Officials say Hurricane Harvey should be a wake-call for everyone to put together an emergency plan and kit. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 44% of Americans do not have a first aid kit, 48% of Americans do not have emergency supplies and 52% of Americans do not have copies of crucial personal documents.
Erie County officials are once again reminding residents to download the free "Ready Erie” app for their smartphones. Not only does the app provide emergency information about shelters and weather, it also has a built-in function that helps people generate their own emergency plan.
An emergency plan should have the following information:
-Where to go if you have to be evacuated
-Emergency contact information for relatives/friends/
While there is a lot of attention on natural disasters, Red Cross officials remind people that the number one reason for evacuations is a fire.
An emergency kit should include the following at a minimum:
-Three day supply of non-perishable food/water per person
-Medicine
-First Aid kit
-Battery operated radio / cellphone charger
-Contact information for others
-Copies of important documents
-Personal items (i.e. contacts, toothbrush)
There should also be an emergency plan/kit for your pets that includes three days worth of food/water, ID tags, and sanitation items like pet litter. The Red Cross said studies show that people are reluctant to evacuate if they have a pet.
The following is a link to the CDC website about making emergency plans:https://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/plan/index.asp
7 Eyewitness News Reporter Ed Reilly has more in his reports.
