crate so that we can at least put two cats in each crate and squeeze the kitten in with the smaller of our adult cats. Our dog would be fine on his leash.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Take some time TODAY to start putting together your family’s Go Kit. Make a list of things you need and make sure to pick them up during the week. You never know when you might need it.
For more information about being prepared in case of an emergency please visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/home/home.shtml. You DO NOT need to be a New York City resident to follow the tips and suggestions they offer on the site. I’m not in NYC yet I find the site to be a powerful resource. You can also check with your own state or town for an Office of Emergency Management website closer to you.
To see if you are truly prepared in case of an emergency take a few minutes to complete the Ready New York’s Readiness Challenge at www.nycreadinesschallenge.org. I THOUGHT I would know what to do but after taking the challenge I realize just how UNprepared I truly am.
You can also check out the information found on the Ad Council website for more great tips and advice, http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=609 and http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=50. According to the Ads Council website 91% of Americans polled feel it’s important to be prepared in case of an emergency but only 58% of those polled truly are prepared.
Ready.Gov is also a fantastic website to go to for more information about being prepared in case of emergencies. I especially like their kid’s page, http://www.ready.gov/kids/home.html.
To help get you started on creating your Go Kit I have a Go Kit from the New York City Office of Emergency Management filled with some of the supplies you need to get you started. The bag includes a flashlight, AM/FM radio, batteries, heavy duty gloves, glow stick, first aid kit, tissues, a whistle, emergency blanket, rain poncho in a special Go Bag backpack. Thank you NY OEM.
To enter please comment on how prepared YOUR family is in case of an emergency. Are you TRULY prepared or do you have a lot to do to get ready. Are there any tips in this post that ou found especially useful?
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This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on September 15, 2011 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name and mailing address (no PO Box). Failure to do so will result in a new winner will be chosen in their place.
Other great giveaways can be found on the right side bar under “Win It.
Kimberly
*I received a free product sample in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
My family is prepared with the basics like water, flashlights, batteries and a crank radio. During Hurricane Irene, we realized that it would take a lot more to really be prepared in case of an emergency. Together, as a family, we must sit down and make a plan.
This is the best and most informative giveaway I have ever seen. Thank you for publicizing the important topic!
I subscribe via GFC (Sarah Weiss)
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I follow She Scribes on Twitter and have tweeted: https://twitter.com/bitsybitsybitsy/status/110805521036099584
I have shared the giveaway on FB: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=271708912858102&id=1127524850
We are fairly prepared – we have emergency kits in our cars, and at home we have an emergency supply of food and water along with radios, batteries and flashlights.
I subscribe via Google Reader.
I like She Scribes on Facebook.
We have flashlights, lots of water, and even a crank radio, but we have a lot more preparing to do in terms of thinking about where we would go, and where we would meet in case we get split up.
I follow via Google Friend Connect
We are not prepared at all. Living in a tornado state we should be
I’m not prepared; I don’t have enough bottled water to last. However I have enough food.
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GFC
Not prepared at all, but this post was a wake up call!
I like She Scribes on FB
We’re not doing so badly. We each have backpacks with emergency prepared items inside. They are all missing a change of clothes and a few bucks though. But I think we’re definitely on our way.
like NYC Office of Emergency Management
on facebook