Is your family prepared for any Home Emergency or Natural Disaster?

If the power went out at home and someone fell and scraped a knee in the dark, would you know where to quickly find first aid supplies in your home? Would you know how to treat the wound?
It is important that you and your family have certain basic emergency and first aid supplies available at your home so that you can respond to home emergencies and to natural disasters. Your emergency supplies should be organized and kept all in one place where you can access them easily and quickly. Each family member should know where these supplies are and have a basic knowledge of how to use them.

Recommended Emergency Supplies
Here is a general list of the supplies you should have for home emergencies and natural disasters:

1. Supply of prescription and other necessary medications.
   
2. Flashlight with extra batteries.
   
3. Portable, battery-powered radio for receiving emergency communications.
   
4. Waterproof matches, and either long-burning candles or a kerosene-type lamp with extra fuel, all properly stored.
   
5. Fire extinguisher, ABC or dry-chemical type for all classes of fires. Check the expiration date and be sure you practice and know how to use it.
   
6. Electrical fuses, if needed for your home.
   
7. Rope ladder to hold your weight if you need to exit upper floors of your home to ground level, and some additional length of rope for multipurpose use.
   
8. First aid instruction book.
   
9. Blankets and sheets. These can be used for warmth, for splints, and for transport of injured persons.
10. First aid supplies:

• First aid supplies:
  
• Medical-grade vinyl gloves
  
• Poison ivy relief cream
  
• Burn relief cream
  
• Sunscreen, SPF of 30 or greater
  
• Antibiotic ointment, Polysporin® or similar
  
• Sting relief lotion or ointment, calamine or similar
  
• Box of sterile gauze pads, either 3" x 3" or 4" x 4"
  
• Abdominal (ABD) or combine sterile pad, 5" x 9"
  
• Rolled gauze of 2 sizes, 2" x 4 yards and 4" x 4 yards
  
• Bandages of assorted types: finger, knuckle, plastic, Telfa®, and general adhesive
  
• Sterile oval eye pad
  
• Small sharp scissors
  
• Tweezers with pointed tip
  
• Thermometers, oral and rectal (for babies)
  
• Elastic bandage, 3" x 6"
  
• Instant ice pack
  
• Roll of adhesive tape, 1" wide, may use plastic type if preferred
  
• Triangular bandages, 2
  
• Package of safety pins, assorted sizes
  
• Absorbent cotton balls, 1 box
  
• Diarrhea remedy, Pepto-Bismol® or Kaopectate® or similar
  
• Popsicle® (craft) sticks or finger splints
  
• Antibacterial soap, liquid or bar
  
• Medicine dropper
  
• Water purification tablets
  
• Small bottle of bleach
  
• Sharp knife or multipurpose knife/tool
  
• Bottles of aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen (children's or liquid if needed)
  
• Splint materials: thin boards 2-3' long
  
• Cough syrup and throat lozenges
  
• Large plastic trash bag and several smaller, zip-closure bags