The KateNation Disaster Supply Kit Building Contest

This September KateNation is celebrating the eighth annual National Preparedness Month by hosting a Disaster Supply Kit Building Contest!  At the end of the month, one randomly selected winner will receive a Kaito Voyager Solo KA650 Solar/Dynamo AM/FM//SW & NOAA Weather Emergency Radio with Alert & Cell Phone Charger.  This month you can join the preparedness campaign by focusing on home readiness and entering the KateNation contest.  To participate, simply follow the steps below:



Kaito Voyager Solo KA650



1. Build or update your disaster supply kit. 
2. Send a picture and a summary of your finished kit to contest@katenation.org

If you are building a disaster supply kit for the first time, check out this list of essential disaster supply kit items.  If you are working to update your disaster supply kit, please review this checklist.  Please note that all entries must be received by midnight on September 30, 2011.  One winner will be randomly selected and announced on the KateNation Blog on October 1, 2011.  For more information, see the official rules. 

Have fun and good luck!




Congratulations to our winner, David Riddy!  Thank you for updating your disaster supply kit and entering the KateNation contest. 



Now That You Have a Disaster Supply Kit…Maintain!

Remember the mad rush for duct tape and plastic sheeting when the terror alert moved to orange in 2003?  At the time, the government kicked off its “Make a Kit, Have a Plan, Stay Informed” campaign.  Many Americans did indeed respond to the media blitz and built a disaster supply kit.  Now, eight years later, these fully stocked and well organized kits are sitting in basements and closets across America collecting dust.

Like testing your smoke alarms and your carbon monoxide detector, maintaining your disaster supply kit should be incorporated into your routine.  To ensure you are prepared, you should check your kit every six months.  If your kit is one of the many kits currently collecting dust, please pull it out, dust off the cobwebs, and walk through the check list below. 

Food

• Check your canned food for dents and corrosion, anything that looks suspicious should be thrown out. 
• Check your boxed and packaged food to ensure that the product is still sealed.  Again, anything that looks suspicious should be thrown out or added to your compost.   
• Check the expiration date on all your food, anything that is expired should be replaced. 

• Keep your food in a tightly sealed metal or plastic container to keep it safe from animals and pests. 

• I recommended trading out your food every six months.  That will help to ensure that you are not disgusted by the prospects of eating eight year old beans when and if you should use your kit!

Water

• Check the integrity of the package; throw out anything that is leaking or with a broken seal.
• Check the expiration date on you water, anything that is expired should be tossed or used to water your garden. 
• Like food, I recommend replacing your water every six months.

Electronics

• Test the device to ensure it is working. 
• Ensure that you are not storing batteries in your electronic devices.  As with all electronic devices, if you are not planning to use if for more than 30 days, the batteries should be stored separately. 
• Look at the expiration date of unopened batteries and exchange batteries that will expire in the next six months.
• Test any open batteries in the devices to ensure they are working.

First Aid Kit

• Review the contents of the First Aid Kit and replace any items that have expired.

After you have finished updating your kit, label the outside of the container with the date; this simple step will make it easy for you to remember when your kit needs updating again. 


Written by Kate Schweigart

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Government Uncertainty and Disaster Supply Kits

The national media has been dominated with news of a possible government shutdown.  Whichever end of the political spectrum you fall on, there's one thing everyone can agree on: many people now find themselves in an uncertain situation over which they have no control.  This feels kind of like a disaster, right? Although it is certainly not of the magnitude of an earthquake or a tsunami, the current uncertainty and lack of control can leave anyone feeling vulnerable.   A good way to combat these feelings is it to take your own steps towards personal preparedness. 

Essential functions are the lynch pin of every agency or business continuity plan.  There is a lot of talk right now, particularly here in the DC Metro area, about which Federal functions are essential.  One question we should all ask ourselves is "What items do I consider essential?"  One answer, no matter what the disaster, is a disaster supply kit.  Maintaining a disaster supply kit will help you to ensure that you have the resources you need to remain self-sufficient in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. 

The items I have listed below are essential to any disaster supply kit.  Ideally, you should have these items stored in easily accessible, portable containers so that you can easily load the kit into your vehicle in the event of a mandatory evacuation:

Water: One gallon per person, per day (recommend at least a 3 day supply)	Food:  Non­perishable, easy to prepare items (recommend at least a 3 day supply)
Can opener	Moist towelettes and hand sanitizer
Flashlight	Extra batteries
Battery­ powered or hand­crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)	Multi­purpose tool to turn off utilities
First aid kit	Medications and pertinent medical information
Personal hygiene items	Cell phone with chargers and/or solar chargers
Extra cash	Family and emergency contact information
Emergency blanket	Rain Poncho and change of clothes
Local Map	Personal Security Alarm or Whistle to signal for help
Copies of personal documents (proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates).	Trash bags and ties

I hope that the government will not shutdown and all of the recent preparations will be chalked up to another expensive exercise in "what if?"  We can look at the uncertainty of the current situation and think about our own vulnerabilities and what we can do to prepare.  Outside of casting a ballot and contacting our Members of Congress, we cannot control the political environment.  However, there are aspects of our own environment that we can control to include increasing our level of personal preparedness by building a disaster supply kit.  Take control and build a disaster supply kit this weekend.


Written by Kate Schweigart