Disasters can happen anywhere, anytime and here in The Bahamas, our most common disasters are hurricanes.
While we can't control the intensity or direction of a hurricane, we can control how well we prepare for them so that we sustain less damage to our homes and property and to our physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Now that hurricane season has begun, we must be prepared for them at all times. One of the best ways to be prepared is by creating your own Disaster Kit.
A disaster Kit is a collection of supplies that help to ensure survival and recovery during and after a disaster.
It’s important to know that each person in a household needs their own disaster kit with a three-day supply of items tailored to their needs including babies, the elderly, people with physical challenges and even pets.
Your disaster kit should be made up of seven different categories and contain a three-day supply of items for each person:
1. Water
2. Food
3. First aid kit
4. Personal hygiene kit
5. Tools
6. Important documents
7. Specialty Items
Water
One (1) gallon of water per person per day for three (3) days for drinking, sanitation and cooking stored in a plastic container.
Food
Canned, non-perishable food including meat, fruits and vegetables as well as sterno so that you can heat your food.
First Aid Kit
Your first aid kit should include adhesive bandages, two pairs of disposable gloves, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, tweezers, a thermometer, and non-prescription and prescription medication.
Personal Hygiene Kit
Your personal hygiene kit should include toilet paper, soap, feminine products, a clean, dry change of clothes, sturdy shoes, a blanket or a sleeping bag extra masks, disinfectants and hand sanitizers.
Tools
Your tool kit should include batteries, battery operated radios and flashlights, a manual can opener, tape, a utility knife, matches, a life vest, rope, a power bank and an extra charger for your cell phone or other electronic devices.
Important documents
All important documents should be stored in an airtight, waterproof ziplock bag. This includes passports, birth certificates, immunization records, wills and deeds as well as a list of family physicians and emergency contacts.
Specialty items
Your kit should also include specialty items like the style and serial number of medical devices like pacemakers, extra oxygen supplies and wheelchair batteries and even food, life vests and an extra leash for support animals and pets.
A Disaster Kit can be small enough to fit in a backpack or large enough to meet the needs of an entire household. Each individual person or family can have one or multiple Disaster Kits.
What matters most is that we all do our best to be as informed and prepared as possible so that we can all stay safe during and after a disaster and begin building back better because everyday, we all work together to achieve our goal of Building a Disaster Resilient Bahamas.