As we are getting ready in St. Louis for Old Man Winter, I was intrigued to see the new Readiness Challenge—an online emergency simulation that forces users to make quick decisions at every turn—developed by New York’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). The Readiness Challenge also guides users to the My Meeting Place Facebook application and other OEM resources to help users get started on their emergency plans. What a cool tool and app! NYC also publishes the order in which the city will plow the streets here to help New Yorker’s prepare for potential snowfall. Now THAT is beneficial! If I knew what order our streets would be plowed in, I would be able to plan our day accordingly to maximize our safety!
As I went through the Readiness Challenge, I thought I would double check our Emergency Go Bag to make sure it has all of the essentials. Glad I did, because I realized that it doesn’t have the small broom or matches in it. Adding those to my shopping list. You may recall that in my Winter Storm Preparedness post I mentioned that we are in the midst of making our Emergency Preparedness Plans. It wouldn’t be good to be stuck out in inclement weather without matches, right?
The NYC OEM wants to help you get ready for Winter, too, with an Emergency Go Bag of your own.
While the NYC OEM is sponsoring this giveaway, they (and I) know that it pays to be ready wherever you live! They (and I) want to encourage you to establish an emergency preparedness plan, obtain an emergency preparedness kit, and stay informed about potential inclement conditions in your area.
So, do you have an Emergency Go Bag? Need ideas on what to put in one?
A winter emergency go bag should include the following items (IMHO):
- a first aid kit
- windshield wipers
- small broom (like a hand broom)
- flashlight
- batteries
- blanket
- spare radio
- water
- jumper cables
- flares
- matches
- nonperishable food, such as granola bars
- hats, gloves, and extra socks (to fit those most likely to be in your vehicle if stranded)
- a fluorescent distress flag
- hand and foot warmers
- facial tissue
Also consider keeping a small shovel and container of sand or rock salt. I typically keep a container of biodegradable kitty litter in the van during the winter, because it gives enough traction in slick spots (for the tires) without causing damage to pavement or driveway.
***I received a complimentary sample Emergency Go Bag to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.***
Thanks for the great giveaway!
My family has a plan in case of emergency. We also review the plan every three months.
Yes we have a plan…..!Thanks for this giveaway!
REadiness challenge is really helpful. i dont have an emergency kit for my emergency plan…..it would be important to have ready just in case….also having all your numbers on paper with the kit…. cuz we all know we dont usually know our numbers in our phone.
Yes, we have a plan.
Taking the quiz helped me realize that things I thought I could rely on might not always be easy to access such as a cell phone.
we have some items in a case but no real plan
madamerkf at aol dot com
the quiz helped me rethink what to do in an emergency
madamerkf at aol dot com
Yes, we have a plan
I learned how important it is to have a bag ready in case you need to go to a shelter and know where your nearest shelters are.
Yes! We have a plan! ( I am a 2012 believer!)
The Readiness Challange helped me realize a couple of things I haven’t thought of!
to be honest, we don’t really have a set plan. we have little things we all know though.
I live in Montana, but still found some ideas thought-provoking about how we could be more prepared here for emergencies. We have first aid kits in each car, but I’m going to add a to-go kit for each car and here at home.
I am excited about the possibility of winning an emergency go kit!
I keep meaning to do this. Think I’ll use yours as a guide and finally make one up.
THis is such a great thing to have, everyone should have one really.
Being prepared is always a good thing.
Yes we have a plan.
Does we kinda have a plan work? If not, then no…we don’t have one.
tarter95 at hotmail dot com
Wow! I rely on too many tools that could be affected in a real emergency, like the internet.
no we do not have a plan but we should!
Oh no, we don’t have an Emergency Preparedness Plan. Must put this on my to do list asap!
Took the challenge. Helped me remember to get my emergency out and check the batteries.
No, we don’t really have a plan.
How awesome is this? I don’t have a “go” back in the event of an emergencies. I have always been the “go with it” kinda gal! But this is nice!!
NO, we don’t have a plan. 🙁
No We don’t have a plan.
No we don’t have a plan.
Yes, we have a plan.
The Readiness Challenge made me think about possible scenerios.
We have an at home kit, but not a go bag/kit.
Wow – the Readiness Challenge makes me feel much less prepared than I thought I was.
Unfortunately we do not have a plan.
Yes we do – we are retired military and when you are overseas you get more used to having emergency go bags
This is pretty awesome actually.. always good to have stuff like this handy where you need it!!