Whether
you are preparing for a winter storm, fire, flood, or tornado you need to put together a disaster preparedness checklist to give your family the
best chance of survival. We have taken the recommendations from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross (ARC) and the California Governor's
Office of Emergency Services (OES) and have developed the checklist below.
Most agencies are
recommending that you prepare your family to be self-sufficient for three day to a week
before services can be completely restored after a major disaster...
Suggested
Preparations:
Water: Store
one gallon per person per day. Two quarts for drinking and two quarts for cooking.
Food: Have
enough non-perishable food on hand for your family to survive on for three days to one
week. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no
water. Select foods that are compact and can be stored for long periods of time.
First Aid: Assemble a first aid kit for your home and
for each car.
Cooking:
Have alternative methods for cooking such as a camp stove or barbecue.
Basic Supplies that should be included in your Disaster
Preparedness Kits:
- Mess Kit; plates, cups,
utensils
- Emergency Preparedness Manual
- Flashlight and Extra
Batteries or a Wind
Flashlight
- Wind or battery Operated Radio
with Extra Batteries
- Waterproof Matches
- Candles, Battery Operated Lamps, Lanterns and Lantern Fuel
- Battery Operated Smoke Alarm
- Battery Operated Carbon Monoxide
Detector
- Portable Toilet and Toilet Paper
- Personal Hygiene Items
- Plastic Garbage Bags, Zip-locking
Bags
- Waterless Antibacterial Hand Soap
- Disinfectant / Bleach
- Fire Extinguisher
- First Aid Kit
- Antiseptic
- Full supply of Prescription
Medication
- Non-electric Can Opener
- Aluminum Foil
Important
Documents Checklist
It is
sensible to have all your family documents organized during the best of
times; in certain times, you'll want to make it a priority. Use this
checklist to assemble your documents and make sure they're all up-to-date.
You may want to keep some documents in a safe deposit box, fire-proof safe
or other secure location. If so, keep copies handy for easy access and
take them with you in the even of a disaster.
Medical
- Health records for
each family member, including one page for each person with a brief
history of any major medical conditions or episodes, vaccination records,
and doctor's contact information.
- List of special needs
for any family member (i.e. disability, pregnancy, allergy, etc.)
- List of medication
needed by family members
- Health insurance
information
- Name and address of
family dentist
Financial
- Bank address and phone
number (include all account numbers)
- Retirement accounts
name, address, phone numbers
- Credit card numbers
and expiration dates
- Family
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Divorce decrees
- Passport
- Citizenship papers
- Adoption papers
- Social Security Cards
- Drivers Licenses
General Household
- State and Federal Tax
Records
- Fire, Homeowners, and
Renters insurance policies
- Life insurance
policies
- U.S. Savings Bonds,
stocks, securities, deeds and mortgages
- Car title and
registration
- Automobile insurance
- Last will and
testament
- Location of extra set
of house and car keys
- Names and descriptions
of any pets
- Veterinarian's name,
address and phone number
Other
- Emergency Preparedness Manual
- Flashlight and Extra
Batteries or a Wind
Flashlight
- Wind or battery Operated Radio
with Extra Batteries
For
Baby;
- Canned or Powered Formula
- Diapers & Wipes
- Bottles & Nipples
- Powered Milk
- Baby Food
- Medications & Ointment
Entertainment;
Games & Books.
Banking;
Keep and adequate amount of cash on hand to last your family for up to a week.
Communications;
Telephone lines may still be operational even if the power goes out. There is a
possibility that portable phones will not work with out electricity, therefore, keep one
non-portable phone in your home for emergency situations. Cellular and Digital phone
systems may be operational even without electricity. Make sure you have fully charged
backup batteries available. Plan for the situation that all telephones will not be working in the event of a major disaster.
Pets;
Be sure to have extra food and water for your pets in your preparedness plans.
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