It’s important to put together an emergency kit in preparation for a power outage. You’ll need to keep this somewhere accessible and stock it with essentials. Here is a list of recommendations you should include when creating your emergency kit:

A gallon of drinking water per person per day (also invest in water purification tablets to ensure water is safe to drink)

Non-perishable food and a tin opener

A fully stocked first aid kit

A supply of all needed medications including the dosages

A flashlight with extra batteries

Blankets

Essential First Aid Kit Items

Here is a complete list of first aid kit items recommended by the Red Cross organization:

2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)

25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)

1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)

5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)

5 antiseptic wipe packets

2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)

1 emergency blanket

1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)

1 instant cold compress

2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)

2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)

1 3 in. gauze roll (roller) bandage

1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)

5 3 in. x 3 in. sterile gauze pads

5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)

Oral thermometer (non-mercury/non-glass)

2 triangular bandages

Tweezers

Emergency First Aid guide

If you require any medications or medical devices that need refrigeration or an electrical supply, make sure to speak to your doctor about back-up resources available to you. The CDC recommends disposing of any medications that require refrigeration after a power outage lasts 24 hours or longer.

It may seem over-precautious to stock up on all of these supplies, but in the event of an extended power outage, you’ll be glad you have them available.

Create a Family Emergency Plan

It’s important to have a family meeting and prepare a plan if a power outage should happen. Everyone should know where they should go and what they should in this scenario to avoid panic.

First of all, make sure you know how you will contact each other either at school or work. Also, it’s useful to have an out of state relative to contact in an emergency if phones go down in your area. Make sure the whole family has a list of emergency contacts as well as local emergency services and other important numbers in their phones.

It’s also advisable to have a plan in place. This should include where family members should meet if phone lines go down. This will usually be the house, but have another meeting location planned that’s further away in case of a flood or other event that would prevent members from getting home.

If possible, include your neighbors in the emergency plans. If you have any elderly or disabled neighbors that may need help, make sure they are part of your plan.

Lastly, don’t forget to factor in your pets when creating an emergency family plan of action.