Personal Preparedness

Preparedness starts with you. As the saying goes, “To take care of others, start by taking care of yourself.”

Most organizations recommend that you have enough water, food, and supplies to last at least 72 hours.

Signing up for any early warning or emergency alert systems helps increase awareness of any approaching disasters.

You should also prepare a disaster kit that is ready for to go in case a disaster hits.

Disaster kits can be kept at home, at work, and also in your car as disasters are unpredictable.

Here is a list of items to include in a basic disaster kit:

• Water (at least one gallon per person per day)
• Food (non-perishable)
• Cell phone with charger and extra battery
• Battery or hand-powered radio
• First aid kit
• Flashlight
• Extra batteries
• Plastic sheets, duct tape, paracord
• Garbage bags
• Toilet paper and personal hygiene products
• Multi-tool (with can opener)
• Maps
• Prescription medications
• Important documents (passports, bank records, insurance documents, etc)

Disaster kits should be maintained and updated regularly.

While you may purchase pre-made disaster or emergency kits, it may be more cost-effective and beneficial to create your own kit that can be customized to the most common threats that you may face.

Additional Resources:

• Ready.gov, Build a Kit