Glucocil’s users are mostly adults. That’s why we don’t write blogs about how to live in your first apartment or tell if chicken is fully cooked. We know that our customers don’t need to be taught the basic skills many younger people are still learning. But there are somethings worth revisiting from time to time. And, sometimes, the “best practices” for a situation can change. Today we’re looking at “go-bags” for emergency situations. Most adults have one — or multiple — prepared during dangerous times, but it’s always nice to have a refresher course!
We have entered hurricane season in the East and fire season in the West. Many of us still have our supplies from last year — recheck them: you don’t know if the batteries still work, or if food has long-since expired. If something goes wrong, you don’t want to find that your emergency supplies are useless!
In case of emergency, it’s good to have a supply of essentials on hand. Some people want a supply in the safest room of their house, others want to store it in the car, others want a set in both. FEMA suggests one gallon per person per day for three days, three days of non-perishable food, a battery-powered radio, flashlights, a first aid kit, a tool kit and a one-month supply of your prescription drugs and supplements. Use flashlights, not candles, a fire in your home is the last thing you need on top of a disaster outside your front door. The Red Cross suggests that, if the supplies are going to be used at home rather than for an evacuation, you need at least two weeks’ worth of all your essentials. Other suggestions include blankets and a multipurpose knife, a can opener, basic cookware and sleeping bags. If you are storing it in your car, extra chargers for your cell phone are essential, as are physical maps of your area so that you can make quick detours if your routes out of town have to change.
If you live in an area where you may have to evacuate, plan for the worst and hope for the best! Don’t leave it until the last moment to pack your car. None of us want to leave our home. But, not preparing doesn’t help you! Put your most precious items in the car — the wedding album, or beloved quilt — and documents along with your supplies. Take photos of your home and important documents for insurance purposes. If you hear that a fire or storm is coming your way, you may want to have some extra paper money in your wallet.
Many people in the west already had some form of a dust mask in their go-bag for smoke protection from fires. This year, the pandemic has made it so that masks are essential for everyone. If you are evacuated, you may be around groups of people in enclosed places. You need at least two masks per person per day. Now that people have stopped panic buying, you can get surgical masks (considered the best type of mask) on Amazon, and they aren’t expensive. We suggest buying a box and adding it to your supplies.
Additionally, adding a couple of bars of hand soap is a good idea. A place you are evacuated to will most likely have running water. But, they may run out of soap. Washing your hands with soap is the best way to kill the virus. So, having your own soap can be a huge help. A bottle of hand sanitizer to have on-the-go is also a good idea. One person on our team expressed concern that it could explode from high heats in a fire. Hand sanitizer needs to be 600 degrees Fahrenheit to explode in a bottle, so that shouldn’t be a worry. While it won’t explode in your bag in you’re leaving an area to avoid fire, we do suggest keeping it inside your bag, rather than just on the seat of your car, as the heat of the sun may cause it to evaporate.
Getting through the potential disaster season is stressful and can cause upset every year. Hopefully, with preparation, we can all get through this together. If disaster heads toward your area, please listen to your local warnings and take care of yourselves!
