In case of emergency

Have you ever put together an emergency get away bag? I used to talk to my students about this when I did a course on safety. We discussed things like, “Do you know how to turn the water off in your house if a pipe breaks?” and “If there was a fire in your house, can you open your window and get out?” I encouraged them to go over some of these things with their parents and practice.

 

One topic that got a lot of discussion was an emergency bag. This was something that they could grab in an instant and carry themselves.

I enjoyed the discussion of what should be in this bag. Children and adults have very different ideas.

 

But with the state of the world – I’ve begun thinking about it again. People are forced to leave their home very quickly for a variety of reasons. Fires, a truck accident spilling something toxic, or a fire in some business close by with toxic chemicals that you never even knew about. Often, you’d only be leaving home or a few hours or maybe a few days and then you’re  back, hopefully to an unscathed home.

 

But I took a minute to actually put this bag together. Many of these things are in their own little zip lock bag to make them easier to find in the bag. Everything fits in an ordinary book bag. Here’s my list and what I have in my bag … what have I forgotten?

 

·      Extra underwear (I can wear the same shirt for days, but I want clean drawers!)

·      Shoes, stored beside where I keep my bag. An old but still good pair and a pair of socks in them.

·      Extra cords for my phone and my watch. I’ll grab the computer and its cord if I have time.

·      Knife/scissors

·      Paper and pen

·      Comb or brush

·      Deodorant 

·      Flashlight – solar powered or extra batteries.

·      Emergency radio – I have one you crank to charge it.

·      Band-Aids, antibiotic cream, burn ointment, Ibuprofen, Imodium, eye drops, lip balm.

·      A week’s worth of my prescription and a week’s worth for Nick.  (Note on my phone reminds me to switch these out for new every 4 months.)

·      A couple of bottles of water. No, that won’t last long, but it’s something.

·      Some food, crackers, cookies (I’d change these and the water out at the same time as the medicine.)

·      A half roll of TP flattened – if you really need it, you really need it.

·      Nail clippers and emery board – a torn nail would drive me insane and it does weigh much or take up much room.

·      For us, hearing aid batteries.

·      Baseball cap

·      My most recent old glasses.

·      Work gloves – this may seem silly, but if you crawl out of your basement after a tornado has ripped through your neighborhood, that pair of sturdy shoes and work gloves would come in very handy.

·      Cash

·      Copies of important papers, insurance, and such.

·      A written list of important numbers. What if your phone is lost or not working? How many of your important numbers do you know by heart? 

·      Cat harness and leash. My cat’s never worn one but if I have to grab her and run, I’m going to want it. And a zip lock bag of cat food.

 

There are tons of other things I might want to have with me, but I’m not trying to be a survivalist. I just want a few necessary things that I can carry all this myself in my backpack. I can’t pack to be gone months, but I feel more secure knowing I’d have enough for about three days or so, it’s there, it’s packed, and I can grab it any time. I might even keep it in the car at times. 

You might think of putting one together for you or your family. I think it’s best for each family member to have one. But I could barely get a spare pair of underwear from Nick to stick in my bag, so I know he won’t do it. But it makes me feel a little better knowing it’s all there if I need it.