Emergency Kits: How Prepared Are We?

These seemingly unending, heartbreaking events in Japan make one think, am I disaster-ready?

When I was eight, I experienced my first earthquake. Though the 7.7 magnitude earthquake damaged a lot of areas in the Philippines, my hometown of Quezon City was spared. The year after, Mount Pinatubo erupted, sending volcanic ashes to the area I used to live in. A couple of times in college, I walked through murky knee-level floods and muscled my way against other commuters for a ride home. In December 2006, Um and I found ourselves stranded at the

Outside the Caticlan Jetty Port (the gateway to Boracay) - December 2006

I have “updated” the contents of the bag several times since 2002. You would assume that without the diapers, feeding bottles, formula and other baby essentials, the bag would be so much lighter now. Well, yes, in a way. But I now have TWO emergency bags for there are four of us.

So, what exactly are in my bags?

1. Food and water that can last up to 72 hours.

2. Change of clothes.

3. Jackets and blankets.

4. Flashlights and batteries.

5. Candles and matches.

6. First aid kit.

7. Sanitation/hygiene essentials such as toilet paper, alcohol, hand sanitizer, sanitary napkins and moist towels (or baby wipes).

8. Utensils. DO NOT FORGET TO PACK A CAN OPENER!

9. Identification.

10. Cash. Your debit and credit cards may very well be useless in a disaster-stricken city.

11. My family’s unique needs such as vitamins and medicines.

Note: It is ideal to have different emergency bags in the office and in the car so you would not have to worry about bringing the same bag everywhere you go. Check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s guide on how to assemble your emergency kit.

Be safe, everyone! And pray!!!