In the event of an emergency, damage and harm can sweep through cities so quickly, and it is your job to keep your family safe. Although the destruction is inevitable, protecting your family and making emergency kits and evacuation plans go a long way to be fast enough to avoid the worst effects of a disaster. By preparing yourself well for such events, you can help save lives, especially the ones you are closest to.

  • Find a First Aid Class near, so that in the event of an emergency, you are well-prepared if an emergency response team cannot get to you quickly enough.
  • Making a first aid kit (like as described in this FEMA supported web page here and this American Red Cross page here) is also an essential component in the event of a disaster to you and your family’s safety. In these types of cases, you might have to move fast in a moment’s notice in order to evacuate. If you are stuck in a situation, and while a response team will come to the disaster grounds as soon as they can, it may take hours, or it make even take days for them to reach you. With the possibility of electricity lines cut off, interrupted water lines, etc, it is necessary that you have an emergency kit to sustain you and your family in such an event.
  • You should keep a first aid kit/emergency kit at home, in your car, and at work.
  • Keep in mind that a basic safety emergency kit list may need to be altered for you and your family’s personal needs, such as diapers, prescription medication, etc.

Home Emergency Kit Checklist 

In the event of an emergency when you are at home, it is important to be prepared so that you have enough resources to survive until a rescue team can access you. 
Keep this kit in a designated place and have it ready and accessible in case you need resources to survive. Make sure all family members know where the kit is kept.  

Home Emergency Kit Checklist 

Basic Needs: 

  • Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
  • Food, at least a three-day supply of nonperishables
  • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and extra batteries
  • Flashlight and extra batteries
  • First aid kit
  • Whistle to signal for help
  • Dust Mask, to help filter contaminated air
  • Moist Towelettes, garbage bags, bucket, and plastic ties for personal sanitation
  • Tools (such as a Wrench, hammer, nails, bungee cords, pliers, etc. to turn off/turn on/adjust utilities)
  • Can opener for food (if the foods in the kit are canned, also must be manual)
  • Maps for La Canada and Los Angeles County
  • Cell phone with Chargers and a phone that does not require electricity (not wireless)

Additional Emergency Supplies 

If you have children…  

  • Infant formulas, diapers, infant diaper rash cream, wet wipes 
  • Children’s prescription medicine 
  • Books, games, puzzles, or other activities for children 

 If you have pets…  

  • Pet food and extra water for your pet 
  • Extra leashes/collars 

Special Needs…  

  • Prescription medications and glasses or contacts/their lenses solutions 
  • Non-prescription medications (such as pain relievers, antacids, laxatives, etc.) 
  • Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items 

Additional Items for everyone…  

  • Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification, and bank account records in a waterproof,. Portable container 
  • Cash or traveler’s checks and change 
  • Emergency reference material such as a first aid book information from www.ready.gov  
  • Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person 
  • 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 beach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners. (For more information visit https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2009/02/10/be-safe-drink-clean-water). 
  • Fire extinguisher 
  • Matches in a waterproof container 
  • Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels 
  • Paper and pencil 

Important Documents 

  • Emergency contact list 
  • Family emergency plan 
  • Driver’s license 
  • Identification cards 
  • Passports 
  • Birth certificates 
  • Social security cards 
  • Medical records 
  • Prescriptions 
  • Immunization records 
  • Insurance cards 
  • Bank statements 
  • Credit cards 
  • Investment summaries 
  • Insurance policies 
  • Petty cash & Travelers Checks 
  • Pet medical history records 

TIP: 

  • Make sure to keep everything in good condition/updated:  
  • Keep canned food in a cool, dry place
  • Store boxed food in a tightly closed plastic or metal containers 
  • Replace expired items as needed 
  • Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change

Rapid Evacuation Checklist: Having a “Go-Bag” 
In case of an emergency where you need to immediately evacuate, a “Go-Bag” is perfect to contain resources you may need for survival that can be easily transported to where you need to go to reach safety. It is also important to have one of these kits in your vehicle. In case you are stranded, keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car.

Rapid Evacuation Checklist: Having a “Go-Bag” 

  • Bottled water  
  • Non-perishable food 
  • Flashlight with extra batteries 
  • Battery-powered radio with extra batteries 
  • Copy of important documents 
  • Extra set of car and house keys 
  • Sturdy shoes 
  • Change of clothing 
  • First aid kit, extra medications 
  • Personal hygiene and special care items 
  • Household contact and meeting place information 
  • Credit and ATM cards, cash in small denominations

TIP: 

  • Practice home evacuation drills and create copies for your family. 
  • Make sure to keep everything in good condition/updated:  
  • Keep canned food in a cool, dry place 
  • Store boxed food in a tightly closed plastic or metal containers 
  • Replace expired items as needed 
  • Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change 

Making a Plan  

How often are your family and pets all in the same place on a given day? Your child is at school, you and your spouse are at work, your dog is at home, and your cat is somewhere off in the backyard. In the event of an emergency, what’s the plan? 

  • Here are some helpful tips and actions to plan for an emergency.  
  • Evacuation Plans are useful during the time of emergency or disaster in order to ensure that residents are safe and away from the dangerous region.  
  • This Ready! Set! Go! Evacuation Plan and this plan provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department provides evacuation plans to keep you, your family, and your home safe in the event of a wildfire.  
  • Here is additional information on preparing for evacuation in the event of a fire.  

Brace and Bolt Program 
In the event of an earthquake, the Brace and Bolt Program suggestions that the furniture in your home is secured to the walls, so that it cannot fall on you. This is essential to maximizing the safety in your home to make evacuation as easy and safe as possible.  


The Brace and Bolt Program website above provides an online free education course for contractors and other additional information for building departments and licensed design professionals as well to help them help you through the process of making your home safer.  

Insurance 
Get in contact with your insurance company to ensure that it can provide you and your family enough coverage in the event of a disaster or emergency. Events as such could include a fire, floods, and earthquake, etc, so be well-prepared!

Pets Emergency Plans 

Your pets are a part of the family and so it is important that you are responsible and take care to ensure their safety as well.

The Pasadena Humane Society (PHS) Disaster Planning for Pets is designed to help you keep your pets at home safe in the case of an emergency. They suggest that you pay attention to warnings, hazard notifications, and evacuation notices in order to get to your pet if necessary. PHS also emphasizes the need, in your pets’ safety kit, that it not only includes food, water, etc, but also your pets’ license(s), its crate or pet-safe carrier, a photo of your pet in case it gets lost, and a list of feeding and care instructions in case you need to board your pets.  

EMA also emphasizes your need to Include your Pets’ Needs in your Disaster Plan.  

 You may build an emergency kit that provides the food, water, and other needs for your pets’ survival, identify locations you can keep your pet away from disaster so it is out of harm’s way for the time being, arrange a trusted neighbor to care for your pets if you are not home when disaster strikes, and know how to find them so you can get yourself and your pet back to safety.   

For additional information, such as if you have large pets to get to safety in the event of an emergency, click here. 

Emergency Food Skills & Supply

There are a variety of situations where a family could find themselves without power over the course of days or even weeks. Hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards and other natural disasters are some examples. Potential loss of large sections of the power grid is another. There are those who find it prudent to prepare in the event of civil unrest. Whatever the reason, loss of power and water and limited access to food can cause immediate negative impacts.  Read on