10 Items You Must Have In Your Home Emergency Preparedness Kit

Considering that severe weather events can happen suddenly and without warning, it is a good idea to have an emergency preparedness kit essential for your own and your family’s survival. Some weather events, like hurricanes, wildfires, or earthquakes may require you to evacuate at a moment's notice. Others, like snowstorms or power outages, could leave you at home for days on end without running water or electricity. Whatever the emergency, follow these tips as per the Canadian Red Cross on how to build your own emergency preparedness kit which can be a lifesaver in some situations. 

1. Bottled Water

Make sure to have at least 3 litres of water per person per day, with one litre for drinking and two litres for cleaning and hygiene. This may seem like a lot of water, but when you consider that the average Canadian uses approximately 329 litres of water per day at home, it’s a drop in the bucket (no pun intended) and you’ll be thankful you have it.

2. Non-perishable Food

Pack enough non-perishable food items like canned meats, protein bars, dry cereal, peanut butter, canned juices, and pet food to last each person or pet in your group at least three days. 

3. Manual Can Opener And Eating Utensils

If you include canned food items in your kit, a manual can opener is a must-have in addition to utensils like forks, spoons, and knives.

4. Medication, Medical Supplies, And Personal Hygiene Items

Pack extras of any items you can’t be without, including medications (and copies of your prescriptions), eyeglasses or contacts, pet medications, and any supplies you or your family members need for specific medical conditions. You’ll also want to pack portable personal hygiene items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap.

5. Important Documents

Be sure to have copies of birth and marriage certificates, passports, health cards, wills, insurance policy documents, and a list of emergency contacts in your emergency kit.

Or, consider saving electronic copies of important documents on an encrypted USB stick or in a secure, cloud-based account.

6. Electronics, Batteries, And Chargers

It is a good idea to have a crank- or battery-operated flashlight and radio for your kit, as they’ll be handy to have in the event of an extended power outage. Make sure to pack extra batteries, an extra cellphone charger, and a pre-charged cell phone battery pack.

7. Spare Keys For Your Home And Cars

Make extra copies of your home and vehicle keys to include in your kit. You may also want to consider leaving another set of keys with a trusted friend or family member.

8. First Aid Kit

A standard first aid kit should include the following: sterile gauze pads, adhesive tape, roller bandages, adhesive bandages, scissors, tweezers, safety pins, instant ice packs, and more. Check your local pharmacy for a prepackaged first aid kit to add to your emergency kit.

9. Extra Cash

In the event of a widespread power outage, stores (if they’re open) won’t be able to take credit cards or mobile payments, and you won’t be able to withdraw money from your bank. Keep extra cash in the form of small bills and coins in your kit in case you need to buy extra supplies.

10. Safety Whistle

This one is no joke, seriously! If you’re lost and need help, you can use a safety whistle to alert others and assist search and rescue teams in finding you.

If you are a homeowner and would like to know how we can best protect yourself and most valuable investment, please contact us today so that we can meet all of your insurance needs.