Emergency Survival Kit
Summer is here, and with summer comes weather events that can wreak havoc. This week's tornado in Goderich and last year’s tornadoes in Midland and Leamington all happened between June and August. And these are just a few examples of summer disasters. That said, one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family is assemble a basic survival kit, capable of getting your family through the first 72 hours following an emergency. So what should you put in the kit? Here are 10 items for your basic survival kit as recommended by Public Safety Canada:
- Water – 2 litres of water per person per day (small bottles are easier to carry in case of an evacuation order)
- Food – that won’t spoil: canned food, energy bars, etc. (replace the food and water once a year)
- Manual can opener
- Flashlight and batteries
- Battery-powered or wind-up radio – and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Special needs items – prescription medications, infant formula or equipment for people with disabilities (regularly check expiry dates on medications and infant formula and replace when necessary.)
- Extra keys – for your car and house
- Cash – include smaller bills and change for payphones (travelers’ cheques are handy too)
- Emergency plan – include a copy of it and ensure it contains in-town and out-of-town contact information
While these are the recommended “must have” items, you may want to include some of these other things as well: extra clothing and footwear, warm blanket, whistle, garbage bag, toilet paper, safety gloves, basic tools, small fuel-driven stove and fuel, additional litres of water, and cellphone and in-car charger.
Your emergency kit is most useful to you if it is always organized, easily accessible and more importantly, easy to carry. A plastic bin on wheels or even a suitcase or backpack with wheels works nicely.
By: Nancy Wong, for the Insurance Bureau of Canada To view the entire article, visit the Insurance Bureau of Canada website Here.