The Red Cross Recommends a 3-day Supply of Water and Non-Perishable Food for Emergencies
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin
According to an Esurance survey of 1,000 Americans, 75 percent do not prepare for severe weather emergencies.
The Adelphi University Center for Health Innovation conducted a poll which showed that 44 percent of Americans don't have first-aid kits and 48 percent lack emergency supplies for use in the event of catastrophes.
A Harris poll found that only 54 percent of Americans say they are prepared for long-term power outage or other natural disaster, such as a flood, wildfire or hurricane.
Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University stated: "We are experiencing a continuous increase in the number of extreme weather events, and 10 years after Hurricane Katrina and three years after Superstorm Sandy the vast majority of Americans remain unprepared for major disasters."
What would lull Americans into a false sense of security and cause them to ignore prior disasters? Are they too busy working, raising a family, too distracted? Or have they put too much faith in government?
The survey by Columbia University conducted by Dr. Redlener perhaps sheds some light on this widespread complacency. It found that most Americans have a false sense of security, with one-third believing that during a major disaster that calling 911 would bring help within an hour, and 30 percent believing help would come within several hours.
Dr. Redlener states that the survey "revealed that people's faith in emergency response is unrealistic." He shared that even during minor weather events such as the blizzard that shut down New York City, it slowed police and paramedic response times.
He went on to postulate that "many, many people believe that within an hour or two you will have someone knocking on your door. There has been a strange delusion that, even after all we have been through, the rescue response will occur rather rapidly."
Contrary to the widely held belief that help will come, major disasters rapidly overwhelm emergency responders and people are left to their own resources for several days before help arrives.
There is no better time to prepare for an emergency than right now. We always recommend that people begin preparing for the most essential needs first. The first is water. There is always a danger of interrupted service or broken water or sewer lines after an emergency that could leave you without adequate drinking water. The Red Cross recommends at least a 3-day supply of water; one gallon per day for each person in your household and a 3-day supply of non-perishable food. Here are the Red Cross recommendations for storing water:
Filling Water Containers
Fill the bottle to the top with regular tap water. (If your water utility company treats your tap water with chlorine, you do not need to add anything else to the water to keep it clean.) If the water you are using comes from a well or water source that is not treated with chlorine, add two drops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to each gallon of water.
Tightly close the container using the original cap. Be careful not to contaminate the cap by touching the inside of it with your fingers. Write the date on the outside of the container so that you know when you filled it. Store in a cool, dark place. Replace water every six months if not using commercially bottled water.
