Is your family ready for an emergency? Planning ahead can keep you safe if a flood, fire, flu pandemic, terrorist attack, or other public health emergency strikes. During Home Safety Month, Driving Healthy encourages you to take steps to ensure that you and your families are protected at home and on the road.
Be Prepared for Emergencies While Traveling
As a driver, you spend a lot of time on the road. Because you never know when an emergency or disaster can strike, it’s important to have an emergency kit in your truck.
Source: FEMA
Plan Ahead
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that each family get an emergency kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed of the emergency resources available in their community. Here are a few simple items you can gather today to prepare for an emergency:
- At least 3 gallons of water for each member of your family
- Food for at least 3 days—choose foods that don’t need a refrigerator, like canned fruit, energy bars, peanut butter, and crackers
- Prescription medicines that you take every day, like heart or diabetes medicine
- A first aid kit to treat cuts, burns, and other injuries
Resources
- Basic Disaster Supplies Kit (also available - PDF dowload)
- Vehicle Emergency Supply Checklist
- Home Safety Council and their Safety Resources by Risk Area
- Department of Healthy and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Emergency Preparedness and Response
- National Institutes of Health, Senior Health, Taking Medicines Safely
- U.S. Fire Administration, Federal Management Agency, Fire Safety
