Did you know that approximately 6,800 natural disasters happen yearly, and millions of people are affected by natural disasters? Be it hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, landslides, or winter storms; natural disasters all pose a genuine threat to you. Therefore, to ensure your safety and survival, you need to plan and prepare for such events. This is where an emergency preparedness checklist comes in handy. And while usual emergency kits may include standard items like food or water, as a mature adult, there are many other things you need to consider. Read on for the full emergency preparedness checklist for your safety.
Medications
One of the most important things you need to include in your emergency kit is your prescription medications. This is because the medications are unique to you, and in the case of an emergency, other emergency kits are unlikely to carry the medicine that you need. Request from your doctor an additional week’s supply of your prescriptions. Here is a tip. Because medicines can expire, check your emergency kit from time to time to dispose of any of your prescriptions that are past the expiry date.
Create a Support System
During a natural disaster or emergency, you may not always be next to your friends or loved ones. This is especially so for those who live alone. After all, it is possible that the roads become off-limit, and internet and phone connections may be unavailable for some time. Therefore, you need to create a support system to ensure you have a way to communicate with others. For instance, you can include your neighbors, family, friends, local shelters, and help agencies in your support system. Simply make a list of their names, phone numbers, and addresses. At the same time, reach out to your support system and inform them of any critical information they may need to know about you.
Personal Sanitation Products
Another important thing to include in your emergency kit is your personal sanitization care products. While they may not sound particularly useful or important during an emergency, they can help you keep up good personal hygiene and provide you comfort. In fact, personal sanitation products can even help you maintain your basic daily routine and care quality as much as possible during and after the emergency. Thus, you can stock up on products like latex gloves, toilet paper, bathing products, and incontinence supplies. Such incontinence supplies include adult briefs, pads, and wet wipes. Face masks, disinfection spray or wipes, waste bags, paper towels, hand sanitizer, and other materials depending on your needs can also be included.
Mobility Assistance Plan
If you have limited mobility, are bedbound, or are wheelchair-bound, you need to create a mobility assistance plan in your emergency preparedness checklist. This means you need to plan comprehensive arrangements as to how you can get around and exit your house during an emergency.
Medical Supplies
Depending on your medical needs, you also need to add durable medical supplies to your emergency kit. This is because most emergency shelters do not have durable medical equipment on hand. For instance, you can add blood sugar monitors, CPAP devices, therapeutic oxygen equipment, and any other portable DME. You can also add your customized cushions which help you avoid skin breakdown to your emergency kit.
