Winter Safety Essentials: Emergency Items for Your Home

Winter can pack a powerful punch. Know how you and your family can best prepare for an unexpected snowstorm with these tips and essential items.

We’ve all seen how fast stores become jammed with people and quickly sell out of the essentials you need. You don’t want to be frantically running around trying to get the necessities together at the last minute. Get your emergency kit ready ahead of time so that you can sit tight and weather the winter storm.

Keep all of these items together in one place in a pack during the winter months, should an emergency arrive. You’ll want enough water and non-perishable food for your family for about three days. Should you lose water pressure, you’ll also need garbage bags and moist towelettes for sanitation. Be sure to have extra warm clothing and blankets at hand so that it’s easily accessible should the heat go out. Sleeping bags are for more than just camping, they are designed to keep you warm and are an efficient way to bundle up. You should also have enough heating fuel or wood and think about investing in a generator as well. First aid kits are a must too.

You might not be able to leave the house to get extra medications, so you’ll want to keep enough prescription medications on hand. A battery powered or hand crank radio, flashlight and extra batteries will also come in handy should you lose power. Entertainment without electricity is also something to think about. Kids are always glued to their electronics, so having some non-electronic games for the kids might also help to preserve their sanity and yours. Even head lamps and flashlights become tools for hide-and-seek or an indoor scavenger hunt.

Banks and ATMs may not be up and running either. Having cash or traveler’s checks might make all the difference if you need to make purchases.

When you are ready to leave you’ll want to have a snow shovel to dig out your car, rock salt at the ready to melt ice and sand to help your vehicle gain traction. On top of the must-have winter emergency items we suggest to have in your home in the checklist below, also make sure you have all of the essential winter emergency items for your car.

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