Through Green Building United’s work in the areas of Northeast Wilmington Delaware, devastated by the floodwaters from the Brandywine River during Hurricane Ida, we have learned a lot about individual and community disaster preparedness. With funding from an EPA climate resilience grant, guidance from experts and input from affected community members, we were able to complete a design charrette process (where experts and community members work together to plan a project) which resulted in a comprehensive disaster preparedness kit being designed, assembled, and distributed to over 100 Northeast households. We’d like to share about these kits to help others be more prepared as climate related disasters are increasing and as seen post Hurricane Ida, emergency services are not always timely or sufficient to meet individual and community needs.
With guidance from Delaware Emergency Management, City of Wilmington Office of Emergency Management, the Red Cross, and local financial literacy organization Rheal Urban, we were able to design our kits so they included everything Northeast Wilmington had identified as needed in case of an emergency. Each kit included the following within a 5-gallon bucket:
- Emergency hand held radio, phone charger, flashlight, and SOS call. Rechargeable with solar, hand crank & batteries.
- Rechargeable LED headlamp, additional flashlight
- Multi-purpose tool, nylon rope, stick lighter
- First aid kit, hygiene kit, zip lock bags, tissues, face masks
- Emergency whistle, blanket, wool socks, matches, and 36 hour burn time candle
- Rain ponchos, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, water (3 gallons a day per person recommended)
- Tailored items for you and your family including emergency food items for at least 3 days, medications and health related items, infant/toddler supplies, pet supplies.
- Note pad, pen, deck of cards
It is also very important to include a plastic folder or metal container to hold important documents including those needed for insurance and FEMA related assistance for homeowners and renters including:
Insurance policies; prescriptions and/or important medical records; birth and marriage certificates; passports, driver’s license or personal identification, social security cards; recent tax returns; employment information; wills, deeds and recent tax returns; stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates; bank, savings and retirement account numbers; copies of your pet’s medical records; any other identification/tags for your pets and/or pet carrier.
For more information on disaster preparedness please visit www.redcross.org and click on the “get help” tab.