How to make a natural disaster emergency bag

How to make a natural disaster emergency bag

Here’s how to make a natural disaster emergency bag with your child.

Organising the bag

• Choose a bag. Pick one that’s sturdy and easy to carry, like a backpack.
• Label the bag with your name and contact information.

Organising the items

• Decide on the essential items that you and your child need.
• Create a checklist of the items.
• Gather the items from your list. You’ll need to buy items that you don’t have or replace items that have expired, like food or medicine.
• Organise the items for packing. Put different items into different pockets or compartments, if your bag has them. Or you could use labelled ziplock bags to organise the items.
• Pack items into the bag.

Storing the bag

• Store the bag in a secure place and somewhere you can get to it easily.
• Put your checklist on top of the bag to remind you of last-minute items to add – for example, food or medicine with short expiry dates.
• Check the bag every 6 months to make sure it’s still ready. You might need to add new items or replace expired items.

Adapting this activity for children of different ages or children with diverse abilities

Here are things younger children can do to help with packing an emergency bag:

• Choose and gather comfort items, like a favourite toy, game and book.
• Count items – for example, water bottles or spare clothes.
• Sort items to pack into the bag’s pockets or compartments.

Here are ways older children and teenagers can get involved:

• Research what items are needed and why.
• Help you write a list of items, check for expired items, and note items that you need to buy.
• Pack items into the bag.
• Practise using items that will go in the bag, like a torch or weather radio.