Disasters happen, and can potentially leave your household on its own for several days. Sounds scary, but it doesn't have to be. 

Why do I need an emergency kit?

Following a disaster, you may need to stay at home with your emergency kit or leave immediately with your grab-and-go bags. Gather your emergency supplies now so you're ready when disaster strikes.

72-Hour Kit

In the event of a disaster, relief workers and local officials cannot get to everyone right away. Having a 72-hour emergency kit will help sustain you and your family until help arrives. These are some of the basic supplies you want to have in your kit:

• Water – at least two litres of water per person per day. Include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order
• Food that won't spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods (Replace food and water once a year).
• Manual can-opener
• Wind-up or battery-powered flashlight (and extra batteries)
• Wind-up or battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
• First aid kit
• Extra keys to your car and house
• Some cash in smaller bills, such as $10 bills and change for payphones
• A copy of your emergency plan and contact information
• Special items such as prescription medications, infant formula, equipment for people with disabilities or food, water and medication for your pets or service animal (personalize your kit according to your needs)

Go-Bag

You may need to leave immediately in the event of an emergency. Be ready to go by having a smaller version of your emergency kit in an easy-to-access place in your home. In addition to having one at home, create grab-and-go bags for your workplace and vehicles that contain:

• Food (ready to eat) and water
• Phone charger and battery bank
• Small battery-powered or hand-crank radio
• Battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight
• Extra batteries
• Small first-aid kit and personal medications
• Personal toiletries and items, such as an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses
• Copy of your emergency plan, copies of important documents, such as insurance papers
• Cash in small bills
• Local map with your family meeting place identified
• Seasonal clothing and an emergency blanket
• Pen and notepad
• Whistle

Make sure your kit is easy to carry and everyone in the household knows where it is. Keep it in a backpack, duffle bag or suitcase with wheels, in an easy-to-reach, accessible place, such as your front-hall closet. 

Visit GetPrepared.ca for a complete list of items to include in your kits, including checklists to make sure you have it all.

Important health and life-saving information

You should also include any important health information with an emergency plan and/or kit, such as:

• Allergies
• Special medical conditions
• Medications and daily doses
• Eyeglass prescriptions
• Blood type
• Communication devices and equipment, such as hearing aids
• Health insurance plan information
• Preferred hospital
• Doctor or Specialist names and phone numbers
• Pharmacy name, location and contact information

Seniors

Seniors that live on their own need to have supplies in a 72-Hour Kit in case they need to Shelter in Place. In case they have to evacuate, they should have the following items packed in a Go-Bag in advance, in case they need to leave quickly:

• Assistive devices such as canes, walkers, hearing aids, breathing apparatus, etc.
• Prescription eyeglasses and footwear
• Extra dentures and cleanser
• Extra medication, supplements and a list of their prescriptions
• Personal identification and list of numbers and names for doctor(s), case worker(s), senior’s group contact person, etc.

What else can I do to prepare for an emergency?

There are a number of other things that you and your family can do to prepare for an emergency.