Are you prepared to leave your home quickly and with enough supplies for you and your family? Fires, earthquakes and disasters are all good reasons to pack a go bag. You never know when an emergency will come up, and if it does, it will be too late to try and pack what you need. Everyone in your household needs a go bag should you need to leave quickly. Here are some tips to pack the essentials!
For the Family
Pack a bag for each person
Food for 3-5 days/each person
2-3 changes of clothes
Extra medications
First Aid Kit
Flashlight
Batteries
Chargers
Whistle
Cash
Face masks
Wipes
Gloves
Blanket
Toiletries
Contacts or glasses
Feminine products
Roll of toilet paper
For Infants & Children
Formula or baby food
Snacks
Bottle or sippy cup
One book
One toy
Medicine
Diapers and wipes
Take pictures and save to a flash drive or cloud of:
Your home and each room
High value items
Important documents
Driver’s license and/or ID
The deed to your house
Your will and/or trust
Insurance declarations and/or proof
Medical records for you, children & pets
Passports
Social security cards
Birth certificates
Credit cards
A list of contacts with contact info
Tips
Hang each person’s bag on the back of their bedroom door, or on the wall by the door for easy access.
Practice escape routes as a family. Make it fun by taking turns of who is in charge of each emergency drill.
Tie a pair of shoes to your bed. Tuck them under and away, but leave them in a spot that is easy to reach quickly. In the case of an earthquake, you most likely will be barefoot while sleeping and glass may be broken. Protect your feet with one simple solution.
A go bag is great to have at home. Don’t forget to have an emergency bag also packed in the car and a small one at work too.
If someone regularly takes medications, try to pack a few days supply and rotate as you refill them. Also pack a copy of your prescriptions from your medical record. Some Doctors may give and extra prescription, for example EpiPens or inhalers. It doesn’t hurt to ask and explain that the reason you are requesting more is to build your go bag. True, not all prescriptions can be doubled for this purpose, but you can still pack a few days supply either way.
For toiletries, try having a second set of everything that you use to get ready for the day, and pack them in your vacation toiletry bag. When you go on vacations or travel, use the pre-packed bag and you will save the time of packing. You can restock when you return home and will turn your product over as well. For emergencies, store your “vacation” toiletry bag with your go bag. This way you will have what you need in case of an emergency, and will also have items handy and pre-packed for planned travel.
For a detailed list of more items to add to a go bag or first aid kits, click here