05/26/2016
GetReady! to Survive Hurricane Season! (Part 4)
Gather Resources/Supplies.
Whether you will be sheltering in place or end up evacuating, you will need to gather supplies. The below are recommendations and brief tips. They should be considered as a minimum and each emergency kit should be personalized to you and your family. For evacuation preparation, put your supplies into containers that can be centrally located and easy to access and grab if or when you need to evacuate. If you shelter-in-place, you can always use the supplies in your evacuation kit(s).
1. Food: Have at lease three days of food (that does not need refrigeration or cooking) for each person and pet. Don’t forget to include a manual can opener in your Evacuation Kit if you are including canned foods. Also include paper products to eat the food with/on.
2. Water: Store at least one gallon per person per day (enough for at least three days). And don’t forget your pets. Also, include a means of treating additional water.
3. Shelter: If you are sheltering in place, make sure you have the tools and supplies to make temporary repairs to your home if needed. That could include sand bags (filled), tarps, plastic sheeting, duct tape, nails, hammers, and the like. In your evacuation kit, you should have bedding for each person. Again, don’t assume that you will find what you need at your evacuation destination, or along the way.
4. Clothing: Put at least three changes of clothing for each person in your evacuation kit. Include laundry supplies in case you are away from home for more than three days.
5. Hygiene supplies: Hygiene, oral hygiene and sanitation supplies should be included in your evacuation kit. Assume that you will need to take with you everything that you will need for the time you are away from your home.
6. Medical: You should always have a full First Aid Kit in your home. At the beginning of Hurricane Season is a good time to inventory and replenish/replace the supplies in your First Aid Kit. As soon as a storm is forecast make sure you have enough prescription and over-the-counter medications to last as long as you think the event will last.
7. Vital documents: If you haven’t done so already, the beginning of Hurricane Season is an ideal time to collect and copy (both hard copies and digital) all of your vital documents. Keep all the originals in a fire/water proof box to take with you if you evacuate.
8. Light and power: put flashlights and battery powered lamps in your evacuation kit. Make sure they work and also store plenty of batteries for all. Charge your cell phone and any other small devices they you may want to use. You can get back-up batteries. If you rely on any medical devices that require electricity, get battery-powered versions if possible. Again, have plenty of backup batteries charged and available. Include some method of charging batteries, for example, solar panels in the event the power is out for a long time. If you shelter-in-place for the storm (you have not been required to evacuate), you could be without power for weeks. Have an emergency, battery powered radio with weather (NOAA) access. This will enable you to keep informed even if the power goes out.
