Be Prepared

As I'm sure you all know, the Southern US has been smacked with some very bad weather this week resulting in alot of destruction and sadly some loss of life.  Julie is in one of the areas that was affected, but she and her husband are safe and have no property damage.  Their neighborhood got hit pretty badly though. There are downed power lines and some of her neighbors have damaged homes from falling trees.  The power company is saying that it will be 4-5 days before her county gets power back, and possibly longer for Julie's neighborhood. Posts here at Money Saving Mode/Dual Income Need Coupons may be a bit slim for a few days.

If there was a natural disaster in your area, would you be prepared?  As we develop or are developing our stockpiles, we need to keep in mind that we also need to have an emergency kit prepared too.

Ready.gov is a wonderful resource for preparing for an emergency.   Below is the basic list for an Emergency Supply Kit. 

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First Aid Kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust Mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charge

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Of course, this list will differ from household to household, based on the people that live there's needs and the area of the country that you live in.

As I look over this list, these are things that most of us are currently stockpiling or have in our homes already.  In Julie and her hubby's case, they have plenty of non-perishable goods.  They are using their gas grill to cook the perishable goods that they have, hopefully before they spoil.

Seeing as this is affecting our friend Julie and countless other people across the Southern US, I thought that this was the right time to remind everyone to just be prepared.  You never know when this might happen in your neighborhood.  Mother Nature can be so fickle.  My thoughts and prayers are with all of the people affected by this.