What is an Emergency Preparedness Kit?

Your emergency preparedness kit should have a family planner that includes the following list of items in it, along with things like first aid items, 72 hour food kits, extra outfits, etc.

Your family planner is an integral part of this kit. Use a sturdy binder with envelope dividers to hold your various documents.

What should I include in my planner?

Ask yourself this question: Would I be frustrated or angry if I lost this item in an earthquake, flood, or other emergency situation? Those items or documents that you think you definitely would need in or after a disaster situation are the documents you need to put in your binder.

Here's a pretty good list. Feel free to add whatever you think is important.

• birth certificates
• passports
• social security cards
• copies of your credit cards front and back
• homeowners insurance policy
• auto insurance policy
• life insurance policy
• bank statements
• retirement statements
• internet passwords (banking, personal, work etc)
• immunization records
• utility statements
• work/tax documents that would be difficult to replace
• CASH - keep a variety of small bills on hand.

We like to put each item in a sheet protector and add divider labels to put them into sections. This makes it easy to pull things in and out when you need to access them.

Do I store copies or originals?

This is a personal choice but we recommend storing the originals IN your family planner and store photocopies of them in a filing cabinet. Also scan them to get digital copies (put them all on a thumb drive) and give to a trusted friend or put in a safe deposit box.

If your house burned down or was flooded it would be so relieving to know that you don't have to go through the hassle of replacing those documents. If you already have a waterproof and fireproof filing cabinet or safe you may choose to just put copies in your binder so that you can have the information on hand in an emergency but know that you can return home and find the originals intact at a later time.

What should I store my survival planner in?

Even though the idea is to grab the emergency preparedness kit and bring it with you, there is always the chance that you won't be home during an emergency. Under these circumstances, you would still want to return home and find your planner in good condition, especially if your original documents are IN the binder. We recommend storing your planner in a fireproof and waterproof, locked box that is small enough to be transported with you in an emergency.

To continue working on your emergency preparedness kit, let's assemble either your first-aid kit next or your 72-hour kit. You choose...