As a nurse, you’re always ready to deal with the unexpected. Nurses think quick on their feet, no question about it. They also know how to plan and coordinate their actions with others.

But how about in your personal life? Are you ready for winter’s inclement weather, or other acts of nature that may impact your lights, power, water, or the roof over your head? Learn all about emergency preparedness on FEMA’s website — it’s a wonderful, deep, and detailed resource!

In the meantime, here are 4 simple ways to get ready for whatever Mother Nature may throw your way.

1. Buy emergecny supply kits (they come in many sizes) from online sources, such as the American Red Cross website outlet.

2. Or assemble your own outage kit for winter storms. A few must-have items: a car charger for your mobile phone as cordless phones require electricity.

Learn how to override your electric garage door opener.
Review what to do if the power goes out at your home.
Review safety rules for downed utility lines and portable generators,
if you own one.

Outage kit for when the power goes out
If a power outage occurs, you can be prepared by having a kit together
to meet your basic needs until we’re able to restore power. An outage
kit is also a great first step towards a more comprehensive emergency
kit for use in a crisis or natural disaster.

A basic outage kit should include:

Hand-crank or battery powered flashlight and radio
Battery-powered clock
Extra batteries (change them periodically — even unused batteries lose
power over time)
Manual can opener
Cell-phone car charger if you depend on a cell phone, and/or a corded,
non-electric phone for home

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Other handy items to have:

Bottled water
Sanitary water containers (if you rely on electricity to pump water)
Thermos
Disposable plates and utensils
Extra blankets or sleeping bags

Emergency kits for crises and disasters
In a natural disaster or crisis, basic items we normally take for
granted — like food, water, electricity and sanitation — can become
survival needs. Predicting and planning for your family’s needs ahead
of time can help minimize the effects of emergencies.

Disaster preparedness experts suggest having enough water, food and
other supplies to survive on your own for at least three to ten days.

Since it can be a challenge to build a kit that’s both complete and
portable, consider building two. A small kit can be helpful in the
event of natural disasters and other pressing crises where you may
need to leave your home, and carrying a large kit would be difficult
or dangerous. Larger kits can be helpful for sheltering in place, but
these might not fit in your backpack.

Here are some ideas for stocking an emergency kit, in addition to the
outage kit items:

Water (1 gallon per person per day, include extra for pets)
Non-perishable food (Don’t forget food for your pets)
Prescription and over-the-counter medications
Infant formula and diapers
Sleeping bag and bedding
Copies of insurance information, IDs, bank information, and family
documents in a sealed waterproof container
Cash
A change of clothing
Disinfectant
Basic first aid kit (Red Cross also has a First Aid app for your smart phone)
Personal hygiene items including bags for waste storage
Matches in a waterproof container
Additional batteries
Eating utensils, manual can opener, and/or mess kit
Paper and pencil

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Jebra Turner
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