Disasters and Public Health Threats

Get Organized

A little organization can go a long way toward helping you feel ready to handle the unexpected. Having an emergency plan and an emergency supplies kit for your household can help you and your family be better prepared for any kind of disaster.

Develop an emergency plan

Putting together an emergency plan is easy.

• Choose a friend or relative as a contact person for family members to call if they are separated during a disaster. It is best to choose an out-of-province contact. Make sure every member of your household has the contact’s phone number. E-mail may also be a good way to get in touch.
• Pick a place to meet outside your neighbourhood in case you cannot return home. Make sure every member of your household has the address and phone number. Also designate a place to meet just outside your home—a neighbour’s front yard, for instance—in case there is a fire in your home.
• Write down where and how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity to the house. Make sure you have any special tools this requires.
• Discuss what you would do if you had to leave your home and the area. Include your pets in your plans. Most emergency shelters and health facilities will not accept animals.

You may have other things you want to include in your plan, especially if you have children in school or if anyone in your household has special needs. Review your plan yearly, and make sure that phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and other items are still current.

Assemble an emergency supplies kit

The essentials of an emergency kit are the same no matter what the situation: water, food, first aid supplies and medicines, blankets and clothing, special needs items (such as baby formula), and certain tools and household items, including a battery-powered radio, a flashlight, and extra batteries.

Use the disaster supplies checklist (What is a PDF document?) as you gather supplies. Store everything in one place, preferably a cool, dark location. Consider putting together a smaller version of your emergency kit that you could take if you had to leave your home. Once you've assembled your emergency supplies, remember to check and replace them periodically:

• Bottled water that has remained sealed and unopened needs to be replaced once a year. Water in containers that you have opened or filled yourself needs to be replaced every 6 months.
• Follow Red Cross guidelines (http://www.redcross.ca) on how often to replace food supplies. Even “non-perishable” items may need to be replaced occasionally.
• Remember that both non-prescription and prescription medicines have expiration dates.

For more information, see the Other Places to Get Help section of this topic.

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Author:	Douglas Dana	Last Updated: May 26, 2006
Medical Review:	Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine
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