Emergency management leaders throughout the region say that every household in the Baltimore region should have supplies to last for 72 hours after a disaster. Begin by purchasing the supplies that are most important.

You should be ready to manage the most common crises affecting our region – weather-related power and water outages – if you have certain basic supplies. Buy these three essentials first:

Next On The List

Once you have the three essentials, add to your kit by purchasing an item or two every week during trips to grocery and home supply stores.

These items should rank high on your priority list:

Once you have the most important supplies, continue to build your inventory of emergency tools. Make a master checklist and buy an item or two each week.

After you have collected the basics at home, construct a similar, smaller supply kit for your car in case you need to leave home or are caught away from home during an emergency. Make sure you carry jumper cables and tire chains or traction mats.

A 7-Week Plan

You may want to consider this plan, developed by Baltimore County, for building a complete preparedness kit by purchasing a few items every week for seven weeks.

For more information:
Barbara Herron, bherron@baltometro.org or 410-732-9564.