Inside this edition: Is a 12 step plan to prepare your family for an emergency.
Hey y’all. It’s your girl Rainey helping YOU – my tribe – the Rainey Crew plan for an emergency. When September 11th, 2001 happened it was a scary time. Not only had two planes crashed into the Twin Towers, one in Pennsylvania, and one into the Pentagon, but no one knew what was coming next. There was a lot of speculation that further attacks were coming; possibly chemical attacks. My husband and I were just two years in our home, and we realized if we were stuck in our home because of any kind of emergency or natural disaster we were poorly prepared.
When we are looking for homes we are looking for an open floor plan and a big kitchen with an island. After we move in we woefully neglect what we should have on hand at all times to keep it running in the event that anything should occur. Whether you are in your forever home or if you are renting, these are the 12 steps you need to take now to prepare your family for any type of emergency.
Water
Keep at least one gallon of water, per person per day for drinking and everyday sanitation. If we were to fall victim to the after effects of a hurricane or earthquake the water supply could be compromised due to flooding or interrupted because of water main breaks. The water should be kept in a cool dark place and change it out every six months. We purchased a rigid water container which holds about 20 gallons of water. If needed we would use it for sanitation purposes. They come in all shapes and sizes, and you can find them at the Home Depot, Lowes or Amazon. You can buy water from the grocery or rinse and re-purpose other gallon containers that you may have purchased for your drinking water.
Food
Non-perishable food is key. You should keep a three to five day supply of food per person. This should consist of:
- Ready to eat canned meat, fruit and vegetables.
- Canned or boxed juices
- Powdered milk, baby formula, and soup
- Crackers, granola bars, or trail mix.
Stay away from salty snacks or non-nutritious foods. Salty foods will make you thirsty, and you don’t want to use up your water supply too quickly. Granted emergencies do not happen everyday, so make sure and check the expiration date on the canned foods every six months or yearly. Don’t forget to have enough food for your pets and any medication they may need.
Clothes
Make sure you have one change of clothes per person and footwear. This could be as simple as a T-shirt and pants and a cheap pair of sneakers. With kids you will need to cycle these out more frequently as they are always growing. I made a “To Go” bag for our family. Whomever is closest to the bag is assigned to grab it before leaving the house. In that bag I also have blankets, and ponchos. I also keep a large blanket in the car.
Medications
If you are on heart, high blood pressure medications, or insulin having your medication on hand is imperative. You should have at least three days worth of prescription medications to keep you going. If there is no power most likely the pharmacies will not open. If you are keeping medications on hand as a “just in case” you should pay attention to the expiration dates.
Flashlight
Flashlights should always be on hand emergency or not. I purchased a least six for our house. Each child has one, my husband, and myself. We keep one in the kitchen and one in the basement. The yellow lantern-style flashlights are great for hands free use and are my personal preference. They now come with LED bulbs so the battery life is longer and the light is brighter. You can get them at Target or Amazon for $4.99 with a battery already included. There are also rechargeable batteries for these lantern-style flashlights at the Home Depot.
Can Opener
A manual can opener is a must. It will be very awkward trying to open your canned foods when there is no power. If there are canned options with pull top openings, those are also preferable.
Radio
A battery powered or hand crank radio can be helpful for listening to the news and weather reports. You may also want to have apps from news services and radio stations downloaded on to your smartphones if you prefer to go down that route. Keep in mind if you are using your smartphone the battery may not last as long if you are constantly on it. When in a pinch you can use your car radio if you have a car.
Hygienic Necessities
In your “To Go” bag you should have soap, toilet paper, and toothbrushes. Consider adding hand sanitizer to that bag as well. Hand sanitizer should be kept in cool dark locations if you want it to last and to ensure efficacy. A container of disinfecting wipes should be part of your must haves for that bag as well. If you will be confined to your home for an extended period of time, you may want to consider stocking up or buying toilet paper in bulk. When an emergency hits you will not have to beat the rush. LADIES – do not forget the personal hygiene supplies.
First Aid
You can buy a first-aid kit at your local pharmacy. They come in different sizes and you should have one even if there is no natural disaster. If you have kids there is always a cut, bruise or burn that needs tending. Pre-made first-aid kits can get pricey the bigger they get, so making your own is always an option as well. Something I also always have on hand in our house are latex gloves. We keep them in the kitchen for health and safety reasons, and we get them in at Sam’s Club. Those are a staple in our household, but should also be in your first-aid kit.
Batteries and Power Banks
Be sure to have batteries to replace your lanterns and C and D batteries for other types of flashlights. If you expect power outages make sure that all devices are fully charged. You may also want to consider purchasing portable power banks to charge your devices when they eventually run out of juice. Those can be found pretty much anywhere online, or Best Buy, and of course Amazon.
Cash
Cash is king. No power means you cannot make purchases with credit and debit cards. Always keep a small stash of cash in the house for emergencies.
One last thing
All the items above are essentials to prepare your family for an emergency, a shelter-in-place scenario or natural disaster. There is one more item that my husband and I invested in for our home after being hit very hard by a snow storm years ago. We bought a generator. Generators are great to keep the essential items in your home running.
Your refrigerator(s), HVAC, internet router, television, and space heaters, can all be run with the appropriate sized generator that can carry that load. If you decide to make the step to purchase a generator you will need to do your research to decide the best size to support the essential devices in your home. You will also need an adequate number of extension cords, and have enough gasoline on hand to support you for 2-3 days. Follow ALL safety precautions when using gasoline powered generators.
An even more expensive option is a whole house generator which could be something to consider if you experience frequent power outages where you live.
Final thoughts
The world is in a constant state of flux. Be it natural disaster, man made disasters or pandemics. If the current pandemic comes back for round two – will you now know how to prepare your family for an emergency?
If you need help building your Emergency Preparedness kit you can purchase my kit in the RaineyHunte.com SHOP. It is a printable and perfect for any person or size family. I think It’s a great housewarming present. Check it out.