National Preparedness Month Week 4: Preparation!

For National Preparedness Month week four, it is time to go beyond planning. The Weston Emergency Reserve Corps recommends taking at least the action step of creating a preparedness kit (or two).

For starters, make a Go Kit, for yourself at least. In case you need to leave your house quickly in an emergency, have a small, dedicated backpack ready to go with, at minimum, copies of critical documents (e.g., passport, medical information, prescriptions), basic supplies (e.g., multi-tool, gloves, first aid kit, flashlight with batteries, phone charger), easy to carry food, water, cash, and any other items you would want to have if unable to return to your home immediately. Add a few extra masks and sanitizing options for good measure. Bonus points if you put a small kit in each of your family vehicles containing at least first aid supplies, an emergency blanket, a multi-tool, and flashlight with extra batteries. Consider sending off a similar kit to your college students. They will roll their eyes, but it’s worth it.

Then, make a 72-hour Kit for yourself and your family. Designed to support sheltering-in-place or leaving for several days, it is worthwhile creating and refreshing a full 72-hour kit. There are many sources of information for what to include in such a kit, including at www.ready.gov/kit and in the excellent Community Emergency Preparedness & Response Guide on Weston’s website at www.Westonma.gov/Prepare. If nothing else, starter kits are available for purchase online through a wide variety of vendors, including the Red Cross. Of course, make sure to include any COVID-related extra precautions in this kit too. And don’t forget about your pets! Whether staying or going, they need to be a part of your preparations. See www.ready.gov/pets for some great tips.

If you're not sure where to begin, take a few minutes to go through the motions of grabbing what you would need for 72 hours and leaving the house. How long did it take? Did it all fit in your vehicle with room for people and pets? Or perhaps try living for three days off of just the supplies that you have at home at the moment. Use these sorts of practice runs to identify and fill gaps in your plans and in your preparations. Plans need stress-testing, and it’s best to do that when it can be fun, the cost of “failure” is low, and there is plenty of time to incorporate lessons learned.

This is also a good time to expand your plans to make sure you include those “second-order” needs that still must be considered in an emergency. For most people, food, water, and shelter usually come quickly to mind as they make arrangements. However, financial and legal documents, identification forms, medical information, and lists of important contacts are also very important parts of any preparedness plan. While many of us carry that information around on our computers, tablets, and smart phones, preparedness means having them in alternative forms as well. While part of the Town’s Weston Ahead plans call for enhanced solar power with battery backup, don’t put yourself at the mercy of electrical power supplies and internet access. A few minutes and a few dollars spent laminating copies of important documents can help you long after your phone becomes an attractive brick.

The more you do in advance, the easier it will be to weather the inevitable storms in the future.