The Red Cross is helping recovery efforts in Maui, and McKinney is stationed there. Following a disaster like the Maui fires, McKinney says people are most in need of food, water, and clothing.
"I think people may think they're ready when something's going to happen. But they usually haven't taken the time to know where a few key items are in their house or things they might need in case of an emergency," said Crager. "You kind of take for granted that everyone will know what to do. But when real events happen, a lot of times, people are stressed and don't think as clearly."
"We heard of people leaving here with burns on their legs and arms. To have that emergency kit with product in it that you can treat a quick burn or a quick cut is critically important sometimes," McKinney said.
It's important to start slowly building an emergency kit that you can keep nearby, such as in your garage or closet. You can start by buying one item at a time. Or you may opt to create a full list of items you need in your go bag and purchase them in bulk. No matter how you choose to build your go bag, the Red Cross says a go bag should have enough items in it for your entire family for three days. (...)
You can visit the Red Cross website for a full list of basics to have in your own go bag.
These items include:
1. Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation.)
2. Food: non-perishable, easy-to-prepare (3-day supply for evacuation)
3. First aid kit
4. Medications (7-day supply) and medical items.
5. Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
6. Family and emergency contact information.
FEMA emphasizes that everybody will have a different list because everybody's needs are different.
"What my mom needs in her bag or what your coworker needs are all going to be different things. Do you have a pet? Do you have children? Do you have prescription medication? Look at what your needs are and what you're going to need to be able to leave your house," said Crager.
While stocking their go bags, people often forget about their medications. When there's a disaster, The Red Cross will replace any and all medications, as well as medical equipment, eyeglasses, and other health needs. "We do see people many times evacuating and they leave that all behind," McKinney said.
Another common item to forget is personal documents like a renter's agreement or the deed to your house. Crager says that FEMA always tells people to save backup copies of these documents in the cloud.
If you don't want to start an emergency kit from scratch, McKinney says the American Red Cross has go kits or emergency kits on their website redcross.org. She says they make great gifts for weddings, Christmas, and for people who are going to be new homeowners.
by Kaity Kline, NPR | Read more:
Image: Eden Weingart via:
[ed. Do a google search to see various alternatives. For example: What should my ‘go bag’ contain? (NYT). At a minimum, money (remember, ATMs and banks don't work without electricity. Nor do card readers, gas pumps, wifi, phone chargers, etc). Birth certificates, passports, phone numbers of important contacts. Who knows anybody's phone number if they can't look them up on their cell phone these days?]
