Shelf Reliance :: Keeping Your Emergency Kits up to Date

Keeping Your Emergency Kits up to Date

Although you may have carefully planned out an emergency plan for your family, you may not be fully prepared when an emergency actually befalls you. The main cause for this is that we often forget to replenish our emergency kits on a regular basis. For example, you may have bought an emergency kit for every member in your family five years ago, before you had another child. If every member of your family has a kit, it may be 10 years old and in need of a serious overhaul.

Because emergency kits are such an important part of being prepared for a disaster, it is recommended that 72-hour kits and emergency supplies be checked for freshness and up-to-date necessities every six months. When you conduct your inspections, make sure you familiarize yourself with the contents of your emergency kits and decide whether the contents in your kits are still viable. For example, if you store extra clothing in your kits, make sure your family members will still fit into what you’ve stored. You’ll also want to consider the need for special medications, infant needs, hygiene essentials, etc…

It is a good idea to make a comprehensive list of the necessities you must have for each family member in an emergency. As your needs grow or lessen, re-evaluate your lists. This way you can be sure you’ve covered your bases.

Inspecting your emergency supplies for damage and expiration dates is also an important preparedness step. If you’ve stored food or supplies that do have expiration dates, rotate those items accordingly.

When deciding where to store your emergency kits, there are several factors to take into place. If you must evacuate your home, you’ll want quick access to your supplies. You’ll also want to make sure your kits are in a safe location where they’ll be free from incurring harm or excessive wear.

Keeping your emergency kits safe and up to date will give you and your family the protection they need if and when an emergency situation arises.