By: Ashley W.
A big part of growing is planning for our future. We plan to hang out with friends, what to do on vacation, and what extracurriculars to enroll in. However, something we don’t necessarily plan for are emergencies.
An emergency is when something dangerous is happening to us or to the area around us, and we need to act fast to make sure everyone is safe. One way to be prepared for emergencies is to have an emergency go-bag, which is a pre-made bag that is easy to access so you can quickly leave your home and have the essential items with you. Here is a list of things that should be in emergency go-bags:
- First aid kit
- Flashlight – battery powered and extra batteries/wind up flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Radio – battery powered/wind up radio
- Important documents (i.e., copies of birth certificates, passports, IDs, etc)
- Water – at least 1 gallon of water per day for 3 days for each person
- Food – at least 3 days of non-perishable food
- Can opener
- Any essential medication
- Emergency charger
- Whistles – 1 per person
- Face masks
- Disinfectant wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Garbage bags
- A wrench and pliers
- Local maps
- Baby and pet supplies, if needed
- Cash and change
- At least one blanket
- 3 complete changes of clothing
- Matches
- Personal hygiene and feminine hygiene products
- Paper pad, pencils, and pens
- Spare glasses or contact lenses