Emergency Preparedness to Go
by Heather Beutler
| So, you have your neatly
organized year supply of
food and well-stocked
72-hour kits at your house.
But what happens if
you’re not at home when
the worst happens? |
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Disaster can happen at any time, in
any place—and you and your family
might not be at home when catastrophe
strikes. There may not be a way to access your
food storage or emergency supplies, so it is
vital that you have some type of an emergency
kit for each place where members of your
family spend a signifi cant amount of time.
School Kits
Schools have emergency plans to help keep
your children safe. How much do you know
about them? It is a good idea to contact your
school district to find out what their plans
for an emergency situation include. Make
sure you know your district’s policy concerning
how your children will be released from
the school in an emergency, so you can designate
a meeting spot to join them.
You can also help your children prepare
a mini-disaster kit to keep in their desk or
locker at school. This kit would be extremely
helpful if your children are ever stranded or
trapped inside the school, or if the school
ever needs to be evacuated. They would have
access to some necessities until help could
arrive, and have an extra source of comfort
to help get them through the crisis. This kit
could include some of the following items:
• Compact emergency blanket
• Flashlight
• Food
• Water
• Condensed first-aid kit
• Identification card
• Contact information
• Their favorite comic book
This kit should be tailored to fit the specific
needs of your children. If they are not comic
book fans, substitute something else that
could help them combat the stress and boredom
that accompany emergency situations.
Some children might also want a small toy to
be included in their kit, and some might want
an extra candy bar or two. Talk to your children
about the kinds of things they think they
would want in an emergency situation and
include as many of their requests as possible.
It is a good idea to contact
your school district to find
out what their plans for an
emergency situation include.
Having said that, remember that this kit
will need to be compact and contain only the
essentials. It needs to be light enough that your child will be able to carry it for long
periods of time without difficulty. It also
needs to be small enough to fit inside a locker
or desk without taking up too much room.
Similarly, it’s a good idea for adults who
work outside of the home to keep a small
emergency kit at their place of employment.
Car Kits
Your car should be a bastion of emergency
preparedness. If your car breaks down or
you get lost in a remote area, would you have
access to the supplies you need to survive?
If you need to quickly evacuate your home,
would there be enough basic provisions in
your car to sustain you?
Your car kit should include water and
food. Remember the temperature in your car
changes drastically everyday, so choose food
items that won’t be damaged. Make sure you
have a basic first-aid kit and enough blankets
to keep everyone in your family warm. In
addition to these essential supplies, your car
kit should include the following:
• Flares and reflective triangles
• Flashlight or chemical light stick
• Emergency power source
• Tools to cut through seatbelts or break
windows
• Fire extinguisher
• Heavy-duty rope
• Hand sanitizer and soap
• AM/FM radio with multiple sources of
power
• Cell phone
If you are unable to contact help with
your cell phone, tie a bright cloth (preferably
red) to your antenna. This is generally
recognized as a plea for assistance and can
help rescuers find you. Try signaling for help
using any other method you can think of:
flares, lights, whistles, etc.
In addition to an emergency kit, you
should always be supplied with some basic
car-care necessities.
• Jumper cables
• Car repair kit and tools
• Map and compass
Customize your car kit to fit your
family. Try to anticipate any special needs
or circumstances that you may need to be
prepared for. For babies you’ll want extra
diapers, formula, and blankets, while small
children will need extra snacks and a source
of entertainment. Consider allergies or
chronic illnesses within your family and
include any appropriate medications.
College Kits
Between books, tuition, and rent, money is
stretched a little too thin for most students
to devote much thought to beginning a food
storage supply or an emergency preparedness
kit, but it is still important that they
have quick access to emergency supplies. If
you have sons or daughters leaving the nest
for school this year, help prepare a kit for
them to take to campus this fall.
Young adults living on their own for the
first time probably won’t have enough space
to store an extensive collection of emergency
supplies. The kit you put together needs to
be something they can keep under their bed
or in a closet at their apartment or dorm.
Young adults also usually don’t have funds
to replenish a lot of perishable goods or to
keep up anything too elaborate. Keep the kits
simple, including only basic supplies:
• Essentials: three-day supply of food and
water and a good first-aid kit
• Clothing: jacket or coat, raincoat or
poncho, and extra clothing, underwear,
and socks
• Bedding: blankets or a sleeping bag,
an extra set of sheets, and plastic ground
cloth
• Lighting: flashlight, batteries, candles,
waterproof matches, lighter, and flares
• Tools: pocketknife, radio, can opener,
utensils, dishes, sturdy rope, and duct
tape
• Hygiene Supplies: toothbrush, toothpaste,
toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizer,
shampoo, dish soap, feminine hygiene
products, sunscreen, and basic and
prescription medications
• Personal Documents: scriptures,
patriarchal blessing, legal documents,
identification, insurance policies, and
vaccination papers
• Money: cash and credit cards
• Miscellaneous: prepaid phone cards, pen
and paper, bags and containers
Some of these supplies will need to be
rotated or replenished throughout the year.
