{"id":34093,"date":"2018-09-11T11:20:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T15:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=34093"},"modified":"2018-09-11T11:24:59","modified_gmt":"2018-09-11T15:24:59","slug":"hurricane-florence-reminds-us-to-be-prepared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/hurricane-florence-reminds-us-to-be-prepared\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Florence reminds us to be prepared"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hurricane Florence as seen from the International Space Station<\/p><\/div>\n

As I write this post, Hurricane Florence has her sites set on eastern North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. In terms of her path and potential for flooding, Florence is already looking like an extraordinary storm and certainly one for the history books. It’s a scary situation.<\/p>\n

My family is all about practical<\/em> preparedness. Where we live, we have to be concerned with the occasional sever summer\/winter storm, flash flooding, and potential impact from hurricanes like Florence. Although we’re in Canada right now and far<\/em> removed from any potential impact from Florence in North Carolina (regardless, thanks for all of your kind messages), we have friends living in our house and I can rest easy knowing they have all of our supplies at the ready.<\/p>\n

What supplies should you have at the ready? I like using the Build-A-Kit list from Ready.gov<\/a> as a practical starting point. It’s designed around a 72 hour window of time. Many of us may assume that 72 ours is too short, but once you start looking at realistic<\/em> quantities of food and, especially, water that are needed, you might be surprised. These items are difficult to find when your area is threatened by natural disaster–it’s important to collect these items when there’s no immediate threat.<\/p>\n

Here’s the list taken directly from Ready.gov<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Build A Kit<\/h1>\n

Make sure your emergency kit is stocked with the items on the checklist below. Most of the items are inexpensive and easy to find, and any one of them could save your life. Headed to the store?\u00a0Download a printable version<\/a>\u00a0to take with you. Once you take a look at the basic items, consider what\u00a0unique needs<\/a>\u00a0your family might have, such as supplies for\u00a0pets<\/a>, or\u00a0seniors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own\u00a0food<\/a>,\u00a0water<\/a>\u00a0and other\u00a0supplies<\/a>\u00a0to last for at least 72 hours. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.<\/p>\n

Basic Disaster Supplies Kit<\/h2>\n

To assemble your kit, store items in airtight plastic bags and put your entire disaster supplies kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as plastic bins or a duffel bag.<\/p>\n

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:<\/p>\n