20 Must-Have Items to Stock at Home for Disaster Preparedness

1. Bottled Water– this is particularly important in a power outage for extended periods of time, as it could affect the water filtration plants in your area, thus drinking from the tap a bit scary to say the least.
2. Water purification tablets– well, if you’re out of bottled water but have your own purification tablets, it’ll be a huge deal. They’re not expensive but go a very long day when you need the one thing that could keep you alive in a state of food and water scarcity.
3. Canned or jarred food– I am so glad that home jarring has made a comeback. It is one of the most sensible things we can do to take control of our food sources and avoid purchasing fresh produce out of season. In a time of emergency, well, these foodstuffs were made for the situation.
4. Can opener– how would you open the canned food without one?
5. Flashlight – so very necessary for so many reasons when you’re without power, but particularly if you need to leave your home, it could mean the difference between life and death when trying to avoid downed wires or something else in harm’s way. (You can also find wind-up flashlights that don’t require batteries)
6. Batteries– unless you have devices that are all wind-up or powered in another way, you’ll need at least some for things like flashlights. Solar powered devices may not be so helpful in the winter months.
7. Candles– very helpful for keeping a flicker of light on at home
8. Matches– needed not just for candles, but also to start a fire outside if you need to cook or keep warm indoors by your fireplace.
9. Sleeping Bags– I think this is one of the biggest helps ever. I’ve brought my L.L. Bean Camp Sleeping Bag with me on numerous vacations and homestays with relatives who like to keep a very cool house and recently slept with mine when our heat wasn’t working.  When you’re in a tough situation, especially when you have to leave your home and find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings, trust me- you’ll want to wrap yourself in something familiar, soft, warm and clean.
10. Tall Rubber Boots– have you seen how many people are wearing boots during the coverage of Hurricane Sandy? They’re mostly the reporters covering events or those in a position to now help out with the clean-up. But my heart goes out to those wading in water up to their knees (or higher). Who knows what’s in the water? Often times during storms it’s sewage and waste water full of contamination that could make you very, very sick. Even if the water were clean, there’s nothing worse than being wet, cold, hungry, tired and somewhere other than home.
11. Ponchos– they may not be pretty, but they will keep you somewhat dry. When you’re out in the elements, you’ll need to try and avoid hypothermia any way you can.
12. Fire Safe Box– If you were told you had just one hour to evacuate your home, would you be able to find everything you need to take with you? Firesafe boxes are also waterproof so if your home does experience water or fire damage, keeping really important things in one can make your life a whole lot easier. Things will all be in one place, too.
13. Waterproof document holders– these are great if you’re only able to carry a few essentials. Keep things like birth certificates, social security cards, passports, car titles, college diplomas, insurance information and home ownership or rental agreement documents in these. It will be a nightmare to prove yourself without these originals.
14. Passport cover– Just in case, I would encase the family passports in these inexpensive plastic covers and put them in the waterproof document holder. You can also use them for social security cards, which is one of the hardest documents to recover if lost.
15. Cash– in an emergency of epic proportions, don’t expect technology to be in working order. That means credit cards, ATM machines and your PayPal account. You’ll need cash to get the basics, if anything is open to the public.
16. REI RFID money belt– for those who aren’t prepared, they’ll be looking for cash, too. Keep yours close to your body by using a money belt, similar to what you might use when traveling.
17. Back up of your computer’s hard drive– one of the most sensitive pieces of equipment we have at home is our laptop. Any little bit of liquid on them and they are toast. Back yours up constantly then store it in the fire-safe box, which is also water safe. If you can’t save your computer, you can at least have that.
18. Backpack– I knew that backpacks were a good idea when I decided to write this post. I mean, how can you possibly maximize the number of things you can carry with you if you need to leave your home on foot if you don’t have one, right?
19. Baby Sling– After watching the news and hearing about one mom of a very small baby who had to jump a fence to escape rising waters in her home, I think the next item is also worthy of being on the list. If you have to carry other items, you’ll need to have your hands free to do so, and keep your baby warm and close to you.
20. Wind up radios– no electricity means little to know communication with the outside world. With wind-up radios you are instantly in touch with what’s happening, or at least with what is being told to the public.

There are many reputable organizations where you can donate your money to help the victims of Sandy. Do you research and align yourself with an organization that you trust. I understand many people want to donate their time, food, medical supplies and other items right now but until authorities figure out exactly what is needed, cash is the best thing you can provide right now, Allahu’alim (Allah knows best).

What would you add to this list? Let’s not miss anything important!