Hurricane Emergency Kit

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Keep Items in airtight plastic bags, and put your entire disaster-supplies kit in one or two easy to carry containers, such as an unused trashcan, camping backpack or duffel bag. Rethink your needs every year and update your kit as your family needs change.

€ Food and water
€ Manual can opener
€ Utensils
€ First-aid kit
€ Flashlight
€ Battery-operated radio
€ Batteries
€ $200.00 Cash in small denominations and coins (local areas may not have power for ATM’s, Banks or stores to use debit cards or withdraw funds)
€ Unscented liquid household bleach for water purification
€ Personal hygiene items, including toilet paper, feminine supplies and soap
€ Sturdy shoes
€ Heavy gloves
€ Warm Clothes, a hat and rain gear
€ A local map
€ Extra prescription eyeglasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
€ Plastic sheeting, duct tape and utility knife for covering broken windows
€ Tools including pliers and a shut-off wrench to turn off utilities if necessary
€ Blanket or sleeping bag
€ Extra keys to your house and vehicle
€ A copy of important documents and phone numbers
€ Paper towels aluminum foil
€ Fire extinguisher
€ Paper, pencils
€ Large plastic bags for waste and sanitation
€ Diapers and other items for babies and children
€ Special-need items for family members with mobility problems, such as an extra cane or manual wheelchair in case there is no power for recharging an electric wheelchair
€ Tent
€ Matches in a waterproof container
€ Pet supplies
€ Plastic storage containers
€ Signal flare
€ Needles and thread
€ Keep vehicle(s) topped off with fuel (consider purchasing extra fuel cans or may use fuel from a second vehicle as reserve).



First-aid kit
(Most retail first-aid kits should suffice and include)
€ Two pairs of disposable gloves
€ Sterile dressings
€ Gauze bandage
€ Cleansing agent/soap and antibiotic towelettes
€ Antibiotic ointment
€ Burn ointment
€ Thermometer
€ Adhesive bandages in variety of sizes
€ Adhesive tape, 2 inch wide
€ Eye wash solution
€ Cold pack
€ Scissors
€ Cotton swabs
€ Tweezers
€ Over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin or other pain reliever, laxative, anti-diarrhea medication, antacid
€ Daily prescription medications such as insulin, heart medicine or asthma inhaler
€ Prescribed medical supplies such as glucose monitoring equipment or blood pressure monitors

Pets

€ Get a pet carrier or a crate for each household pet. It should be large enough to allow your pet to stand up and turn around inside.
€ Have a leash and a muzzle on hand to help control your dog.
€ Have newspapers, plastic bags, cleansers, kitty litter and disinfectants available to handle pet wastes.
€ Have sufficient amounts of pet food water and special medications on hand
€ Be sure your pet’s rabies and other vaccinations are current. Your pet’s collar should have a license tag. Gather your pet’s ID records and medical info into a waterproof package, include a recent photo of you and the pet with a detailed written description and copy of current vaccination certificate.
€ Ask local animal shelters if they provide emergency shelter or foster care for pets in a disaster.

Food

Store enough emergency food to feed your family for at least three days:

€ Ready to eat canned meat, fruits and vegetables
€ Canned juices, milk and soup
€ High-energy foods, such as peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars and trail mix
€ Comfort foods, such as hard candy, sweetened cereals, candy bars and cookies.
€ Dried foods (select carefully as some have high salt content)
€ Instant meals that don’t require cooking or water
€ Vitamins
€ Protein or fruit bars
€ Nuts

Water


€ Store 1 gallon of water per person and pet per day.
€ Seal water containers tightly in a clean food-grade plastic container, label them with a date, and store in a cool, dark place.
€ Rotate water supplies every six months (water can develop bacteria or algae from microscopic cracks in the container.)
€ Keep a small bottle of unscented liquid bleach to purify water. (Add eight drops of bleach to each gallon of water. Shake or stir. Let stand 30 minutes.)

Food Shelf Life

These are General guidelines for rotating common emergency foods. Write the date you store food and water on all containers.

€ Use within six months: Powdered milk (boxed); dried fruit (in metal container); dry, crisp crackers (in metal container); potatoes
€ Use within one year: Canned condensed meat and vegetable soups; canned fruit juices and vegetables; ready-to-eat cereals; peanut butter and jelly; hard candy and canned nuts; vitamin c
€ May be stored indefinitely: (in proper containers and conditions): Wheat, vegetable oils, dried corn, baking powder, soybeans, instant coffee, tea and cocoa, salt, non-carbonated soft drinks, white rice, bouillon products, dry pasta, powdered milk (in nitrogen-packed cans)

Important documents

Keep originals of legal documents in an off-site safe-deposit box:

€ Birth Certificates, adoption papers
€ Marriage certificate
€ Social security cards
€ Military discharge
€ Health insurance ID cards
€ Life insurance policies
€ Property insurance policies
€ Auto registration/ownership papers
€ Auto insurance policies
€ Power of attorney
€ Will
€ Passport
€ Real estate deeds of trust
€ Pervious year tax returns
€ Contact info of your attorney
€ Inventory of valuables with photographs

Maintaining contact


€ Determine the best two escape routes from your home.
€ Plan where to meet if your home becomes unsafe. Choose two places, one just outside your home and one outside your neighborhood.
€ Designate a contact person far enough away to not be affected by the same emergency. Instruct family members to call this person and tell them where they are.
€ If you have a cell phone, include an emergency contact on you phone book. Put the letter ICE for “in case of emergency” before a persons name to let rescuers know whom to contact.

Evacuation bag

Pack an easy-to-carry bag with an ID tag for each member of the family for use for an evacuation. Include the following:

€ Some water, food and manual can opener
€ Flashlight and batteries
€ Battery-operated radio
€ Whistle
€ Personal medications and prescriptions
€ Extra keys to your house and vehicle
€ Walking shoes, warm clothes, a hat and rain gear
€ Extra prescription eyeglasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
€ Toilet paper, plastic bag and other hygiene supplies
€ Dust mask
€ Pocket knife, compass
€ Paper, Pens, and tape for leaving messages
€ Cash in small denominations
€ Copies of insurance and identification cards
€ A recent picture of your family and pets
In your child’s bag include a favorite toy, game or book, as well as his or her emergency card with reunification location and contact info.