Building A Senior-Friendly Winter Emergency Kit

Ohio is relatively safe in terms of natural disasters. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the state has experienced 105 weather and climate-related disasters in the last 40 years. Those disasters include freeze events, winter storms, and severe (rain) storms.

While not overly common, weather events do happen, and it’s better to be prepared in the face of an emergency than to wish you had the resources to stay safe and warm. One ideal way to stay prepared is to have a winter emergency kit.

What Is A Winter Emergency Kit?

A winter emergency kit is a collection of items and resources to have on hand in case of a winter emergency event in Ohio. An emergency event can include snow storms that affect power or water supply in your area or freezing temperatures that limit your ability to travel or get outside for supplies.

Your emergency kit should be somewhere in the home that is cool and dry, such as in a kitchen cabinet or coat closet. You also want it to be somewhere that is easy for you to access. Before you place it somewhere, ask yourself if you’d be able to get it quickly in the dark without putting yourself at risk of injury.

If you’re a senior who drives, you should also put a winter emergency kit in your car, preferably in the back seat, where it’s easier to access than a trunk. A car emergency kit should include warm clothes, blankets, and nonperishable food and water in case you get stuck in a snowstorm or your car breaks down in the cold.

Winter Emergency Kit Essentials

Everyone’s emergency kit may look different, but the suggestions below are a few categories of essentials you may want to include.

Food and Water

In the case of a winter emergency in which you can’t leave them home, you’ll want to have a supply of nonperishable food items. Nonperishables are essential because they don’t need refrigeration (which may not work if the power goes out) and often have a long shelf life. Consider items you can eat without much preparation, such as beef jerky, dried fruit, canned fish, crackers, peanut butter, and granola bars.

First Aid Necessities

You’ll want your first aid kit to include bandages, antiseptic, gloves, and cold compresses. You can also include any bathroom essentials, like sanitizer, lip moisturizers, eye wash solutions, or cough drops.

You also want to ensure you have medications on hand, both prescription and nonprescription. Your kit can contain extra over-the-counter medications. For prescriptions, always ensure you keep up with refills and have at least a week’s worth at all times in case of emergencies.

Heat Sources

Winter emergencies can shut down the power to homes, making it dangerously cold even indoors. Your emergency kit should contain blankets, thick or wool socks, and if you want, extra sweaters or other layers. Outdoor winter gear, like hats, gloves, and scarves, can also be a tremendous help. Some people also have sleeping bags or battery-operated portable heaters.

Vital Records

One thing that might be easy to forget in an emergency are your documents that confirm your identity, investments, ownership, etc. Certified copies of forms/documents like your ID, birth certificate, insurance, medical records, etc., should be laminated and secured in your emergency kit. Think of the potential hassle this one step could avoid!

Local Resources to Support You

The Portage County Emergency Management Agency (PC EMA) has a ton of helpful information on the Portage County website, including tips like the ones we shared above on building a kit to be prepared in the face of an emergency situation. The PC EMA even offers a program, Portage Prepares, aimed at educating, assisting, and encouraging local residents to be prepared for a disaster.

Our Caregivers Keep Portage County Seniors Prepared!

At Visiting Angels, we’re dedicated to helping clients feel safe and secure at home. We’ll assist with whatever clients need, including helping them prepare an emergency kit in case of a winter storm. We can help by collecting items around the house to put in their kit, making a list of essentials they’ll need, or accompanying them to a local store to purchase items.

Call Visiting Angels of Portage County at 330-297-2000 to see how our caregivers make an active difference in the lives of the community’s senior residents every day.