THUNDER BAY – Emergencies can surface at any time and without warning, leaving little opportunity to track down essential supplies.
That’s why the local chapter of the Red Cross is urging residents to be prepared and have all the necessary items required to spend up to 72 hours in their homes without electricity, just in case the need arises.
In addition, they are also asking people to have a plan to be able to evacuate their home at a moment’s notice.
The Red Cross recommends creating a preparedness kit that contains important resources to allow the entire household to get through without power. That kit should include bottled water, food, first aid kits, blankets, flashlights, radios and extra batteries along with other emergency items.
While those are common for events like power outages, Red Cross volunteer Wendy Addison said it is often everyday things that are overlooked when disaster strikes.
“People forget about things like having extra keys, extra money or even having an extra prescription. We’ve had people live in their slippers without their eyeglasses or hearing aids and they’re really incapacitated because of it,” Addison said during a public presentation at the Vickers Heights Community Centre on Monday.
The looming arrival of winter makes the reminders timely. All it takes is one heavy snowfall to either take out power or trap people inside.
“With this time of year weather can be a particular problem,” Addison said.
The Red Cross has more information on disaster preparedness available online.
