What's in your kit?

NEWS RELEASE CANADIAN RED CROSS ************************* Canadian Red Cross encouraging Canadians to be ready for when disaster strikes May 6-12 is Emergency Preparedness Week Lillian Mathieson was home alone when fierce winds suddenly began to blow

NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN RED CROSS

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Canadian Red Cross encouraging Canadians to be ready for when disaster strikes

May 6-12 is Emergency Preparedness Week

Lillian Mathieson was home alone when fierce winds suddenly began to blow outside.

Scared, she attempted to close her back door but the force of the winds made it impossible.

After what were some of the longest minutes of Lillian’s life, everything became silent once again.

She went outside to figure out what had happened, only to discover her neighbours’ homes damaged and debris scattered everywhere.

The power was out.

To make matters worse, she was unsure if her loved ones were safe and well.

This is what Lillian experienced when a F3 tornado tore through her town of Goderich, ON last August.

Like Lillian, most Canadians couldn’t imagine a disaster, such as a tornado, happening in their backyard.

The reality is that they can and they do.

May 6-12 is Emergency Preparedness Week and the Canadian Red Cross is encouraging Canadians to be prepared for potential emergencies where they live by creating a plan and building an emergency preparedness kit.

By being prepared, families can reduce their stress in an emergency – whether it’s a house fire or a large-scale event affecting their entire community.

“When an emergency happens, responders might not be able to get to you and your family right away,” said Shelly Pascall, disaster management coordinator at the Sault Ste. Marie Branch of the Canadian Red Cross. “Because of this, we recommend that families have enough supplies on-hand to be self-sufficient for 72 hours.”

The Canadian Red Cross encourages families to build an emergency preparedness kit with essential items to ensure their comfort and safety following a disaster.

Each family should have two kits: one if they are able to stay in their homes following a disaster and a transportable one to take with them in the event of an evacuation. By having the kits pre-ready, families will have all their essential belongings and important documents with them if they have to leave their home quickly, creating peace of mind.

Red Cross offers the following checklist to help families prepare a home disaster kit:

Flashlight and batteries
Radio and batteries (or a wind-up radio)
Toilet paper and personal supplies
Important papers such as ID, personal documents, cash
Canned food and bottled water, manual can opener
Replace food and batteries once each year • One change of clothing and shoes
Blankets or sleeping bags
Extra car keys and cash
A whistle to attract attention
First aid kit
Medication

The Canadian Red Cross is a leading disaster response organization in Canada.

Every year, trained Red Cross volunteers respond to thousands of disasters - from house fires and floods to wildfires and tornadoes - providing comfort and support to those affected.

For information on emergency preparedness, or becoming a Canadian Red Cross volunteer, please visit www.redcross.ca.

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