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Preparing for the Storm

As many people in the region prepare for what looks to be a big storm, one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family is to 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:

  1. Water – 2 litres of water per person per day (small bottles are easier to carry in case of an evacuation order)
  2. Food – that won’t spoil: canned food, energy bars, etc. (replace the food and water once a year)
  3. Manual can opener
  4. Flashlight and batteries
  5. Battery-powered or wind-up radio – and extra batteries
  6. First aid kit
  7. 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.)
  8. Extra keys – for your car and house
  9. Cash – include smaller bills and change for payphones (travelers’ cheques are handy too)
  10. 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 additional emergency supplies such as: 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, cellphone and duct tape.

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.

For additional information about preparing for extreme weather, visit the Government of Canada’s emergency preparedness website: www.getprepared.gc.ca.

Click Here to learn about preparing for hurricanes in particular.