Week 2 – Grab and Go Kits - Specific Items

By Jackie Kloosterboer – Author – My Earthquake Preparedness Guide

Last week our focus was how to develop your Family’s Grab & Go Kits to ensure your family will have the items they need when you must evacuate from your home to safety.  

With your Grab & Go Kits now stocked with the basic items, its time to think about additional items to include in your Grab & Go Kit.  These items can sometimes be overlooked.

The focus for Week 2 – What other items do you need to include in your Grab & Go Kits?

CASH: 

If I was to ask you right now to open your wallet and see how much cash you have on hand – you would probably be like me - I have a $5.00 bill, a Loonie and a couple of quarters. Most people do not keep much cash on them - we all rely on our bank and credit cards.  $6.50 will not carry me too far when facing a disaster.

If you have to evacuate your home you may face some unexpected expenses.  You may need to pay for a hotel, purchase some extra supplies or any number of things that require cash.  If power is out you will not be able to use your bank or credit cards.   

I can hear the flood of questions already – will stores be open? Will there be anything left to purchase in the stores?  The answer is - we just don’t know. There may be stores that can open and after some time supplies will start to arrive that we can purchase. There may be hotels available, there may not. Will we have power – we may or we may not.   Until the earthquake happens, we just don’t know how our communities will be affected or what will be available.  That is why we need to be prepared!

One word of warning – if you borrow from your stash of cash make sure you repay it. You don’t want to think you have money stored only to find it is no longer there.  

MEDICATIONS:

If you, your family or pets take medications this requires some planning.  I am a diabetic and if I don’t get my insulin I will not survive–it! As you may know insulin must be kept refrigerated or it will lose its potency. I don't want to be facing a disaster with insulin that is not going to work.

To make sure this won't happen I have talked to my family Doctor to see how to best store my insulin. This way I will always have insulin available to me.  In my Grab & Go Kit I keep all the other bits and pieces I need for my diabetes such as pump supplies, test strips, syringes etc., but my insulin is safely rotated through my kit.

If you, your family or pets take any medications talk to your family doctor or vet about how to best store your medications.  You don't want to be facing an earthquake without your medications. 

IDENTIFICATION

Ensure you have copies of all your important documents safely stored away in your Grab & Go Kit. If you have to evacuate and you forget your wallet this will provide you with the ID you may need. Rather than photocopy ID some people prefer to keep it on a password protected memory stick.

In addition to your Driver’s License, Credit Cards and other important ID  make sure you copy your insurance documents. I can’t tell you how many fires I have responded to where people have insurance but can’t remember who their insurance company is. Having a copy with you makes it much easier to be able to call your insurance company quickly.

Think about other impotent documentation you and your family should include in your Grab & Go Kit such as phone numbers and your OUT OF AREA CONTACT card which we will look at next week. Your Out of Area Contact provides a way to connect with family members if phone lines are down.

Until then – make sure your family’s Grab & Go Kits are safely stored away in the closet with all the supplies you  need so when disaster strikes you will be ready!

Your Task for this week:

1. Determine how much money to store away and put the money into your Grab & Go Kit.
2. Talk to your Family Doctor and Vet about storing medications for your family and pets.
3. Photocopy your insurance papers, ID, credit cards and other documents you need to keep on hand.

We know it’s only a matter of time before the big one strikes.  Make sure you, your family and pets are prepared to Survive-It!  The time to prepare is NOW – once the earthquake strikes it will be too late!

As Always,

Be Prepared – Not Scared

Jackie Kloosterboer has been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for 2 decades presenting more than 100 Earthquake Preparedness sessions each year. She is often interviewed by a variety of media outlets across Canada as she promotes the importance of earthquake and disaster preparedness.

As an Emergency Planner and an Instructor with the Justice Institute of BC Jackie travels across Canada teaching volunteers how to respond to disasters to help those who have been displaced. Throughout British Columbia Jackie has taken on leadership roles assisting those who have been impacted by disaster.

Contact Jackie at (604) 355-2414 or jackie@survive-it.ca

www.survive-it.ca