I think we will all agree that we are living in a period when the world is experiencing unstable conditions that affect virtually every country on the globe. We need to be prepared in case of an emergency with a wide variety of items to keep our families in survival mode.
We would need non-perishable food that can be purchased from a number of suppliers on line. Some include enough food for as much as three months and other survival necessities.
A personal first-aid kit. A flashlight and battery-powered radio. You’ve probably heard about these and other basics for an emergency, but some other items are particularly important if you’re 50 or older.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a list of information targeted specifically for older Americans facing an emergency. Among the items the agency recommends you have on hand:
A three-day minimum supply of medications, along with a cooler and ice packs if your medications require refrigeration. Also, medical supplies if needed, such as syringes.
Contact lens solution, glasses and/or hearing aids and extra batteries for people who need them.
An identification band with your full name, a list of any allergies and a family-member contact number.
Information about your medical devices, including oxygen, walkers and wheelchairs. The information should include model numbers and the vendor of the products.
Documents in a waterproof bag. They should include a personal care plan; contact information for family members; a medication list including the dosage, exact name, pharmacy information and the prescribing doctor for each medication; a list of food or medical allergies; copies of photo IDs and medical insurance cards; and a durable power of attorney and/or medical power of attorney documents.
Cash to be used if automatic teller and credit card machines are not working.
The CDC also is recommending people include additional supplies to address the spread of the coronavirus, flu and other viruses. They include cloth face coverings for everyone 2 and older, soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.
It was surprising to my wife and I our reaction when a forest fire threatened our summer home in Colorado three years ago. We were given three hours to return to our place and get any items we could load up and take out of the area. As we viewed the fire which was a wide area within a mile of our home we ask ourselves what do we need to get. We had a new TV in the bedroom, we took the TV , our computer, and tablets and all the important papers we had and a few kitchen items my wife did not have at our other home. We looked for valuables, jewelry , photo albums , and found a few other items all of which we had to be able to carry in our car. The fire got to within 400 yards of our place so it survived.
No matter what the ages are of your family you need to make a family list of the items each person in the family would like to take in the event of evacuation. Keep some cash in your home so if the banking system is down because of internet failure you have something you can purchase water and food items with. Make a list of prescriptions required by your family members and keep them all together so you can box them and take them with you in a hurry.
We live in very perilous times when even our own government appears to be lost, sadly like our leader appears to be. As we have seen in Ukraine and with all the illegal immigrants coming across our border most of the children and some adults have identification wrist bands in case they get separated.
As soon as possible have a family meeting and discuss what items are needed to keep your family functioning in the event you have to leave your home or your utilities and internet access are not available. Keep at least a half tank of gasoline in at least one car all the time in the event fuel is not available. Set aside some money each month to purchase non-perishable food, flashlights, blankets , water , and survival items. Then have follow up meetings to see how the family is progressing