As we in El Paso, TX prepare for the remnants of Hurricane Odile, it raises the importance of having an Emergency Kit ready when you need it. I have said before, an emergency can occur at any moment. This isn’t said to scare but to encourage you to prepare.
I have a couple of bags and backpacks for different reasons, all set up for particular emergencies. One is my Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) bag that stays in my truck–this one is first aid kit heavy, with other materials for CERT response or to assist if my family is ever directly involved in a large emergency. The other is my standard hiking day pack–I keep hiking supplies in this one and preparations for emergencies out on the trail. Both bags have specific uses and I keep both fully stocked. This doesn’t mean that I don’t use them, I do–as I encounter “little emergencies” along the way and take the time to replenish them. I think that the best kit is the one that you use and restock. Through use, you’ll be able to find other things that you want to put in there–like “Duck Tape”–you never know when you need it, or how you can use it, but you can! So personalize you kit to your life–keep it in your truck or garage where you can get to it.
The biggest lesson to learn about an Emergency Kit is to not over-think it. Most of what goes inside is common sense–but we simply may not be thinking of these things when we put them together. FEMA has put together an Emergency Supply List that will get you started to building and personalizing your own Emergency Kit.
For more information on Building an Emergency Kit, go to FEMA’s Build-A-Kit Website.
(Photo: FEMA)