Home Readiness Kits

It is important to have the supplies on hand that you will need to properly survive a variety of natural and man-made disasters. During an emergency on a large-scale, it is possible for important supplies and services that are taken for granted to be interrupted. These can include electricity, gas, water and other utilities, as well as normal food, medication, and supplies shipments. Emergency officials will assist you but can often be delayed due to the situation. It is recommended that you have the supplies your family needs to survive for a minimum of three days. The following link takes you to FEMA’s website for some guidelines:

FEMA: Assemble a disaster supplies kit

It may also be necessary to shelter in place for short periods during certain types of disasters or emergencies. These can include Hazardous Materials spills or leaks or even terrorist type attacks. It is important for you to pre-plan shelter-in-place locations in your home and stockpile the supplies you need to isolate your shelter. It may be necessary to isolate your family from gases, chemicals, and other hazardous materials. Click on this link for a short video on sheltering in place from MARC and WDAF Fox 4: Shelter in place

Children and Disasters

Children react differently to disasters and need special consideration during and after. The loss of stability and routine can impact a child far more than an adult and they can become frightened and confused. They need guidance and reassurance and will turn to their parents and other adults for this care.

Children look to their parents and other adults for example. If you are reacting with alarm and fear, then so will they. They can feel that your fear is proof of the danger. The children will also feel the sadness and loss much more profoundly, even of comparably minor things. Don’t overlook the active imaginations in children as well. This can often cause a bad situation to seem even worse. Children need to be dealt with honestly but with compassion, support, and reassurance.

A disaster can be prepared for in ways that will benefit a child. Even though the specific events are often impossible to predict, certain pre-incident actions can help. Create a family disaster plan and cover it with your children. Make sure they understand the major disasters that can happen and what can be done. This gives at least some semblance of normalcy to the problem as children will remember that you talked about and planned for it. Your local emergency management or civil defense office as well as the American Red Cross are great places to start for information on family disaster plans.

Remember, your child is scared. He or she may believe that the disaster can happen again or that they will be left alone. Try to keep your family together during recovery efforts. Talk to your child honestly about what is going on and reassure him or her that when you leave, you will come back. Get down on the child’s level and make eye contact. Allow your child to talk and to ask questions. Give the child tasks to accomplish during recovery which will make him or her feel useful and like they are part of the recovery. If needed, enlist the help of a mental health professional or clergy member to aid in the child’s recovery.


Financial Readiness

You have to be prepared when disaster strikes. This includes financially. You have to protect your assets and resources to the best of your ability and this takes preplanning and foresight.

Start with your home. Do everything that you can to ensure that it will survive a disaster. Take into account dangers like earthquakes, floods, fires, tornados, or whatever other disaster that can potentially affect you and prepare your home accordingly. Often an inspection of your home can pinpoint problem areas and allow you to correct them before disaster strikes.

Take account of your possessions. Conduct a household inventory and thoroughly document everything. Take pictures and/or video as well as listing things out on paper. Don’t forget to include purchase prices and dates. This also gives you a chance to evaluate your insurance coverage and to ensure that you are adequately covered. You can also talk to your agent and make sure that your policy covers you for any foreseeable problems or disasters.

Consider keeping important documents like birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, tax returns, investment papers, etc. in a safe off site environment like a safety deposit box at the bank. Make copies of all of your documents and keep them in a separate safe location.

Insurance can’t be stressed enough. Make sure you are adequately covered for all foreseeable disasters. This includes whether you own or rent your home. Keep your policies up to date and consider upping the coverage amounts as you accumulate belongings over time.

Keep enough money on hand in a secure location for several days’ worth of expenses. Remember, in the event of a disaster, ATM’s may be out of order and even bank branches may be closed. Keep your money in small denominations for easy use.

Also, do your best to set aside money in an emergency savings account. This savings is sound advice not only for disasters but also for any other unplanned financial expenses. Keep this money in an easily accessible account like a savings account or money market account. Consider keeping this money in an account outside your local area in case your local bank is affected by the same disaster you are.

Home safes and fire boxes can be a convenient place to keep valuables but remember some disasters can destroy your home including these contents. Consider an off-site safety deposit.

If you have enough warning before a disaster, prioritize and take important or irreplaceable documents with you in a safe “evacuation” box. Consider such things as photograph negatives, jewelry, heirlooms, etc. Don’t worry about replaceable things like TV’s and furniture.

Pets and Disasters

People often think of their pets as members of the family and want them properly cared for in the event of a disaster. A disaster plan covers a lot of contingencies including the care of your pets and can often mean the difference between survival and loss of that pet.

Disasters often require people to be evacuated from their homes. The safest thing for pets is to be evacuated also. A pet left behind, even in a supposedly safe, prepared area often winds up lost. Many shelters, including those provided by the American Red Cross cannot take pets. Therefore it is imperative that you preplan a safe place to take your pet.

Some ideas for pet safe place include:

• A friend or relatives house out of the danger zone

• A vet or other pet boarding facility

• A motel or hotel with a pet-friendly policy

• Local animal shelters (this depends on the shelter)

Keep a list of these pet safe places along with phone numbers and addresses for the advent of an emergency.

A disaster kit needs to take into account a pet’s needs as well. This includes many of the same necessities that apply to a person: food, clean drinking water, and any relevant medications. Don’t forget items like leashes, dishes, can openers, carriers, litter boxes and litter, and immunization records.

It is also helpful to keep pictures of your pet along with their medical records. This will help in their identification in case they are lost. Make plans also for what to do if you are away from home. Is there a neighbor or family member who can pick up the pet and properly care for it?

For more information on pets and disasters:

American Red Cross - Pets & Disasters

The Humane Society of the United States

The American Veterinary Medical Association

American Kennel Club

Ready.gov: Pets