As Canadians, we have come to expect quick and dramatic change in weather. Sometimes, depending on the province or territory, the weather changes several times in the same day.  We have all heard about or experienced heavy rainfall, strong winds, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, flooding, ice storms and wildfires, to name but a few of the weather systems in our beautiful and vast country.

What we may not all have is a plan to help us deal with severe weather events or emergency situations.  Having an Emergency Plan and Emergency Kit are two things we can do now to prepare for the unexpected. 

Emergency Plans identify information such as exits from home or community, meeting places, names of contacts and health and insurance information. Once prepared, the information should be discussed with all household members as doing so will make real situations seem less stressful for all.

Emergency Kits should contain enough basic supplies to sustain all members of the household for a minimum of 72 hours in the event of a power failure or no access to running tap water.

A Basic Emergency Kit should contain:

• Water – 2 liters for each member of the household per day.
• Food – non-perishable, canned or dried items, energy bars.
• Manual can opener.
• Flashlight – battery operated or crank style.
• Radio – battery operated or crank style.
• Batteries.
• First Aid Kit.
• Cash, travelers’ cheques and change.
• Extra keys for home or vehicles.
• An Emergency Plan.

Emergency Kit items, once organized, should be placed in a backpack, suitcase with wheels or a duffle bag and placed in an area easy accessed by every household member.

Emergency Plan guidelines, templates and information on other items to keep in your Emergency Kit are availble on the Government of Canada's Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness website.