Storms, fires, earthquakes and power outages all have the power to disrupt your life. You can’t stop emergencies from happening, but you can gather all the things you’ll need to be prepared should a crisis arise.
If you have a messy closet or basement storage area in need of attention, your home improvement project can serve a dual purpose. Remove the junk, add inexpensive shelving, and stock them with emergency provisions. Add a tight-sealing storage container to protect your food from water and contaminants. In no time you’ll have a home emergency resource center that would make any survivalist proud.
Here are 10 things to include:
1. Water — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention credits water with body-temperature regulation, waste elimination and more. Even if you have a reliable water system, storms, animals and bacteria can contaminate your supply. Water in bottles or pouches is an easy fix for water potability issues. You should also keep water purification tablets to treat water from questionable sources.
2. Food — Even if a fire or storm doesn’t destroy your home, it might still contaminate your food. So you don’t go hungry, stock up on cans or pouches of fruits, veggies, tuna, chicken and other items. (Spam could be a lifesaver) For variety, add granola and protein bars, peanut butter, dried beans, rice and beef jerky. Prepackaged survivalist meals are another option. And don’t forget the coffee and the can opener.
3. Paper goods — So don’t forget to add toilet paper and also paper towels to your list. Store them in a waterproof container.
4. Light source — Fortunately, there are several alternatives to battery-operated flashlights. One cool flashlight has water-powered cells. Another option available lets you hand-crank the flashlight. If you prefer the old-fashioned kind, don’t forget the batteries.
5. Waterproof matches — If the power is out, you’ll still need to cook. That might mean firing up your grill or making a campfire. Either way, you’ll need a waterproof lighter or waterproof matches. Both will light up even if they get wet.
6. First-aid kit — Minor cuts and abrasions can be a real pain. Be sure to store an emergency kit to care for minor dings.
7. Fire extinguisher — A fire extinguisher can keep a minor emergency from becoming a major catastrophe. Keep one upstairs and downstairs to manage not-so-friendly flames before they burn out of control.
8. Extra clothes — You never know how long an emergency will last. Store extra clothes in a waterproof container just in case.
9. Basic tools — In disaster movies, they never have the tools they need to do things like cut wood or bust open a locked door. Add a few tools to your emergency stash: a hammer, pliers, screwdrivers and a small hatchet so you can cut wood for a campfire. You might also want to add an extra set of house and car keys.
10. Personal documents — The thing about emergencies is that you never know what might happen. Make copies of documents (driver’s license, birth certificates, marriage license, passports) and store them in a waterproof container. You’ll have backup copies if you lose the originals.
Dennis Gonatas is the 2022 president of the Youngstown Columbiana Association of Realtors.
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