Emergency Items to Keep in Your Home

Posted by Jenni Barnett on Friday, November 6th, 2020 at 9:31am.

In order to prepare your family to stay healthy in case of an emergency, it’s vital that you prepare a kit of necessary emergency items to keep in your home. A fully-prepared home has food, water, and medication—but that’s just the bare minimum. 

The items we recommend are generally inexpensive, easy to obtain, and appropriate for a wide range of ages. Homes that shelter pets, infants, seniors, disabled, or chronically ill family members should customize our list (below) to provide any special items needed for each person and animal for a full two weeks.

Of course, once you have purchased emergency supplies, you will want to store them properly. Airtight plastic bins from any reputable brand will ensure that your supplies remain clean, dry, and organized.

Keep track of when you establish your kit; by rotating newer canned goods annually, you’ll prevent food waste, as well as guarantee that your emergency kit is stocked with goods that aren’t expired.


Your Home’s Emergency Kit Items:

  • Water to sustain each person and provide sanitary needs. 1 gallon per person per day is recommended
  • Non-perishable food items that cover nutritional and caloric needs
  • Hand-powered can opener
  • Camping mess kits, or paper and plastic mess kits
  • Duct tape and sturdy plastic sheeting
  • Face masks
  • Soap
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Disinfecting wipes
  • No-Rinse micellar water (optional, but useful for bathing)
  • Eyeglasses, contact lenses, and contact lens solution
  • Toothbrushes and toothpaste
  • Dental floss
  • Feminine hygiene items
  • Sanitary wipes (baby wipes are fine)
  • Toilet paper, garbage bags, and ties (for sanitation only)
  • Trash bags
  • Prescription medication
  • Fully-stocked first aid kit with extra bandages, antibiotic burn ointment, antihistamine (oral and topical formulations) splints, slings, and pain-relieving medication
  • Occlusive lip balm
  • Nail clippers
  • Strong work gloves
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Hand-powered or battery-powered radio. Because TN experiences severe weather events, an NOAA Weather Radio is a must.
  • Backup batteries
  • Flashlight (battery-powered and hand-powered are both fine)
  • Lantern
  • Headlamp
  • Cell phone chargers and fully-charged battery packs
  • Matches and candles, stored in a separate waterproof container
  • Wrench or pliers suitable for turning off your home’s utility lines
  • Multitool
  • A warm sleeping bag for each family member
  • 1 full change of clothes for each family member, including layers for both warm and cool weather as well as well-fitting hiking or walking shoes appropriate for your local terrain
  • Detailed map of your area, with emergency resources like fire stations and hospitals highlighted
  • Backup copies of vital family documents, along with traveler's checks, stored in a separate waterproof container
  • Paper, pen, and pencils

Once your kit is prepared, share the location with your family members. Take the time to explain each item and demonstrate the use of unfamiliar tools. Remember, you may not be home with them when disaster first strikes, or, in a worst-case scenario, you could be injured and unable to assist them. Even without your help, your family must be able to remain safe and healthy while they wait for help to arrive.

The team at Parks hopes that this list is useful in your disaster preparedness efforts. We urge each homeowner to use our recommendations as merely the foundation for your own customized list. We hope that you never need to use your kit, but having one on hand is well worth the peace of mind it will give you.

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