Disaster can strike at any moment, so being prepared with all the essential emergency items is wise.
An intense storm or natural disaster can leave your home without power and can impact your ability to leave for hours or days at a time. Outside of an emergency action plan, you and your family should always have a handful of emergency items ready and easily accessible by each member of your family.
Read more about the five essential items every home should have below.
1. First-Aid Kit
Arguably the most important emergency item to have on hand is a fully stocked first-aid kit. In extreme situations, having a complete first-aid kit could be a matter of life or death. A partially stocked kit will not be able to serve you the same way a fully stocked kit can. If you use your first-aid kit often, replenish any items you have used or that have expired. Additionally, if any family members require specific medication, make sure to include that in your first-aid kit.
Moreover, you will want to familiarize yourself with basic first-aid skills, such as CPR, how to stop bleeding, setting a splint, the Heimlich Maneuver, and more so that you can help someone in the event of an accident. This kit and your knowledge could save a life!
2. Food and Water
If emergency strikes, you may not be able to leave your home to get food at the grocery store, and the water supply could become contaminated. Because of this, it is important to always have a gallon of water per person per day and enough non-perishable food for your family for at least three days. Always keep an eye on your emergency stash, watching for expiring food. Swap it out whenever necessary, and make sure to include a can opener if your stockpile includes canned goods.
3. Flashlights
In events where you are left without power, having several flashlights on hand is helpful. If you prefer candles to flashlights, use extreme caution. Never go to sleep with candles burning and do not let children or pets play near them.
4. Communication Methods
Stay up-to-date in an emergency with a hand-crank radio. Make sure to pack additional phone chargers in your 72-hour kit and a whistle. If cellphones are not working, you may want to use walkie talkies if your family members have to split up but still need to communicate.
5. Personal Documents
Items like your driver’s license, birth certificates, passport, prescription, proof of address, etc., may come in handy in an emergency. Make sure to have hard copies in a waterproof folder ready to go in a place that you can easily access them. Additionally, remember to include a pen and pad of paper and your emergency contact list. Include the names, phone numbers, and addresses of your parents, siblings, children, close friends, doctors, insurance company, and your trusted restoration company.
Contact Black Diamond Restoration
In some extreme cases, having these emergency items in your home can be the difference in survival. Unfortunately, the aftermath of a natural disaster can leave your home in its own state of emergency, and calling in an experienced restoration service company like Black Diamond Restoration is necessary.
Let our certified and fully licensed technicians quickly and efficiently get you back into your Davis, Salt Lake, or Utah County home. Our team is available 24/7, whenever disaster strikes. Contact us for all of your remediation, restoration, and reconstruction needs.
