When people hear about emergencies in other parts of the world, most of them say: “Good it did not happen to me!” However, rather than saying that you should look around and think if your house and your family are actually ready to face some kind of emergency. You should also go to the library or on the internet and get information on emergency preparedness as well as on possible natural threats in your area.
We want to help you in achieving emergency preparedness and are going to give you some information on useful emergency items.
The first thing you need to have for emergency purposes is a first aid kit. Some first aid kits could be purchased at stores. However, most of them are not satisfying. You need to get high quality medications for your kit and you need to make sure you have everything you may ever need during possible emergencies. Some basic items to have in your emergency first aid kit are: different types of trauma dressings, gauze, a mask, scissors, first aid splint, disinfectants, burn dressings, antibiotics, sterilized water and some others.
In case of most natural disasters you will have to shut off your natural gas supply, water supply and electricity. Make sure you have all required tools to do so. And make sure all your family members know where and how this should be done. Some disasters may lead to broken water lines in your house and you will need special utility to fix the problem too. Make sure you have all required tools and know how to use them.
Your emergency preparedness kit must also include a fire extinguisher. Fire extinguishers are of different types. You need to make sure you get the right type of it. An ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher is recommended for private households. This type of extinguishers allows to handle 3 different types of fires. It is effective when dealing with electrical fires, flammable liquids and combustion fires. Check your fire extinguisher regularly and make sure it is ready to use anytime.
You should also store some supplies for emergency purposes. First of all, you will need a sufficient amount of water. We are not able to survive without water for a long time. The rule of thumb here is to have one gallon of drinking water per day for one person. A seven day supply of water is considered to be enough. But if you are able to store more water – it is better for you. There are special water preservers that allow stored water lasting for about 5 years. Make sure you also have water purification tablets and portable water filter. These items should also be found in your emergency kit.
Do you know that food storage can save you from lots of problems during all sorts of emergency issues. Read more about food storage on this food storage site.
