From wildfires and earthquakes to landslides and snowstorms, natural emergencies can occur any time of year in Idaho. Thanks to climate change, these events will likely become more frequent and intense. And as we saw with the COVID pandemic, a lot of people were unprepared.
"We saw that shelves ended up bare and people were buying extra toilet paper and other food supplies because we really didn't know what was going to be in store for us," said Denise Kern, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Public Health Preparedness and Response Section Manager.
Kern says building go-bags for yourself and your family, or assembling an emergency kit for your car, doesn’t have to be stressful. You can break up this task into more manageable steps by compiling water, food, medications and other supplies one week at a time.
"It's important to have an emergency kit put together, because it is going to take a period of time for local officials and responders to get into a community to help. So by having a kit put together, you are providing safety to your family," Kern continued.
And while you’re gathering important documents like birth certificates and emergency contacts, Kern says to also remember to make sure you have food and water for your cats, dogs or any other non-human best friends.
Ready to get started? Go to readyidaho.org or ready.gov and begin gathering the recommended essentials for your emergency kit: one gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable foods, and prescription medications, to name a few. Or, see the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's week-by-week Emergency Kit Checklist below.
