What Is In Your Hurricane Emergency Kit?

8/11/2021 (Permalink)

With hurricane season ramping up, SERVPRO of Greater St. Augustine/ St. Augustine Beach is here to help! Call us 24/7/365 at 904-429-4457!

Being prepared is essential, especially as we are in the midst of hurricane season. Although it has been a relatively calm season so far, it is very easy to get overwhelmed when disasters such as a hurricane, flooding, or fire strike. By having an emergency preparedness kit, you can have peace of mind knowing that you and your family have the supplies needed to last you a couple of days. With activity in the Atlantic picking up and two storms brewing, now is the time to begin putting together your emergency kit, or updating and checking expiration dates on your existing kit. 

What is an Emergency Kit? 

An emergency kit is a collection of household items that are essential to have on hand during an emergency. The supplies in your kit should be able to sustain your family for a few days if needed. When putting these kits together, make sure they are easily accessible and storable so they can be accessed at a moment's notice, like plastic bins or a duffel bag. 

So What All Goes Into an Emergency Kit? 

When putting your kit together, start with the items that you and your family cannot go without if you are stuck without access to any other supplies for a couple of days. As well as important documents and information that will be critical once the storm has passed Items such as: 

• Water- one gallon per person, per day
• Non-perishable food- enough to last at least 3 days 
• Flashlights/ candles 
• First-aid kit
• Battery-powered radio
• Extra batteries 
• Extra clothing and shoes
• Prescription and non-prescription medication
• Glasses/ contact lenses and solution 
• Cash
• Insurance policy information, identification, and banking information are saved electronically, as well as printed and stored in a waterproof and fireproof container 

If you have any infants or pets in the home, be sure to have formula, bottles, diapers, and wipes as well as extra pet food and water. 

After you assemble your emergency kit, it is important to do a yearly review of the supplies to ensure that nothing is outdated and that they are still safe to use. A yearly review will also account for the changes that your family sees, as kids are born or grow older, you'll need different items that you perhaps did not need in the past. The same goes with pets or any medical or health changes that could occur. Your kit needs to be ready to meet your family's needs at that time in your life, so updating your kits and supplies is critical when planning for emergencies. 

At SERVPRO of St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, S. Nocatee and World Golf Village, we understand the uncertainty that surrounds disasters and hurricane season. "Is this storm going to hit?" "Do we need to evacuate?" It can be a scary and stressful time, preparing in advance can help ease some of those worries. After the fact, if your home or business should suffer any damage from the storm, your local St. Augustine SERVPRO is here to help. As experts in restoration, we have been helping St. Augustine and surrounding St. Johns County with storm damage and water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, mold mitigation, and reconstruction services since 2015. You can count on us to make it "Like it never even happened." When the storm passes, and you need us, give us a call 24/7/365 at 904-429-4457!