hurricane irene preparation © by l . e . o

Are you prepared for what some are calling the once in a life time storm? Are you ready for Hurricane Sandy to hit Toronto? preparation

I know I am not.

I have lived through both a fire and hurricane so I know a little bit about survival after a disaster. Would you be prepared for a natural disaster at your house? With the winds that Sandy is about to bring there could be major power outages.

What do you need for an emergency? Do you have these items on hand? Do you know where they are?

Your home’s emergency survival kit should have enough supplies to look after your own family’s needs for up to 72 hours. To save time, you may want to prepare an emergency food and water kit, first aid kit, and an emergency car kit as well.

To create your own home emergency survival kit, gather the following items and store them in a duffel bag, backpack or closet shelf until needed with this done you are ready for Sandy or any major emergency.

• AM/FM radio (and extra batteries if not a hand-powered radio)

• Baby supplies, if required (disposable diapers, bottled milk, baby food, toys, crayons, and paper)> Make sure you are checking expiry dates and refilling as needed.

• Blankets or sleeping bags (one per person)

• Candles and matches (waterproofed)

• Cash (include coins/cards for payphones). Make sure you have small bills, and change.

• Clothing and footwear (one change of clothes per person). For kids don’t forget to change this up as they grow.

• Flashlight (and extra batteries if not hand-powered flashlight)

• First-aid kit with over-the-counter medications in the event of a pandemic

• Food(granola bars, tuna, peanut butter, crackers and others to family tastes but think easy to prepare) and bottled water( use 2 drops of bleach per 2L bottle).

• Important papers (copies of personal documents and identification paper

• Prescription medication required by any family member (1 week supply & copy of prescription).

• Pet supplies, if required (food, medications, toys)

• Playing cards, games & books

• Plastic bucket with lid (for latrine)

• Spare set of car keys

• Spare set of glasses and prescription, if required

• Toilet paper and other personal supplies

• Whistle

I would add to this list if you are a person of faith add a bible or your book of faith.

Do you have an emergency kit? If so when was the last time you updated it? Are you ready for this storm?