KIT CONTENTS

Non-prescription drugs:

• Potassium Iodide (Read more: Nuclear Blast)
• Aspirin or nonaspirin pain reliever
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Antacid (for upset stomach)
• Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Laxative
• Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)

Remember the special needs of your family members. Infants, the elderly and persons with disabilities need the same planning as everyone else, and sometimes a little more, to be prepared for a terrorist attack.

For Baby:

• Formula
• Diapers
• Bottles
• Powdered milk
• Medications
• Moist towelettes
• Diaper rash ointment

For Adults:

• Ask your doctor about storing prescription medications such as heart and high blood pressure medication, insulin and other prescription drugs.
• Denture needs
• Contact lenses and supplies
• Extra eye glasses

For more information on supplies, see "Your Family Disaster Supply Kit" from American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

For Seniors:

• Plan how you will evacuate or signal for help.
• Plan emergency procedures with home health care agencies or workers.
• Tell others where you keep your emergency supplies.
• Teach others how to operate necessary equipment.
• Label equipment like wheelchairs, canes or walkers.

Additional supplies for seniors:

• List of prescription medications including dosage in your supply kits. Include any allergies.
• Extra eyeglasses and hearing-aid batteries.
• Extra wheelchair batteries or other special equipment in your supply kit.
• A list of the style and serial numbers of medical devices such as pacemakers in your emergency supply kits.
• Copies of medical insurance and Medicare cards.
• List of doctors and emergency contacts.

For People with Disabilities:

• Create a support network to help in an emergency.
• Tell these people where you keep your emergency supplies.
• Give one member of your support network a key to your house or apartment.
• Contact your city or county government's emergency information management office. Many local offices keep lists of people with disabilities so they can be located quickly in a sudden emergency.
• Wear medical alert tags or bracelets to help identify your disability.
• If you are dependent on dialysis or other life sustaining treatment, know the location and availability of more than one facility.
• Show others how to operate your wheelchair.
• Know the size and weight of your wheelchair, in addition to whether or not it is collapsible, in case it has to be transported.

Additional Supplies for People with Disabilities:

• Prescription medicines, list of medications including dosage, list of any allergies.
• Extra eyeglasses and hearing-aid batteries.
• Extra wheelchair batteries, oxygen.
• Keep a list of the style and serial number of medical devices.
• Medical insurance and Medicare cards.
• List of doctors, relatives or friends who should be notified if you are hurt.

Many potential terrorist attacks could send tiny microscopic "junk" into the air. For example, an explosion may release very fine debris that can cause lung damage. A biological attack may release germs that can make you sick if inhaled or absorbed through open cuts. Many of these agents can only hurt you if they get into your body, so think about creating a barrier between yourself and any contamination.

Nose and Mouth Protection

Face masks or dense-weave cotton material, that snugly covers your nose and mouth and is specifically fit for each member of the family. Do whatever you can to make the best fit possible for children.

Be prepared to improvise with what you have on hand to protect your nose, mouth, eyes and cuts in your skin. Anything that fits snugly over your nose and mouth, including any dense-weave cotton material, can help filter contaminants in an emergency. It is very important that most of the air you breathe comes through the mask or cloth, not around it. Do whatever you can to make the best fit possible for children. There are also a variety of face masks readily available in hardware stores that are rated based on how small a particle they can filter in an industrial setting.

Given the different types of attacks that could occur, there is not one solution for masking. For instance, simple cloth face masks can filter some of the airborne "junk" or germs you might breathe into your body, but will probably not protect you from chemical gases. Still, something over your nose and mouth in an emergency is better than nothing. Limiting how much "junk" gets into your body may impact whether or not you get sick or develop disease.

Other Barriers

• Heavyweight plastic garbage bags or plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Scissors

There are circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as "shelter-in-place," is a matter of survival. You can use these things to tape up windows, doors and air vents if you need to seal off a room from outside contamination. Consider precutting and labeling these materials. Anything you can do in advance will save time when it counts.

Use available information to assess the situation. If you see large amounts of debris in the air, or if local authorities say the air is badly contaminated, you can use these things to tape up windows, doors and air vents if you need to seal off a room. Read more: Deciding to Stay or Go.

HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration) Filter Fans

Once you have sealed a room with plastic sheeting and duct tape you may have created a better barrier between you and any contaminants that may be outside. However, no seal is perfect and some leakage is likely. In addition to which, you may find yourself in a space that is already contaminated to some degree.

Consider a portable air purifier, with a HEPA filter, to help remove contaminants from the room where you are sheltering. These highly efficient filters have small sieves that can capture very tiny particles, including some biological agents. Once trapped within a HEPA filter contaminants cannot get into your body and make you sick. While these filters are excellent at filtering dander, dust, molds, smoke, biological agents and other contaminants, they will not stop chemical gases.

Some people, particularly those with severe allergies and asthma, use HEPA filters in masks, portable air purifiers as well as in larger home or industrial models to continuously filter the air.

Emergency Supplies
The basics of survival: water, food and clean air are essential, but some of the following items may make a time of crisis more comfortable.

Basic Supplies

• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Battery powered radio and extra batteries
• Plastic garbage bags, ties and toilet paper for personal sanitation
• First aid kit
• Map of the area for evacuation or for locating shelters
• A whistle to signal for help
• Moist towelettes

Clothing and Bedding

If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies once a year to account for growing children and other family changes.

Have at least one complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person including:

• A jacket or coat
• Long pants
• A long sleeve shirt
• Sturdy shoes
• A hat and gloves
• A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person.

Tools

• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or a print out of this information
• Mess kits, or paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
• Cash or traveler's checks, change
• Non-electric can opener, utility knife
• Paper towels
• Fire extinguisher: small canister, ABC type
• Tube tent
• Pliers
• Compass
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic storage containers
• Signal flare
• Paper, pencil
• Medicine dropper
• Shut-off wrench, to turn off household gas and water

Sanitation

• Toilet paper, towelettes
• Feminine supplies
• Personal hygiene items
• Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation uses)
• Plastic bucket with tight lid
• Disinfectant
• Household chlorine bleach You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to purify water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.

Important Family Documents

• Keep copies of important family records such as insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.