In the winter, sweaters, gloves, and hats
should be included in the kit, while during
warmer times of the year, a small supply of
light clothing should be sufficient. Remind
your students to keep everything updated.
It doesn’t take too much to piece these
kinds of kits together. Start compiling things
for them today. Being prepared will help you
and your family face the uncertain future
with a sense of courage and peace of mind.
LDS Living, July/August 2008, 81-82
Posted by Rolla C
from Illinois
I have found that several candles are handy for light and warmth. Several outdoor outfitters have a combination tool to bust side windows and to cut seat belts should the buckle jambs. Also, the old CB radio is still effective. Cell towers can easily overload in disasters. Even better is a ham radio, but that requires a special license to operate. Rolla KB9JJJ
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Posted by Marc
from Silicon Valley
I have all of these kits; fortunately I haven't had to use them much. Shortly after putting together the car kit, we had a ward picnic. Some children explored the bushes and found some bees. I was delighted that I had the right medicine in the kit to give to their moms at that time.
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Posted by Niny
from Rexburg Idaho
I have been involved in preparednes for a long time but this is the first time I have heard of having a kit for our children to have with them at all times. Great Idea !!
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Posted by Nori
from California
Thank you for the great reminder. I'd completely forgotten about sending my oldest daughter to school with an emergency kit for her locker. Please provide more articles on this subject.
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Posted by Helen
from Australia
I have to say that I feel that the suggestions in this article are simply over-the-top. To send a primary school child to school with a 72 hour pack is simply doomsaying with the propensity to inculcate an attitude of pessimism and disaster anticipation in our young ones. The counsel from the prophets is to have a (singular) 72 hour emergency pack for each person. Look at the list for the college student - once more - over the top - "Hygiene Supplies: toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizer, shampoo, dish soap, feminine hygiene products, sunscreen, and basic and prescription medications" - the only thing on that list that is really necessary for an emergency pack is prescription medication. What person can't live without a wash or cleaning their teeth for a few days - in an emergency? No-one really. This sort of advice simply puts heavier burdens on parents to provide more and more and yet more, above that simple advice given by the prophet - EMERGENCY PROVISIONS -
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Posted by Ann
from Salina,Utah
This is a well needed article. Most people are not at home are at school or work when emergencies happen. Thanks. Excellent article4
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Posted by Kammi
from Sandy, Utah
Just a suggestion to the car kits: try to keep half a tank of gas in your car at all times. I know that might be a little tough given today's economy, but when I grew up my Mother stood by this rule, and it came in handy when we were involved in the big 6.6 earthquake in California several years ago. The priesthood in our ward were assigned to go around through all the rubble and check on every single ward member. Very few had enough gas in their cars to make the trips all over the area to do this, and of course, all the gas stations had been shut down with no hope of opening for a few days. My Mother's Suburban came to the rescue!! She was prepared, and for the next few days it was needed to help evacuate people from their homes.
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Posted by Dennis
from Salt Lake City
As an Automotive Shop Owner some other things that should be part of being prepared for an emergency , 1. always keep at least 1/4 tank of fuel in your car , preferably more then 1/2 tank , 2. Make sure you follow thru on the recommendations of your mechanic to keep your car safe and usable at all times. For example I had a son in an accident at the border of Canada and called me in the middle of the night to come and get him and his family If I had neglected to get the tires I was told I needed I would have then had to wait until in the morning go and get tires and lose precious and valuable time getting to a family member who needed help , as it was I was able to get up and just leave to get him without the worry of my car not being ready to go somewhere at a moments notice.
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Posted by maggie
from NJ
I think the advice of this article is right on. While I do follow the Prophet's counsel on 72 hour kits, three and 12 month supplies of provisions, please think about this: We must use our intellect and experiences and the intelligent advice of others to be thoroughly prepared. As a Church that uses Scouting as our young men's program, we teach "be prepared". We live in the greater new york area; my husband was in his office on 9/11 without a 72 hour kit. the offices were shut down with a lock-down. just prior to this lockdown when he saw that the first plane hit, he ran across the street and bought water, food, blanket so he would be able to survive in his office; he knew he would not be able to get home, even if his offices were not locked down. Please, Helen, think again. we are not training our children to be afraid. Fear does not exist in the presence of preparedness. If we are not prepared to help ourselves in a situation of emergency, we will not also be able to help others who do not have the training we in the Church have. Kudos to LDS Living for this article!
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Posted by vicki
from Provo, UT
As a professional organizer located in the Utah Valley area, I specialize in helping others purchase products and organize their emergency prepardness items. I beleive many of the author's suggested items are valuable in home kits, but the car, office and school kit options should be more simplified and scaled down.
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