In general, the supplies you will have in your emergency kit will assist and prepare you for many emergencies and incidents, both natural and man made. However, certain incidents and emergencies have differing effects ranging from duration, magnitude and severity. For those other more specific incidents, we have created specific pages as available above in the horizontal tabbed navigation.

A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency. The purpose of an emergency supply kit is to organize necessities you will need to survive.

Try to assemble your kit well in advance of an emergency. You may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and take essentials with you. You will probably not have time to search for the supplies you need or shop for them.

You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least one week.  First Responders and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours or it might take days.

Additionally, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment and telephones may be cut off for days or weeks, or longer. Your supply kit should contain items to help you manage during these outages.

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Basics

The Cornwall Office of Emergency Management recommends the following to include in your basic/general emergency supply kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least one week, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a one week supply of non perishable food
• Battery powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra extended life batteries for both
• Flashlights and extra extended life batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Hand-operated can opener for food
• Cell phone with extra chargers, 12-Volt inverter or solar charger

Once you have gathered the supplies for a basic emergency kit, you may want to consider adding the following items:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Cash or travelers checks and change
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding supplies for very cold winter temperatures.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper. When diluted, nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher (ABC Dry Chemical 5lb minimum preferred)
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
• Paper, pen and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
• Family Radio Service (FRS) two-way radios with supply of extended life batteries for communications
• Carbon Monoxide Detector with extended life batteries