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Every
family should have a Disaster Supply Kit in its
home. The kit will help you and your family during
a disaster. In a hurricane or earthquake, for
example, you might be without electricity and the
water supply may be polluted. In a heavy winter
storm or flood, you may not be able to leave your
house for a few days.
When disasters
like this happen, you will need to rely on
yourself. Your disaster supply kit will make it
easier. Remember, your family will probably never
need to use your disaster supply kit, but it's
always better to be prepared.
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Water
Storing water is one of the most important things
you can do. In an emergency, pipes may be broken
or the water contaminated. (Contaminated means it
is not safe to drink.) Store water in plastic
containers, like plastic soft drink bottles!
Don’t use milk cartons or glass bottles. You
should have a three-day supply of water.
You will need at
least two quarts of water for each person in your
house for each day. You will also need two quarts
per person per day for cooking and hygiene (like
brushing your teeth). That means you will need
four quarts for each person - which is one whole
gallon!
You need to
multiply one gallon times the number of people in
your house and then multiply that number by three
to get the total gallons you'll need. Stored water
needs to be treated to make sure it will be safe
to drink when you need it. You can do this by
adding four drops of bleach per quart of water.
Have an adult do this for you. The liquid bleach
should have 5.25 percent sodium hypo chlorite and
NO SOAP! Seal all bottles tightly so they don’t
leak.
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| Food
You will need a
three-day supply of non-perishable food.
Non-perishable means food that can stay good for a
long time without needing to be in the
refrigerator. It is also good if the food
doesn’t need to be cooked. Here are some
suggestions:
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- Canned meats,
fruits and vegetables
- Canned juice,
milk and soup
- Sugar, salt
and pepper
- High energy
foods, like peanut butter, jelly, crackers,
granola bars, trail mix
- Vitamins
- Fun foods,
like cookies, hard candy, lollipops, instant
coffee and tea
- Special food
for babies or older people
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| Clothing
Everyone in your
house should have a complete change of clothes and
a pair of sturdy shoes or boots stored in the
disaster kit. You should also have rain gear,
thermal underwear and blankets or sleeping bags.
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| First
Aid
Ask your Mom or
Dad or another adult for help in locating or
creating your first aid kit. These are the things
your first aid kit should have:
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- Sterile
adhesive bandages of different sizes
- Sterile gauze
pads
- Hypoallergenic
adhesive tape
- Triangular
bandages
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Sewing needle
- Moistened
towellettes
- Antiseptic
- Thermometer
- Tube of
petroleum jelly
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- Safety pins
- Soap
- Latex gloves
- Sunscreen
- Aspirin or
other pain reliever
- Anti-diarrhea
medicine
- Antacid
- Syrup of
Ipecac
- Laxative
- Activated
charcoal
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| Tools
There are many
things you may need in an emergency or during a
disaster. These things should be in a duffel bag
or backpack so you can take them with you easily
if you have to leave your house. Here is a list of
some of the most important things:
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- Plates and
cups made of paper or plastic
- Battery-operated
radio and extra batteries
- Flashlight and
extra batteries
- Non-electric
can opener
- Utility knife
(like a Swiss Army knife)
- Fire
extinguisher (ABC type)
- Pliers
- Tape
- Compass
- Matches in a
waterproof container
- Aluminum foil
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- Paper and
pencils
- Needle and
thread
- Wrench to turn
off the gas & water to your house
- Plastic
sheeting
- Whistle
- Toilet paper
- Soap
- Household
chlorine bleach
- Plastic bucket
with a tight lid
- Plastic
garbage bags
- Signal flares
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