At the tail end of Emergency Preparedness Week 2019, the province of B.C. is encouraging people not to wait until an emergency hits to get ready.
Emergency Preparedness Week runs from May 5 to May 11.
PreparedBC is teaming up with retailers to take the guesswork out of preparing a grab-and-go kit.
“One of the challenges or barriers for people is not knowing what to put in a kit, so this is what this program is all about,” said Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness.
“We as the province want to make it easier for people and we count on our retailers to be our partners.”
The latest retailer to join the Partners in Preparedness Program is Mountain Equipment Co-op, which has grab-and-go-kit items labeled throughout its stores, and lists of suggested items for the kits.
“It’s affected this community,” said Jake MacKenzie with Mountain Equipment Co-op in Kelowna. “Last year there were hundreds of evacuation notices, so this is a thing that’s happening here, and we have the resources to guide people in preparing for exactly what’s happening.”
Items recommended for a grab-and-go kit include:
- Food (ready to eat) and water
- Phone charger and battery bank
- Small battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- Battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Small first-aid kit and personal medications
- Personal toiletries and items, such as an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses
- Copy of your emergency plan, copies of important documents, such as insurance papers
- Cash in small bills
- Local map with your family meeting place identified
- Seasonal clothing and an emergency blanket
- Pen and notepad
- Whistle
For a complete guide on building a grab-and-go kit, visit the PreparedBC website.
WATCH: The City of Vancouver tests their emergency response plans (May 9)