Emergency Preparedness-- Pack Your Bag-What do you pack in an emergency bag ?

Do you know what to pack in a bag in case of an emergency ? How would you cope with just a few minutes warning to get out of your house , Pack a bag and run as so many have had to do as sadly in 2011 so far there has been a run on disasters with the Queensland, WA floods , Christchurch earthquake and now Japan amongst others.

Are you prepared if a disaster were to come your way ? We don't always have time to do anything or grab belongings or food - water as we have seen in the last weeks.

Yet sometimes there is warning so why not be prepared just in case something comes up & we don't have a lot of time to grab what is needed .If you pack a bag ready at least you will have more chance of survival.

Have you got your important papers , passports , insurance details handy to get fast ?

Can you all swim if there were to be a need to swim in the event of a flood ?

Here is some help on what to have close by just in case .

Every home should have a first aid kit and know not only what is in it but how to use each item.

It should be well stocked at all time with items like

Band aids

Bandages

Burn Cream

Panadol

Sterile eye pads

A silver rescue blanket

disposable gloves

scissors

Sterile swabs

Wound dressings.

A first aid book.

Everything in it should be sterile to avoid infection.

It would help you if you were to complete a first aid course so you would be able to do more in an emergency especially if you are cut off anywhere.

It would be a good idea to keep a bag prepared for any emergency , A backpack is the best as you might need your hand free to carry a child or dig yourself out , do some climbing depending on what the disaster is.

Pack Items in your bag and make sure they are well wrapped in a waterproof bag in case you need to swim anywhere if it is a flood .

A torch & spare batteries.

First Aid kit

NITRO-PAK EMERGENCY SURVIVAL FOOD TABLETS

Emergency Water Packets

A spare battery for your mobile phone.

A shortwave radio to listen to important announcements .

Spare batteries.

Cash in smaller amounts so you can buy food even if you cannot be given change .

If you are on life saving medication make sure you have it handy as well as prescriptions.

For families with small children you will need to make sure you have milk powder , nappies and so on.

The worst time to try buy candles or anything else you need for a disaster is the day it happens.

Make sure you are prepared before hand in case there is a disaster in your town for at least a month preferably 3 months so you know you will be ok .

Bulk buying saves you money anyway & maybe you could do this with a friend or family member.

Stock up on canned & packaged food .

Fruit

Vegetables

beans

chunky soups

rice

crackers

and so on.

Water for drinking.

Buy a small camp oven & enough gas cylinders to last for a week of cooking.

Matches .

Candles

A torch

Spare batteries for your mobile phone , radio , torch etc.

If we lose phone lines during or after a disaster, wives will most likely still be able to call their husbands if they both have a mobile phone Kids with their ow nmobile phones can call their parents to let them know where they are and if they need immediate medical help or if they are safe and reassure them so try make sure your phone is charged and you know where it is at all times.

 If there is a disaster during the day while you are not all together have you made a plan of where you will all meet up if you are ok ?

This is the best thing to do so you are not all putting yourselves in danger trying to locate the rest of your family .

All services including mobile phones could be down so you need to try stay calm & make your way as soon as possible to the agreed meeting place .

If you need to leave there before anyone else turns up try to leave a note or some item of yours so the others know you are ok.

When we were at school in Christchurch we were taught to get under our desks fast if there was an earthquake.

Iif an earthquake were to happen while we were at home we were advised to get under the kitchen table or stand in a doorway as that was the strongest part of the house.•DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
•Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
•Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
•Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
•Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
•Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
•DO NOT use the elevators.

4 weeks ago

Well, done, freecampingaussie. Important and VERY useful information for all! Also, motivational for those of us who tend to be less than prepared on the whole. Thankfully, I'm married to the master of preparedness, so I don't worry (too) much!

CARIBQUEEN 4 weeks ago

This is realy good advice and great information. It is absolutely frightening to even wonder about disasters but we can do what we can for our families also prepare mentally4 weeks ago

We even have those MRE's on hand just in case!

smackins1974 4 weeks ago

Great Hub, lots to think about.

Sarah3 weeks ago

Good Job. We all need to make sure our family has what it need in case of emergency. One never knows when an emergency will strike.