4/1/2009 Fire in Maskeliya has destroyed 20 line houses. No casualties. 100 people displaced.A tailor made recipe for Sri lanka!
Emergencies can strike our selves, family, school or workplace. Some emergencies cannot be prevented. However, it is wise to prepare for emergencies. When emergencies occur, we will be cut off from the routine supplies of food, water, clothes and medicines. First 24-48 hours after an emergency are very important, as after this period, emergency relief items will often arrive. Thus it is important to have an Emergency Supplies Kit to face the first few hours after a disaster effectively.
Why should we have an Emergency Supply kit?
The first 24-48 hours following the disaster is a very important period. Most undesirable effects of disasters are experienced during this period. If we are better prepared, we could cope better. face Just imagine yourself trapped in your office room for 1 day with no access to outside…. Even just a bottle of drinking water can make a huge difference. Suppose you and your 1 year old kid had to evacuate to a school for 1 day… The impact, misery and bad results of disasters could greatly be reduced if you have an Emergency Supplies Kit.
Who should have an Emergency Supply Kit?
Every body! Nobody is free from emergencies or disasters. So every body will benefit of having an Emergency Supply Kit, from a school child to an elderly person.
Where should we have an Emergency Supply Kit?
Every where! No place is free from emergencies. We may have to face emergencies at home, school, work place or while traveling. So it is a good idea to have an Emergency Supply Kit at every possible place, at least at places where you spend a lot of time in a daily basis.
When should we have an Emergency Supply Kit?
Every time! Disasters strike at most odd and unwanted times. Thus we need to be prepared all the time.
How should you prepare an Emergency Supply Kit?
It is simple as 1-2-3!
Gather the items that you may need in an emergency situation.
Pack them in a box or bag.
Keep it close to the exist and refresh the supplies regularly.
What should we have in an Emergency Supply Kit?
While general guidelines could be given to assemble an Emergency Supply Kit (Check List 1), each and every one of us needs to tailor it to suit our individual and specific needs. For example, water and non perishable food items are essential for every Emergency Supplies kit, however, a person taking drugs for long-term illness may need an additional stock of drugs, a family with a baby may need pampers. After all it is your Emergency Supplies Kit!
Items to be included in an Emergency Supply Kit
Safety items
Flashlight with batteries – helps you to find your way in the night time, especially with power failures.
Battery operated pocket radio – helps to keep you updated of the disaster situation.
Extra batteries for the flashlight and pocket radio
Lantern with a ½ bottle of kerosene oil – to give you light in the night and also to tell the searchers and rescuers where you are. Make sure to store the kerosene oil in a leak proof container.
Candles – to give you light in the night.
Boxes of matches – pack them in a waterproof cover such as hard polythene cover.
Mosquito coils or repellants
Pen and Pencil – to jot down a message.
Whistle – to indicate where you are to other family members as well as to searchers and rescuers.
Emergency Contact List and a mobile phone with additional batteries.
Some cash
Food and Water
Make sure that your food items are non-perishable and needs little or no cooking.
Noodles
Biscuits – select a couple of your favorite biscuit types!
Tinned fish
Can Opener
Home made non perishable dishes - Example: Deep fried sprats and onions, Dry Maldive Fish sambol etc.
Sweets – Example: Thala Bola, Thala kerali, Dates, Juggary.
Savory items – Murukku, devilled gram, dhal or pea nuts.
Some pet food
Water – at least 2 liters per person per day
First Aid Kit – helps you to manage the basic health needs of your family.
Clothes
1 pair of complete clothes per person. Example: long sleeved shirt, long pants/sarong and sturdy shoes – to protect you from mosquitoes and to from debris.
Blanket
Towel
Sanitation
Thick polythene bags
Toilet papers/pieces of cloth
Sanitary pads
Supplementary items
One week’s supply of medicines if you are taking medicines for any long term illness.
Pampers, feeding plates and spoons if you have a baby.
Store your important documents such as bank pass books and copies of identity cards in your Emergency Supply kit. Get all your certificates and important documents such as insurance papers laminated. It is a good idea to keep a set of photocopies of all your important documents in a separate safe place away from your town/village.
Supplementary items
One week’s supply of medicines if you are taking medicines for any long term illness.
Pampers, feeding plates and spoons if you have a baby.
Store your important documents such as bank pass books and copies of identity cards in your Emergency Supply kit. Get all your certificates and important documents such as insurance papers laminated. It is a good idea to keep a set of photocopies of all your important documents in a separate safe place away from your town/village.
Maintain your Emergency Supply Kit properly!
It is important to maintain you Emergency Supply kit in good order at all times. You should replenish the food items with new stocks to prevent wastage and expiry. Use Check List 3 to keep a track of the maintenance of your Emergency Supply Kit.
After every emergency…..
Make sure to review your Emergency Supply Kit after every disaster. This is important not only to keep it refilled for the next disaster, but also to update/ modify it according to the experience obtained from the recent disaster.
Some Myths and Facts about Emergency Supply Kit…
Myth 1: Only rich can afford Emergency Supply Kit
Fact: Emergency Supply Kit helps both rich and poor. We can make an Emergency Supply Kit within our budget. Some of the most important items will not cost you a cent: Store boiled water in a used bottle or gallon. We can use the food items if not used before the expiry date. Emergency Supply Kits have been proven to be beneficial even in poor communities such as flood affected people in Bangladesh.
Myth 2: Assembling and Emergency Supply Kit is a waste of time and money.
Fact: Assembling of an emergency supply kit will of course take some time and money when you are doing it for the first time. However, once you have assembled it, the maintenance will not cost you much time or money. Intact, the Emergency Supply Kit will save a lot of money and time if a disaster strikes.
Myth 3: Emergency Supply Kit is suitable for western cultures, not for us.
Emergency Supply Kit is not a concept to be learnt from western culture, even our own ancestors had many practices which helped them to prepare for disasters. For example, they used to save part of the daily rice consumption to be used in difficult situations (Mitihal Muttiya). Emergency Supply Kit is a part of the preparedness culture that we should adopt as a nation.
(Please contact the author if you need the complete article.)
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