With devastating earthquakes occuring one after another in various parts of the world, we are in constant fear of the said “big one” here in our country. Our house lies a few meters away from an active faultline, so we take earthquake preparedness seriously.
As a family, we have discussed where we are to meet in case we are separated during any calamity. For those of us who are always at home, we have set a location in the house where we are to congregate when an earthquake strikes. We have also prepared emergency boxes for each family. Our calamity kit includes:
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Food
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2 foil packs of formula milk
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4 tetra packs of natural fruit juice
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biscuits/crackers/oatmeal cookies
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2 cans of pineapple tidbits
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2 cans of vienna sausage
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2 cans of tuna
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6 sachets of nesvita
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water
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Clothing
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one set of clothes for each person
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jackets for the toddlers
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2 packs 4-pc diapers for the toddlers
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face towels
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Medicines & First Aid
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paracetamol
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antibiotic
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hydrasec & erceflora (for diarrhea)
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antihistamine & anti-allergy
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betadine & hydrogen peroxide
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bandages/band-aids/sterile gauze
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Emergency Essentials
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batteries
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flashlight
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swiss knife
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I’ve just recently read “Preparing for Disasters”, an article on survival written by Erika Sauler, and have now found out that we lack a few more essentials. We need a quick trip to the mall to purchase these items:
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chocolate bars – these are great sources of energy
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honey – it serves a dual purpose of providing nutrition and disinfecting wounds
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condoms – they apparently can be used to transport water and keep electronic gadgets secure
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crank radio – an AM frequency radio that does not need batteries
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signalling devices – mirror and whistle
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duct tape – it sticks to most surfaces, is waterproof, and can also be used to seal the house in case of radioactive fallout
From the same article, I also learned that Betadine can be used to purify water for drinking. You’d only need 4 drops of the iodine solution for every liter of water. You then have to wait for 30 minutes for the organisms to be killed before the water is safe enough for drinking. They have stated though that this is not advisable for pregnant women.
There are a lot more survival tips in the article and I recommend you go over it. It just might save your life when disaster strikes.
this is very helpful. we’ll make sure to be prepared also for any disaster.
It’s sure is a good thing when you plan for these kinds of time. Especially if you have a family. Kudos to you! 🙂
thanks for the info. we recently had an fire accident at home. it is always good to have an emergency bag with all the essentials which you can bring with you during panic moments.
I’m also preparing my lifeline kit (yan naman ang tawag nang redcross ^-^;)
Although my home is not at risk of getting flooded. I’m at the 39th floor so my worry is just 1 – earthquake!
But when we bought this home the engineers said they built this place to withstand earthquake. You never know though right?! Better be prepared :3
I wish I can say we have disaster kits too but we don’t. But I’ve been meaning to prepare that, and this disaster is a very good reminder to do so.
Thanks for sharing this. I have to prepare mine too. 🙂
Super agree with you Sis. We are in the flood-prone area and I’ve grown accustomed to preparing such kits but then again, as always, I tend to forget something, waaaaah!
this is really informative.. i hope people in the philippines especially the ones in the near river or water area have a calamity kit..
It is very a good thing to be prepared.
Thanks for sharing this one. My friends who got affected with habagat shared their emergency bag as well.
Visiting from BC Bloggers August 8.
Hi Sis! Thanks for all these great tips. I think this is a must for every home especially those with little kids. I will take time to read that article that you’ve shared. I believe it might be really of great help.
Thanks and be safe. 🙂
This is a very helpful post! Thanks for sharing! By the way, you have a really nice site! 🙂
Oh, I love this post! I’m a big list girl (even opened a planner shop on Etsy because of this) and I like how specific your list is. Thanks for the article link. Interesting use for condoms, yay!
I think what we have is flashlight only. Will encourage my mom and start myself to be prepared in times of unexpected calamity. BTW ^^. I would love you to visit my blog “ miss JHENZ “http://ow.ly/cUC9T Have a great week ahead!