National Preparedness Month: Build Your Family’s Kit and Plan

Ready.gov recommends keeping a kit with enough supplies to get your household through several days. Core items include:

• Water: one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food: at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food, plus a manual can opener
• Information and light: a battery-powered or hand crank radio, a NOAA Weather Radio, a flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit, plus a whistle to signal for help and dust masks to help filter contaminated air
• Sanitation: moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties
• Tools: a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape
• Communication: a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery, and local maps

A store-bought kit is a starting point, not a finished product. Ready.gov suggests adding items that fit your family, such as:

• Prescription medications and over-the-counter medicines
• Eyeglasses and contact lens solution
• Copies of important family documents, such as insurance policies, identification and bank account records
• Cash, hygiene products and disinfecting wipes
• Infant supplies, pet food and water, and activity items for children
• Blankets, a complete change of clothing, a fire extinguisher and waterproof matches

Store canned food in a cool, dry place, replace expired items, and, as Ready.gov puts it, “re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change.” September is a good time to do that check.

Ready.gov reminds families that “your family may not be together if a disaster strikes.” Its planning process has four steps:

1. 1Meet with your family. Talk through how you will receive emergency alerts and warnings, your shelter plan, your evacuation route and how you will communicate.
2. 2Assess your household’s needs. Consider ages, medical needs, disabilities, pets, dietary needs and anything else specific to your household.
3. 3Write it down. Ready.gov offers a fillable Family Emergency Plan form for contacts, meeting places and medical information.
4. 4Practice it. Walk through the plan so everyone knows their role.

People who depend on medications, medical equipment or regular treatments need a few extra steps. Ready.gov’s guidance for older adults recommends:

• Packing medicines, medical supplies, batteries and chargers in your emergency kit
• Planning how you will bring assistive devices with you if you need to evacuate
• Making copies of Medicaid, Medicare and other insurance cards
• Building a support network of family, friends and others, and making sure at least one person has a key to your home and knows where your supplies are
• Asking your clinic or treatment center about their emergency plans and back-up providers for routine treatments

Texans with disabilities, medical fragility or access and functional needs can also sign up for the free State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR), run by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. You can register online or by dialing 2-1-1. STEAR shares information with local emergency planners and responders, but the state is clear that registering does not guarantee a specific service during an emergency, so it should be one part of your plan, not the whole plan.

If a family member relies on scheduled non-emergency transport, such as rides to dialysis or doctor appointments, include those appointments and the care team’s contact information in your written plan.

For hurricanes, Ready.gov advises learning whether you live in an evacuation zone, knowing your routes and where you will stay, and having several ways to receive alerts. It also recommends including medication in your go bag or car trunk. Flooding is a danger far beyond the coast. Ready.gov warns: “Turn Around. Don’t Drown! Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.”

You don’t have to finish everything at once. Pick one task this week: refill a prescription early, copy your insurance cards, or sit down with your family to talk through the plan. Small steps add up, and they help first responders and health care providers help you when it matters most.

Republic EMS has served Texas communities since early 2008. We encourage every household we serve, from Greater Houston to Corpus Christi, to use National Preparedness Month as a reminder to get ready.