In the event of a catastrophe, it may become very hard to travel to the nearest emergency center, or for them to travel to you. It is important to have an emergency preparedness kit so that you can take care of yourself when a disaster occurs or is about to occur. However, the kit has to be stored in a place you can access it and it must contain useful items or else it will be useless.
What Is An Emergency Preparedness Kit
This kit is not necessarily about surviving a crisis long-term. It is more about tackling issues as they occur to ensure that you can move forward to survive a crisis. Situations that require immediate care are the focus of this kit.
Most home kits should contain first aid materials, food, flashlights, personal toiletry items, water, extra clothes, a survival manual, and a portable radio to stay informed.
Most car kits should contain food, water, booster cables, tools, first aid supplies, sleeping bag, extra clothing for the outdoors, toiletries, map, money, flashlights and a pen and paper.
These lists are not exhaustive. There are different situations that may require more items, and depending on your family and your unique issues, such as medication requirements, you may need to include many more things in your kit.
Examples Of Different Disaster Situations Include:
- Earthquake – If you live in an area where an earthquake is very possible, it is important to have extra items such as shoes to protect your feet from broken glass and debris and a fire extinguisher to put out any unexpected fires.
- Terrorism – If a serious terrorist attack occurs, then you may need to protect yourself against biological issues. Therefore, a protective suit, a gas mask, and a drinking canteen to use with the gas mask should be included.
- Pandemic – If a disease breaks out, then it is important to have a kit that protects yourself against the pandemic. In this kit gloves, safety goggles, masks, hand sanitizer, biohazard bags, and a respirator should be included.
- Hurricane – If you need to prepare your home for incoming hurricane, then having a kit on hand with things such as candles, duct tape, an axe, waterproof matches, and a tarp should be included.
As you can see there are many different situations that may require different items which means that you should have several kits on hand at all times. The more prepared you are the better. In addition, you can always utilize supplies in another kit during an emergency.
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Having More Than One Kit Per Emergency Is a Good Idea
Even though you may have a plan for disaster, it is not always going to occur in the place you think it is. You may be on the road in your car. You may be on a walk a few blocks away from your house. You may be at work. The point is that you need to have an emergency preparedness kit in a few areas so that you can reach it when you need to.
One in your car is essential. Most of us spend a good majority of our day away from our house, and the chances of a disaster occurring during that time is just as high as it occurring when we are at home. Put your kits in your trunk for easy and quick access.
In your house, you may want to put one in your basement, since your basement will likely be a place that you will head to in the case of a tornado, hurricane, or other threat. However, having a kit upstairs, just in case access to your basement is cut off, is a good idea as well.
In the end, an emergency preparedness kit could make the difference between immediate life and death. Because disasters happen quickly and emergency facilities may not be available, you will need to have immediate access to items pertaining to whatever disaster is occurring.
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