Preparing a Home Emergency Closet & Being Organized
You can read the rest of the Family Emergency Preparedness Series here.
Family Emergency Preparedness Series
Part of being prepared for emergencies is knowing where your stuff is when you need it.
Years ago, when my youngest child Laura, was about 18 months old, just learning to toddle around the house, we used to keep our basement/family room door locked so that she couldn’t open the door and tumble down the stairs.
One night, while we were all sleeping, a terrible storm came up. Lighting flashed and thunder boomed. My husband and I woke up and jumped out of bed, very concerned. The wind was howling. And then the power went out. That’s when we heard what sounded like a train. My husband threw open the window to look out and that sound. It was terrifying. We were sure a tornado was coming.
Laura and Hannah {who was about 4 at the time} were both asleep in our room. The three older kids were asleep upstairs in their rooms. I had been asleep in a t-shirt and my underwear. And all I could think was, if a tornado came and hit our house, I didn’t want the rescue workers to find me in my underwear!
I grabbed the baby, Mykal grabbed Hannah and rushed to wake up the older children. In the dark, I opened my drawers to grab some pants and ran to the basement door – which of course, was locked. I knew the key was on top of the clock – where the kids couldn’t reach it, so I grabbed the key. {We have a couple dozen old fashioned skeleton type keys for all of the doors in our house – and none of the match.}
Anyway, I grabbed the key, holding the baby and my pants, while Mykal roused the kids and told them to all go into the basement. It was dark, I had no lights, and trying to get that key into the little key hole while my heart pounded as loud as the thunder outside was so stressful, but I did it. All seven of us carefully made our way down into the basement where it was even darker.
I promptly put on my pants on and we huddled under blankets on the sofa with the kids until the storm passed, in the dark, but safe and sound. All of the above happened very quickly – not more than a couple of minutes!
There was a small tornado in the area – not much was damaged and thankfully our home was just fine and the power came back on eventually.
I was not prepared. I’m very thankful that nothing more serious happened that night.
- First of all, I shouldn’t have been worried about my pants. But, I wouldn’t have worried if I’d been sleeping in my pajamas.
- Secondly, if I’d had a flashlight by my bed, I could have gotten the basement door open faster.
- Thirdly, I should have had a stash of candles and matches in the family room where I could easily find them instead of only having my candles stored upstairs in the dining room cupboard.
We weren’t expecting a bad storm that night – and my husband and I try to stay on top of the weather. And that’s the thing about emergencies – many times they are unexpected!
[Tweet “That’s the things about emergencies – many times they’re unexpected! Prepare now:”]
So, regardless of whether you are expecting the crisis that comes or not, having your home organized with emergencies in mind will go a long way to helping your family stay safe during an emergency.
Here are several things you can do to keep your family prepared.
Create a Home Emergency Closet
In our house, we store food and other supplies in various places. But I also have a place in our coat closet by the front door that houses our Grab and Go Bags, camping gear, and other emergency supplies.
[Tweet “Create a Home Emergency Closet or Shelf near an exit in case of an emergency.”]
You should have a stash of emergency supplies – especially your Grab and Go Bags by an exit and easily accessible so that in the event of an emergency where you need to vacate the house, you know exactly where to find all of your stuff and quickly. The garage, mud room, or a coat closet are good places to store these types of items.
It’s also a good idea to have supplies stashed in different places around your home where you might need them. For instance, if your home has a basement where you would go during a bad storm {or perhaps a closet under the stairs}, find a place to keep emergency supplies like candles and matches, water, blankets, snacks, a game of UNO, etc.
[Tweet “Being organized could save your life. #preparedness #FamilyEmergencyPreparedness”]
Being Organized
Being organized could save your life.
- If you own matches, but can’t find them – how will they help you?
- If you have emergency blankets, but you stuck them in a drawer instead of your glove box – how will you stay warm if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere during a winter storm?
Being organized can also prevent a lot of unnecessary stress in times of crisis.
- If your power goes out for several days {it’s happened to me} or weeks {it’s happened in my state} and most of your family’s clothing was sitting in the laundry room unwashed – you’ll be faced with hand washing clothes, and perhaps even wasting water that you could have used for food preparation or hydration.
- If your kitchen is a disaster when a water main breaks – instead of having to deal with a few dishes used between meals, you’ll be faced with the challenge of washing dishes with rain water, stored water, or just waiting it out. Also know that when the power goes out, water purification systems may not be properly working. Don’t use possibly contaminated water for washing dishes, brushing your teeth, drinking. wash your hands, make baby formula, or make ice.
- Keeping your cell phone charged or almost fully charged as much as possible could save your life. If you are in an emergency situation and your battery power is low, keep it turned off except for when you especially need it.
- Knowing where a pair of sturdy shoes is located is important. Teach your children and other family members to keep a good pair of shoes beside their bed at night. You may want to keep a pair of comfortable, sturdy shoes for each family member in your Home Emergency Closet as well.
What To Do
[Tweet “Choose strategic places in your home to store emergency supplies.”]
Choose strategic places in your home to store emergency supplies. And then set goals to get your home, laundry, and life organized if you have not already.
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