Back To School

Summer break is over where I live and will be soon everywhere else.  Students are going back to school and family members are headed in all different directions during the day.  Emergencies can happen at any time, so it's a good idea to make sure you and your family have an emergency plan just in case it happens when you are separated.  Your plan should include:

• How to contact one another.  Often times the area affected by the emergency is all tied up when it comes to communication.  Experts suggest having an out of state contact person you can all contact to relay info about everyone's whereabouts and safety in case local lines are tied up.  Make sure all family members know one another's phone numbers as well as this out of state contact person.  Social media is also extremely useful in these situations.
• Where to meet/ where to go.  Together decide where you want each person to go depending on where they are in an emergency and/or an ultimate meeting place that you can all try to get to.  Some good places are schools, churches, and friends' homes.  
• If you have young children, make sure they know their whole name as well as their parents' names and can say them clearly.  It is also extremely useful for them to know their address and phone numbers and how to call 911.  Practice these things often so they won't forget.  It is a good idea to talk to kids about who they should go to for help.  Teachers and law enforcement are the obvious choices, but I also teach my kids to look for a mommy/daddy with kids to ask for help in case an authority figure isn't around.  
• Make sure every family member has an emergency kit with them.  Adults can keep these in a car or under a work desk and kids can keep small kits in their backpacks.  These should include:
•  medications that are needed daily (if allowed--you will need to talk to school authorities about this for children)
• water
• food
• small flashlight
• a jacket in cold weather
• small first aid kit
• a wetnap or two
• tissue
• emergency blanket
• a whistle
• other supplies that you may find useful and can fit easily into backpack, purse, briefcase, etc.

Don't forget to make sure that college students or other children living away from home have a 72 hour kit.  When I was a newlywed my parents gave us 72 hour kits for Christmas and it was greatly appreciated because we didn't have much of a budget to buy one ourselves, and probably wouldn't have even thought about it anyway.  Shelf Reliance has a School One Person 72 Hour Kit.  There is also a wonderful 2 person 72 hour kit on sale right now for only a little bit more money and you get much more stuff in it.  Here it is:  

2 Person Survival Pack

Retail price:  $160.00

Sale price: $79.10

Kit Includes:

Essentials

• 1 Heavy Duty Backpack (1 main compartment, 2 small top compartments, 1 medium compartment, and 2 zipping side pockets).
• 1 Multi-function Knife (includes scissors, screwdriver, and nail file)
• 2 (two) 3M®, N95 Deluxe Dust Masks
• 1 Pair of Industrial Leather Work Gloves
• 2 (two) 10-hour, Disposable Heat Packs
• 10 Yards of 2” Duct Tape
• 2 Bright Sticks (provides up to 24 hours of light, 12 hours each)
• 2 name brand OB Tampons
• 1 (one) 50-foot Rope

Shelter and Bedding

• 1 Tube Tent with Rope
• 2 Emergency Sleeping Bags – 84”x36” (windproof and waterproof)
• 2 Ponchos with Attached Hood (one size fits all)

Communication

• 2 Whistles
• 1 Hand Crank Flashlight/Radio/Siren (no battery or electricity needed)
• Universal DC Adapter for Portable Electronics (will charge cell phones, portable DVD Players, and any electronics with a DC plug in! Simply plug your DC device into the adapter, and plug the adapter into your hand crank flashlight. No batteries or electricity needed).
• 1 Notepad and Pencil

First Aid

• 1 First Aid Booklet
• 1 Deluxe First Aid Kit Including:
  • 1 Pair of Scissors
  • 1 Ace Bandage
  • 1 Small Roll of Athletic Tape
  • 2 Iodine Pads
  • 2 Large Band-aids (4” x1.75”)
  • 20 Standard Size Band-aids
  • 4 Extra Strength Tylenol Caplets
  • 4 Pepto-Bismol Caplets
  • 2 Blistex Chapstick Pouches (.5g each)
  • 2 Antibiotic Ointment Pouches (.5g each)
  • 2 Sterile Alcohol Prep Pads
  • 1 Ammonia Inhalant Respiratory Stimulant
  • 2 (two) 3” x 2.25” Gauze Pads (2 ply)
  • 2 (two) 2”x2” Gauze Pads (12 ply)
  • 2 (two) 4”x4” Gauze Pads (12 ply)
  • 1 Pair of Tweezers (plastic)
  • 1 Pair of Disposable Vinyl Gloves

Food and Water

• 12 - 8.45 fl. oz. Coast Guard Approved Emergency Water Servings
• 2 Coast Guard Approved 3600 Calorie Food Bars
• 1 Plastic, 8 Liter Emergency Water Bag (not pre-filled)
• 8 Water Purification Tablets (1 liter per tablet)

Sanitation

• 1 (one) 2-ply Toilet Paper Roll
• 4 Tissue Packs (10 tissues in each pack)
• 2 Toothbrushes
• 1 Fluoride Gel Toothpaste (.6 oz)
• 1 Hand Sanitizer(.5 oz)
• 4 Wet Naps
• 2 Cloth Wash Towels
• 2 Re-sealable Storage Bags
• 1 36” x 36” Heavy Duty Garbage Bag