Weather disasters are drastically increasing in frequency and severity. Damage from weather disasters in the US in 2022 totaled $223.8 billion. No one thinks it will happen to them, but in 2022, there were 387 natural disasters affecting 185 million people. Every single one of us should be thinking about emergency preparedness.

What would you grab on your way to safety in the event of a wildfire, hurricane, or flood? It’s important for everyone to have an emergency to-go bag at the ready. Being prepared will save you many headaches when terrible things are going on around you. 

When I started looking at lists of supplies that should be included I was overwhelmed with all the items. Instead of dealing with it, I put it off. Recently I went back to the lists and decided to pull from it a basic list of what to put in my to-go bag, just to get me started. This is my bare minimum to have in an emergency before fleeing. I’m sharing my basic list in the hopes that it helps you get started on your to-go bags. Most of the items listed you already have at home.

Of course, I hope you will never need this bag, but if you do, you’ll be grateful you planned ahead.

• to-go bag – a backpack is a good idea as it leaves your hands free
• first aid kit – (include tweezers, scissors, aspirin, hand sanitizer, bandaids, Neosporin, et al)
• Emergency Crank Radio + extra batteries
• Emergency Blankets
• Water but it’s so heavy to carry around.  I included 4 water bottles and a very small, portable water filter that can remove 99% of all bacteria from found water.
• flashlight (is included in the radio above but if you don’t get a radio, put in a flashlight and/or headlamp flashlight + batteries – (yes your phone has a flashlight but you’ll want to save your phone battery.)
• utility knife
• duck tape
• garbage bags with ties
• a change of clothes/include socks/shoes
• prescription glasses
• medications
• lighter/matches in an airtight container  (fun fact: hand sanitizer can be used as a fire starter due to the high alcohol content.)
• deck of cards
• N95 masks
• moist towelettes
• Kind bars/Clif bars – they have a one-year shelf life.
• Cash ($100 – $200)
• Toothbrush/paste
• Copy of documents:  birth certificates, marriage licenses, wills, bank account numbers, deeds, credit card numbers/cc company phone numbers, insurance policies/passports/driver’s licenses. IMPORTANT:  All lists included this, BUT, it feels unsafe to keep all this together.  I haven’t figured out what to do about that – let me know if you have any suggestions.  
• Save these links to help you find financial resources during an emergency:  www.fema.gov and ready.gov/financial-preparedness.

ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR, grab your cell phone, computer, and power cords. 

My husband, Ron, added, grab a bottle of wine. Absolutely!

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