Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida on August 24, 1992. Click photo to enlarge. Photo: Matt Lawrence, August 1992
Items that you should consider having in your home preparedness kit:
Immediate Shelter
- Multiple vinyl or plastic tarps, a roll of visqueen, plastic sheeting or drop cloths. I like 10’ x 10’ as a size for the tarps as they’re easy for two people to handle. These items can be used to make temporary repairs to your roof or fashioned into a temporary shelter if your house is a total loss and evacuation is impossible.
Camping Gear
- Tents or portable rooms like those used at craft fairs. Some are sold as orchid houses or portable garages – while large; they are an idea for some applications of temporary housing.
- Air mattresses or cots to sleep on.
- Sleeping bags.
- Blankets.
- Inflatable pillows and air mattresses.
Cooking Gear
- Portable outdoor camping stove or propane grill with fuel. Caution: DO NOT attempt to cook any food on any type of grill, charcoal or propane inside your home.
- Canned heat (Sterno).
- Wet/dry matches.
- Magnesium fire starter.
- Cooking utensils or a barbeque set, including a good knife.
- Aluminum foil.
- Gallon-sized and larger plastic bags, such as plastic garbage bags.
- Disposable plates, cups and utensils.
- A manual can opener or other device such as a P-38 military pocket can opener.
- A Swiss Army knife and/or a Leatherman or Gerber type multi-tool.
- Coolers for food, drink, and ice storage. Coolers may also be used for storing the items on this list in a closet until needed.
Utility Gear
- 100 feet of ½” rope or heavy duty ¼” cord. I recommend nylon cord as it does not rot or degrade when wet.
- At least one big roll of duct tape (guys know this stuff fixes anything).
- Fire extinguisher (ABC type).
- Rolls of toilet tissue and paper towels. Depending on your situation, a camp toilet with a deodorizing chemical may be a good investment. You can rig a privacy area using the tarps or you may buy a portable enclosure at your local camping supply store.
Basic hand tools including dust masks:
- Hammer.
- Slotted and Phillips head screwdrivers.
- Pliers and/or vise grips
- A small shovel.
- Scissors.
- An axe, machete or long blade knife.
- Nails and large round washers in case you have to nail a tarp to your roof to stop a leak.
- Work gloves.
- Eye protection, such as goggles.
Toiletries and Clean Up Supplies:
- Soap for washing – I don’t recommend soap bars, but rather the pumpstyle bottles that are often sold for bathroom and kitchen sink counters.
- Bleach.
- Toothpaste and new toothbrushes (keep them in their original packaging and together in a plastic bag).
- Hand wipes – one good option is to have sealed (resealable) refills of baby wipes.
- Waterless hand soap.
Personal Protection Gear
- Rain coats, parkas or rain suits.
- High water boots or hip waders. Remember that if you are in a flood zone, the waters may be a toxic mix of chemicals, sewage and petroleum, all of which can create a health hazard. Avoid going into flood waters.
- Blankets. Regular household blankets are an important item in your kit. Additionally, I recommend that you get some reflective mylar emergency blankets which are not only very warm but also can be used to treat shock. (These pack up very nicely and take little space).
- First aid kit. Make sure it includes sterile adhesive bandages, gauze pads and rolls of gauze, scissors, antibiotic ointment, tampons, instant cold pack/heat pack, snake bite kit, hypoallergenic adhesive tape, tweezers, antiseptic spray, ointments for burns and cuts, saline solution (for rinsing cuts), and latex gloves. Author’s note: In the event you add aspirin, Motrin, or any other medications to your first aid kit, you must check the expiration dates and replace these medications as required. Therefore, I prefer to carry medications in my “go bag.”
Emergency Lighting and Signaling Gear
- Flashlights and lanterns plus lots of extra batteries. Use the same size battery for every lighting unit.
- Personal flashlights/penlights or LED type pocket lights for each person in your family. Put one on your key chain, and leave extras in various drawers around the house. Rechargeable batteries are not suitable for this usage.
- Whistles. Shrill whistle sounds carry very well and can be heard even over the sound of vehicles, outboard motors of boats and sometimes even over the sound of rescue helicopters. Of note, in water rescue, one Coast Guard technique is to stop every few minutes, shut everything down and drift the boat while listening in silence. The sound of a whistle carries farther and is clearer than the sound of a voice – even if you can yell like a town herald. Put a whistle in your pocket just in case you should you end up outside, become disoriented or separated in an unforeseen situation.
- Signal mirrors. These are available at most boating stores. It is not enough, however, to simply have them – you also must take the time to learn how to use them. The instructions are often printed on the backs of the mirrors. If you run a piece of 550 paracord through the small hole that is on the corner of most signal mirrors and wear the mirror around your neck with a penlight. A mirror flash can be seen miles away – when flying search and rescue missions over the water, I’ve seen them as far out as 18 miles. On one mission, the person waving the mirror did not see our plane and we could not see them either. We just turned and flew toward where we saw the flash — minutes later we spotted him on an island in the Cay Sal Banks.
- Chemical light (Cyalumes) are a good back-up if your flashlight batteries run out. Cyalume light sticks glow for approximately twelve hours each and are easy to use – they are small plastic tubes that contain a chemical; inside the tube, there is another smaller vial containing yet another chemical. You bend the cyalume light stick to break the inner vial and when the two chemicals mix, they emit a welcoming glow. These are safe for your children as they are not hot to the touch, which makes them easy and safe to use.
Communications
- A two-way radio set or walkie-talkie set for the adults in your group.
- A cell phone and a set of chargers, including car chargers.
- A hand-crank/solar/battery-operated radio and extra batteries.
Batteries
- Stock up on all of the batteries you need. Match all your battery operated devices to use one or two sizes of batteries.
Important Documents – place copies of the following in plastic bags and store them in both your preparedness kit and in your “bail-out-bag” or “go bag”:
- Passport
- Driver’s license
- Social security cards
- Birth certificates
- Copies of immigration papers, if applicable
- Bank account information, credit cards
- Insurance documents
- Phone numbers
- Your Living Will or Final Will
- Any critical contracts
- Property deeds
- Stocks and bonds, if any
- Immunization and medical records
- Important family records.
- A second, spare set of house and car keys with a whistle attached to the key chain should be in this kit in case your primary set gets lost.
The author, editor, publisher, nor the people or agencies mentioned in this guide assume any liability for any misuse of the information presented within this guide. Serious harm or death may occur if you attempt to use the information provided in this publication without following proper procedures. If you do not understand or feel comfortable with the information provided, consult your local emergency management official. The information is presented as a basic guide and is intended to provide the basic preparedness information required to improve your wait for professional assistance in the wake of disaster. By taking charge of your own preparedness, you assume the liabilities of being prepared – or not.
Preparedness Made Easy 