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Build a Kit – Special Needs – Week 18

Build a Kit Special Needs Week 18

It is week 18, and we are really moving towards the finish line on our kit. Only a couple more weeks after this!

So today we are trying to figure out what else we need in the kit based on some of the needs special to our home. Anyone with small children would definitely want to add something to keep them busy. Putting crayons and coloring books in the kit is an easy add along with some playing cards. If someone has even smaller children, diapers and formula can be necessary items. All of these are low-cost items to pick up at the store so we’ll grab a few next time we are out this week.

I was also thinking traveling any distance with a small child can be difficult. If the child is small enough, you can put them in a child carrier that you wear. But if the child is too big for that, having even something like a low-cost umbrella stroller might be helpful.

Some lists online mention the importance of having a pad of paper and pencil or pen if there is someone in your family who does not speak. I was thinking another useful item to make on the computer might be cards with symbols or common words. That way if a person needs to communicate with someone who does not speak the same language, the cards can be used.

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Build a Kit – Miscellaneous Items – Week 17

This is the week we add to our kit all those extra things we think we might need. For me, I have been thinking about adding matches and maybe a change of clothes, feminine supplies, and some soap.

I hadn’t really thought about putting a blanket in the kit since it will take up so much space. And we already have blankets stored in an area close to where I have our preparedness kit items. I do have something that might come in handy though – the foil wrappers I received after the two times I ran the Chicago Marathon. They help keep you from losing heat. So I’m going to fold those up and put them in the kit.

Not sure what other items people might choose for their kit – if you have any ideas you want to share, just add them in the comments!

 

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Build a Kit – Medications / Glasses – Week 16

While all items in the kit are important, this week’s addition might be critical for those who rely on medicine to maintain their ability to function. Fortunately for our family, at least right now, we are not in that situation. If we were, I would need to have a conversation with our doctor to see what our options would be. For example, if we required a medicine that needed refrigeration, I would need to ask if there were other options I could use for a short time period since we may lose power and not be able to keep items cold.

The Ready.gov site recommends keeping a list of prescriptions in your kit. It also suggests asking your insurance company if you can arrange to have extra supplies on hand for an emergency.

The CDC website offers additional recommendations including staying up to date on vaccinations. The site also has information and a link to the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP),  a program for people who have no health insurance and who live in an area with a federally declared disaster.  EPAP allows those who are eligible to receive “prescription drugs, vaccinations, medical supplies, and equipment that they need” as long as the program is active. You can find out the status of EPAP in areas with active disaster declarations by checking here: EPAP Active Status.

As for glasses, a few of our family members definitely need them, but we have older pairs that we can just put in the kit. The Parkhurst Nuvision website has some good preparedness tips for vision needs which reminded me I also need to put a copy of our eye glass prescriptions in the kit.

As a side note, throughout this series of posts about getting prepared, I may mention certain products, services, agencies, etc. At no time is it my intention to promote a specific product or service or agency. Each is mentioned only for informational purposes.  Of course as a government employee, I do receive a salary from the government for the time I work on my job which by the way is not affiliated with this site, but I don’t receive any compensation from any commercial entities I mention or include in these posts.

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Build a Kit – Local Maps – Week 14

Build a kit Local Maps week 14

When I first saw local maps on the list of preparedness items, I thought why in the world would I need that? I have lived in my local area for some time and already know the streets and can easily navigate around with no map at all.

But then I remembered the stories I heard from other public works professionals who responded to disasters, especially tornadoes. They said so many trees and other features including street signs are often impacted that when you show up in the area, you have no idea where you are – everything is gone.   So a paper map would help me to at least navigate through streets even if well known features are no longer there to guide me.

The other idea I found online is to use that local map to create a Resiliency Map. This is a paper map which has specific places identified that might help me after a disaster – things like gas stations, hospitals, hazardous chemical sites, police or fire call boxes, cisterns or other water sources, and schools or other sites that are important to my family. The idea is to print out a map from Open Street Map or another online source and draw on or use stickers to mark the specific types of places mentioned above.

Several people I know seem to also believe they would not need something like a paper map because of the maps on their phones. But during a disaster it is important to not rely on Internet or cell service because it might not be available. I know a paper map seems so old school now that we are all so reliant on our phones, but in a disaster it might be all we have.

We have a State of Illinois map so I’ll throw one of those in the kit. And I will print out an online map of my area and add important sites to make it a resiliency map that can also go into the kit.

As a side note, throughout this series of posts about getting prepared, I may mention certain products, services, agencies, etc. At no time is it my intention to promote a specific product or service or agency. Each is mentioned only for informational purposes.  Of course as a government employee, I do receive a salary from the government for the time I work on my job which by the way is not affiliated with this site, but I don’t receive any compensation from any commercial entities I mention or include in these posts.

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Build a Kit – Manual Can Opener – Week 13

Build a kit - manual can opener - week 13

This week we add something I think would come in handy for even a short power outage – a manual can opener. Frankly I find it helpful even during those times when for some reason the electric can opener we have isn’t cooperating with me and the can. I will keep trying a few times and eventually just give up and use the manual one.

Because I am definitely not a manual can opener connaisseur, I looked around online for some advice and found a recent article on Amazon.com appropriately called “Best Can Opener.” It seems to showcase some nice looking openers at reasonable prices.

As I mentioned we already have a manual can opener, but since we need that one for the kitchen, we will be buying a different one for our kit.

As a side note, throughout this series of posts about getting prepared, I may mention certain products, services, agencies, etc. At no time is it my intention to promote a specific product or service or agency. Each is mentioned only for informational purposes.  Of course as a government employee, I do receive a salary from the government for the time I work on my job which by the way is not affiliated with this site, but I don’t receive any compensation from any commercial entities I mention or include in these posts.

 

 

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