When hurricanes approach, floods threaten, fires spread, or an earthquake strikes, it is critical to be prepared to deal with these emergencies, especially in case of evacuation. Often the most useful thing to do is to prepare an emergency kit containing all the necessary elements. In fact, these particular kits are effective in providing those affected by weather emergencies with everything they need to survive, even when rescue services cannot be reached.
Jonathan Sury, senior staff associate at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, points out that a family’s emergency kit can mean the difference between life and death, depending on the seriousness of the situation.
Sury stated: “Having yourself and your family be prepared will ease the burden on our response system but also make you more mentally ready for what lies ahead”.
A 2015 survey by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness revealed that only 35% of respondents had sufficient disaster plans and supplies in place.
In emergency and disaster scenarios, it is recommended to have a variety of items that can be vital; in particular the Federal Emergency Management Agency website has compiled a list of such items, for example: One gallon of water per person, per day, a three-day supply of nonperishable food per person and per pet, medical prescriptions, a set of batteries, flashlights and first-aid kits.
One other essential item is reliable printed maps; in fact, Samantha Montano, assistant professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, highlighted the importance of having printed maps of your area with two escape routes indicated.
“Make sure you have a plan for evacuating your home, including the type of transportation you will use, how you will cover the costs, and where you will be staying,” Montano explained in an email.
Experts also strongly recommend that people take a video recording of their home in order to make it available to insurance companies so that they can assess any damage and provide compensation.
Sury, from the NCDP made a clear statement regarding this: “Anything that can be required for your identification or compensation after disaster,” he said. “If you’ve got a way to make formal record of everything with value, it will help you in the long run with recovering from a disaster”.
The main takeaway is: always be prepared, and as Montano warned, just assembling an “emergency kit” does not necessarily mean that a person is truly prepared for an urgent situation.
