Serve Your Family By Having An Emergency Preparedness Kit!

About eight years ago, I was a brand-new mom and had a terrible wake-up call. An unexpected snowstorm hit, and was worse than anticipated, and there I was: young mom, stranded at home, with exactly TWO DIAPERS and ONE SCOOP of formula left for my eight-month-old baby. 

It was the most terrifying feeling.

Thankfully, my dad used his four-wheel drive (and raised-in-the-north spirit) to brave the roads and bring us diapers, formula, and the ingredients for chicken noodle soup. Spoiler alert: we lived to tell.

I will never forget that feeling though. I felt so stupid that I didn't have enough supplies on hand...I was always very frugal and "only bought what we needed," which CAN be a good thing...unless a sudden emergency happens, and you are stuck without things your family desperately needs.

If you are like me, hurricane season can be a good and at times scary reminder to be prepared in our homes for emergencies. 

I am no emergency preparedness expert! But here are a few reminders for us as we seek to care for our families well:

• Always, always have a safe water supply on hand. I recently read to have a gallon per day, per person, for seven days. So, for our family of five, that would mean having 35 gallons of water on hand. It does sound like a lot, doesn't it? But my friends in Houston have been without working water for a week! It does happen. 
• Have the basics for an emergency kit on hand at all times: paper products, sanitizing wipes, toilet paper, diapers, flashlights, manual can opener, and first aid kit.
• If you have a chid (as I do) with special medical needs, be sure to have extra medical supplies on hand. If your child may need a medical device that requires electricity, you need a generator.
• If you are in a hurricane-prone area, review the National Weather Center's hurricane plan. Lots of good tips on what to do as the hurricane approaches.
• As far as food to have on-hand, a good rule of thumb is three days of non-perishable food to feed your family. My friend from Houston said it this way: "If you couldn't cook for a week, or go to the grocery store, what would you feed your family?" (Also, if that question kind of stresses you out a teensy bit, I am so with you.)  A few good ideas to start with - dry or canned meats, granola bars and trail mix, dried fruits, peanut butter crackers, powdered milk, and soup mix.

The point isn't to be controlling or filled with anxiety, but to be rightly prepared, and to think through these things BEFORE the time comes.

What about you? Have you ever been through a hurricane or winter storm where you were without power? What is one piece of advice you would offer, or one thing you recommend having on hand? 

Blessings,

Jessica Smartt