By Payton Tholstrup

Do you have an emergency kit? If you don’t, now might be the time to consider making one. September is National Preparedness Month, and Pam Kemp, Director of Emergency Management Clay Center, advises everyone to have two emergency kits ready.

The first is a kit that will provide you with what you need if you are sheltering at home during and after a disaster. The second one should be a “go bag” to quickly grab and take with you if you must evacuate your home and seek shelter elsewhere. Both kits should have whatever your family needs to survive comfortably for several days or weeks. It’s important to remember that the daily conveniences we have in our lives may not be available (things like Wi-Fi, electricity, etc.)

Some items you should include in your emergency kit include:

· Food and water

· Medications

· Personal supplies like diapers, baby formula, and any equipment or supplies needed by any member of the household.

Your “go bag” should include:

· At least a 3-day supply of non-perishable food items and 3 gallons of water per person

· A map with two evacuation routes

· Prescriptions or medications

· Sturdy shoes, socks, gloves, and layers of clothing. Shoes should not be flip-flops.

· Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses

· Extra car keys, credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks

· First aid kit

· Baby diapers and formula if needed

· Sanitation supplies

· Flashlight and battery-powered radio, along with extra batteries

· Copies of important documents

· Pet food and water

· Chargers for cell phones and laptops