Are you scared or prepared?
By Stephanie Tahtinen
9/11/2009
A collection of things to include in an emergency kit.
If something happened and you had to evacuate your home in ten minutes, would you know what to bring with you? Preparing you for such situations was the topic of Friday’s Ready Week table on personal preparedness.
“It’s a YOYO situation – you’re on your own,” said Environmental Health Safety Director Carol Lindberg.
Lindberg told the tale of a friend who had to evacuate her home due to a gas leak. She had 15 minutes to pack and she forgot many things, such as essential medications. People never expect these things to happen, so then when they do they find themselves unprepared.
“It’s a matter of being able to plan,” said Lindberg. You must plan for two different scenarios – being trapped in your home and needing to evacuate. For each situation you should have supplies prepared to last you for three days. Lindberg suggests putting all of your supplies for evacuation into a plastic bin, because “should you have to leave, putting in stuff in a kit makes it easier.”
In addition, it’s a good idea to make plans for how to contact family members. In emergency situations, it is often hard to reach people.Lindberg suggests that the evacuee call one family member to let them know they are okay, and then the rest of the family members know to call that family member in order to get information.
You should also have a home evacuation plan known by your entire household. You should practice this plan so that should a fire happen, for example, you know exactly what to do.
As the Environmental Health and Safety Director, Lindberg is responsible for the campus’s plans for emergency situations that may arise. These plans can be found either in the front of the Campus Directory or at www.uwsuper.edu/emergency
“It’s a YOYO situation – you’re on your own,” said Environmental Health Safety Director Carol Lindberg.
Lindberg told the tale of a friend who had to evacuate her home due to a gas leak. She had 15 minutes to pack and she forgot many things, such as essential medications. People never expect these things to happen, so then when they do they find themselves unprepared.
“It’s a matter of being able to plan,” said Lindberg. You must plan for two different scenarios – being trapped in your home and needing to evacuate. For each situation you should have supplies prepared to last you for three days. Lindberg suggests putting all of your supplies for evacuation into a plastic bin, because “should you have to leave, putting in stuff in a kit makes it easier.”
In addition, it’s a good idea to make plans for how to contact family members. In emergency situations, it is often hard to reach people.Lindberg suggests that the evacuee call one family member to let them know they are okay, and then the rest of the family members know to call that family member in order to get information.
You should also have a home evacuation plan known by your entire household. You should practice this plan so that should a fire happen, for example, you know exactly what to do.
As the Environmental Health and Safety Director, Lindberg is responsible for the campus’s plans for emergency situations that may arise. These plans can be found either in the front of the Campus Directory or at www.uwsuper.edu/emergency
Recommended supplies for your kit:
- A three-day supply of non-perishable food that is quick, easy, and nutritional.
- One gallon of water per person, per day for drinking and sanitation purposes.
- Personal hygiene supplies such as hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and towels. Anything you need to stay clean for three days.
- First aid kit
- A three-day supply of any prescription medications you take
- Crank or battery operated flashlight
- Crank or battery operated radio
- Extra batteries
- Can opener if you have canned food in your kit
- Important family documents
- Diapers or formula if you have an infant
- Pet supplies if you have a pet
- Toilet paper
- Paper towel
- Plates, silverware, cups
- Things to entertain you such as a deck of cards or a book
- One gallon of water per person, per day for drinking and sanitation purposes.
- Personal hygiene supplies such as hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and towels. Anything you need to stay clean for three days.
- First aid kit
- A three-day supply of any prescription medications you take
- Crank or battery operated flashlight
- Crank or battery operated radio
- Extra batteries
- Can opener if you have canned food in your kit
- Important family documents
- Diapers or formula if you have an infant
- Pet supplies if you have a pet
- Toilet paper
- Paper towel
- Plates, silverware, cups
- Things to entertain you such as a deck of cards or a book