Disaster Supply kit
You will want to prepare a disaster supply kit that will cover basic needs:
- A home kit should disaster strike when you are home, and need to shelter in place
- A portable kit to take with you, should you need to evacuate your home
- A car kit should you be away from home when disaster strikes
- Kits should have supplies that will last each family member a minimum of 72 hours however 7 days is now recommended
Home and Portable kits should include:
- First aid kit with essential supplies/medications (see first aid kit section on this site)
- Canned food, can opener, and non-perishable high energy snacks
- At least 3 gallons of bottled water per person
- Battery operated flashlight and spare batteries
- Hand crank or battery operated radio and spare batteries
- Two way “family” radios for communication with each other
- Assorted hand tools
- Important documents such as birth and marriage certificates
- Bath size towels
- Clothing ( protective, rainwear, or for extreme warmth or cold )
- Special items needed by infants, elderly or people with special needs
- Plastic garbage bags
- Wide tape
- An area map
- Activities to amuse the kids
- List of family medications, eye glasses, hearing aids
- A photo of your pets, pet food, water dish, litter, leash and other supplies
Car kits will cover the basics only.
Tip:
Food and water should be replaced every 3 months and batteries every 6 months
When “sheltering in place” you should also have:
- Plastic tarps and duct tape for sealing windows if necessary
- The frequency numbers of our local Emergency Alert Radio Station (EMS) 720 am and 1660 AM ** (More info is available through local Community Emergency Response (CERT) Team training in Palatine.)
- Tools and written instructions for turning off the electricity, gas and water if necessary
- Every member of the family should know where the kit is stored, which should be within easy reach
**CERT is a national training initiative which provides citizens relevant hands on training in preparing for and responding to a disaster. For more information please see the CERT webpage on this site.
