Brrr! Winter’s not over yet, and spring can come with flooding and other hazards. Pick out an emergency preparedness supply kit with some help from Do it Best:
To briefly recap Do it Best’s video, they recommend the following for a bare minimum list:
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- 3 days of non-perishable supplies of food and water, at a rate of 1 gallon of water per person per day.
- 7 day minimum supply of medical supplies
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- Wrench and multi-tool
- Whistle
- Moist wipes, paper tiles, toilet paper and other hygiene supplies
- Flashlight, radio, extra batteries, cell phone batteries
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- Important documents in a waterproof container
- Contact list, map, cash, photos
- Warm clothing for everyone
- Pet items
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If you want to be extra ready, store up to 2 weeks of extra food and water.
An extended list might include:
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- Eating utensils
- Disinfectant
- Rain gear
- Towels
- Waterproof matches
- Scissors
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- Tent
- Sleeping bags
- Children’s stuff
- Two way radios
- Plastic sheeting
- Duct tape
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- Work gloves
- Tools
- Eye dropper and a bottle of clorox for water purification.
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You can get all these and more straight off the aisle at your local Western Building Center store.
Keep in mind the following principles for your emergency kit:
- Portability–everything must be ready to go when you are
- Everyone knows what’s in the kit and is instructed not to take anything out
- You might want to keep a smaller preparedness kit in your vehicle and at work
An emergency preparedness kit is just part of your disaster strategy: you should also have an escape plan, decide on emergency meeting places, and so on. Check out redcross.org and ready.gov to learn more about emergency preparedness measures you can take.
Whew! That’s a lot of stuff to keep ready with. Better safe than sorry, though. If you’re overwhelmed, come by your local WBC for some personal advice from one of our experts. If you want to browse for supplies on your own, check out DoitBest.com.
Here in Northwest Montana (as you old locals know), flooding is a major problem, especially in spring and early summer with snow runoff. With flood season coming on, it’s important to be ready with proper sandbagging and drainage. So here’s some local advice on what to have handy this time of year:
Flood Season: Sandbagging and Drainage
Sandbags come in a number of forms. Possibly the most convenient form is pre-filled sandbags; they’re ready to go off the shelf, great for smaller amounts of water. With major flooding, however, pre-filled sandbags get expensive compared to bulk sand and empty bags; get it in bulk and fill it yourself.
For drainage, Western carries a full line of basins, drain tile, sump pumps, and sewage grinders to carry water away from your basement when things flood.
If your sump pump needs maintenance, check out this article section from Wikipedia on sump pump maintenance and sump pumps in general.
Meanwhile, check out this Pinterest pin board from Do it Best on Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Survival:
Follow Do it Best’s board Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Survival on Pinterest.