Emergencies and disasters can happen anywhere and at any time.  You may be left without electricity, water, and natural gas for extended periods of time.  Roads may be closed and you may not be able to obtain the most basic supplies such as water, food, candles, flashlights, and batteries.  If a serious incident occurs, emergency workers will be working on the most seriously affected by the emergency situation.  For the rest of us, it is our responsibility to make plans ahead of time take care ourselves in the event of a disaster.

Be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours (three days) in the event of an emergency or disaster.  This gives emergency workers the time to care for the most severely affected and to return utilities and services to affected areas.  

Your Emergency Kit

Use the lists below to put together emergency kits for your home and car.  Your kit could be stored in the basement in plastic bins or old suitcases.  The lists are recommended guidelines.  You may need to add more items depending on the specific needs of your family.  Remember that you are putting together a kit to help you get through the first 72 hours of an emergency.

Be sure to have at least one analog telephone in your home. Analog phones do not require an electrical outlet and will continue to operate during power failures.

 

Home Emergency Kit

 

  • Medication
  • Radio and batteries or crank radio
  • First-aid kit
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Candles and water proof matches or a lighter
  • Extra car and house keys
  • Cash in the form of small bills and coins (e.g. quarters to use a pay phone)
  • Copies of important papers for each member of your family (e.g. passport, birth certificate, insurance policies, etc.)
  • Canned food, energy bars, dried foods, meal replacement drinks (consume and replace at least once per year).
  • Bottled water, 2 litres per person per day for drinking.  Store an additional 2 litres per person per day for food preparation, hygiene and hand washing (replace at least once per year)
  • Manual can opener, bottle opener
  • Cutlery
  • Cooking pot
  • Disposable cups and plates
  • Garbage bags and re-sealable bags
  • Clothing and footwear, one change/person
  • Blankets or sleeping bags
  • Toilet paper and other personal hygiene items
  • Alcohol based hand sanitizer
  • Non-latex gloves, dust masks
  • Backpack/duffel bag
  • Whistle
  • Playing cards, games
  • Basic tools – hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, fasteners, work gloves
  • Small fuel driven stove and fuel

Do not use stoves, barbeques, or fuel powered heaters indoors!  The carbon monoxide that they emit can be lethal!

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

   

Include any other supplies your family would require to be sustained for a minimum of 72 hours.

 

Car Emergency Kit

You may be on the road when an emergency occurs.  Make an emergency preparedness kit for your car.

  • Non-perishable food (e.g. energy bars)
  • Water in plastic bottles, ensure there is enough room for the water to expand when it freezes and not break the bottle.
  • First-aid kit with
  • Seatbelt cutter & windshield breaker tool
  • Shovel
  • Compass
  • Extra clothing and footwear
  • Ice scraper and brush
  • Road maps
  • Matches and a "survival" candle in a deep can (to warm hands, heat a drink or use as an emergency light)
  • Antifreeze/windshield washer fluid
  • Booster cables
  • Flashlight (crank powered or with extra batteries)
  • Blanket (special "survival" blankets are best)
  • Copy of emergency plan and personal documents
  • Sand, salt or kitty litter
  • Traction mats
  • Tow chain
  • Cloth or roll of paper towels
  • Warning light or road flares
  • Axe or hatchet
  • Fire extinguisher
  

As with the home emergency kit, include any special items you and your family would require in an emergency.