Emergency Preparedness

One of the best ways to stay prepared for any situation is to make an emergency preparedness kit for your home, car, or both!

You can make them as big or as small as you’d like. It’s all up to preference and what space you have to store these items.

Example items for a home emergency preparedness kit:

  • Flashlight with extra batteries
  • Lantern with extra fuel
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Bottled water
  • Canned food, enough for 3 days
  • Can opener
  • Radio with extra batteries
  • Solar-powered phone charger
  • N95 mask
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Blanket
  • Waterproof matches
  • Candles
  • Glow sticks
  • First Aid kit and supplies with Band-Aids, bandages and ointment
  • Extra medications, especially prescriptions
  • Knife or Swiss Army knife
  • List of important phone numbers
  • Toilet paper / feminine hygiene products
  • Warm hat, gloves and socks
  • Epi Pen

Example items for a vehicle emergency preparedness kit:

Many of the same items in a home kit can be used in a vehicle, however you do have more limited space so keep that in mind.

  • Water
  • Flare gun
  • Emergency or wool blanket
  • Warm hat, gloves and socks
  • First Aid kit
  • Mechanical kit, including jumper cables, various hand tools and a leatherman tool
  • Plastic gas can
  • Small shovel
  • Snow chains
  • Hand crank radio
  • Car cell phone charger
  • Baby wipes
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Toilet paper
  • State and local maps
  • List of important phone numbers

Remember to keep your kit up-to-date! It’s a good rule of thumb to check them when you check your smoke detectors.