Now's a good time to talk about putting together a disaster emergency kit for you and your family.
Remember, following an emergency, you might not have access to food and water for a period of time, so being prepared means having enough food, water and supplies to last at least 72 hours.
The 13 basics are:
Water - at least one gallon per person per day for three days
Food - at least a three-day supply of non-perishables
Radio - battery-powered, or a hand-crank
Cell phone - with chargers and a back-up battery
Flashlight - and the batteries for it
First Aid kit
Extra batteries
Whistle - to signal for help
Local maps
Dust mask - to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting
Manual can opener
Tool kit - including a wrench or pliers to turn off utilties
Garbage bags with ties
Of course, every family should personalize their kit to their needs. You can learn more about all of this at the ready.gov page at the Homeland Security website.
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