If last year’s pandemic taught us anything, it’s that you need to be prepared. Whether it be a natural disaster, pandemic or some other catastrophic event, having emergency supplies on hand provides peace of mind for you and your family.
Today the winter storm “Uri” is blowing through much of the south and heading through the midwest to the northeast. We woke up in Oklahoma to a “balmy” seven degrees with windchills well below zero. Althought we don’t have much snow (it has been accumulating since this AM and coming down harder now), with the Oklahoma winds it’s way too cold to venture outside if we don’t have to!
View from our front door this morning:
Fortunately we were able to make it to the grocery store on Friday (along with the masses) and snag the last loaf of bread and package of hamburger buns on the shelf. It was like another pandemic starting all over again!
Minus some perishables we’ll also need to purchase, we are always prepared for some kind of emergency (tornado, earthquake, etc.) and keep supplies on hand. It is much less stressful to gradually accumulate emergency supplies than trying to run out (if you even can access roads/stores) and purchase items at the last minute.
You can find lots of resources on the web for what kind of supplies to keep on hand. Here’s a suggested list from the American Red Cross. Our list includes the following:
- Batteries, flashlights, candles, matches
- Old school AM radio
- Canned foods (rotate your inventory to avoid expiration) and MREs
- Pet food
- TP and paper towels
- Toiletries (soap, saline solution, etc.)
- Medical emergency supplies
- Plastic garbage bags
- Water
- Cleaning supplies (in particular bleach)
We also have this product: DB Power Portable Car Jump Starter.
This jump starter also serves as a flashlight, emergency light, compass, and cell phone/laptop charger. Every couple months I check the charge on this and it holds a charge pretty well.
While not everyone can afford to acquire and keep an extensive amount of emergency supplies on hand, anything you can start to accumulate will provide you peace of mind in case of emergency.
If you have any great ideas to add to an emergency kit, please share with us. And if you’re stuck in this storm, hope you stay safe and warm!
DCG