Make September Your Time to Prepare!

The beginning of September can feel like the start of a new year. It’s a time to rekindle the love of learning; the smell of brand new pencils, erasers, note-books and new classrooms is definitely an indication that school has started. Many people also use September to start other routines, like exercising, healthy eating, and house organizing.

What better time than now to also make it a routine to stock up on emergency supplies for home?

If you already have a kit, it’s the perfect time to go through the kit and make a list of what you have, what’s broken, what has expired, and take a look at what is new on the market. If you don’t have a kit, it’s also a great time to get one and finally check it off your to-do list.

Other than just good practice, the difference between an up-to-date emergency kit and one that’s full of expired items could be the difference between life and death. That’s why it’s so important to comb through each item on your kit, checking the expiry dates and reassessing everything that you’ve chosen to include. Or, maybe your family or household has grown since you last checked in, or perhaps new products are on the market that will take your emergency preparedness to a whole new level. At Total Prepare, along with a variety of emergency kits, we also sell items individually which are great for building your own kits, or replacing out of date products. Have a look through our list and see if you’re missing anything!

Here are some more ideas for improving your kit:

• If your kit is only good for 72-hours, turn it into a 1-week kit by adding more food and water and maybe a water filtration system.
• If you already have an emergency kit that will last a week, it is easy to extend it to 2 weeks. You’ll definitely need more calories and food variety. Adding a bucket of freeze dried food such as any of our Legacy Foods is a convenient way to do this. The food also has a 25 year shelf life which means you’re set for a long time.
• Update your emergency contact list. In times of emergency, it’s often easier to reach someone outside of your province. Include this contact on your lists and make sure everyone knows the number. Make it part of your plan to contact this person should you and your loved ones become separated.
• Schedule a family or household meeting, where you reaffirm all your emergency plans.
• Remind yourselves of the hazards relevant to your region, and plan accordingly.

For more information on the more likely emergencies you should be preparing for in your region, please refer back to our previous articles on Total Prepare, or check out the Government of Canada website on getting prepared.