SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Do you and your household have what you need to get up and go in the event of a natural disaster? Maybe you haven't packed that emergency go bag yet because you think it's too costly, too time intensive, or maybe you just don't think about it at all. But Life Kit reporter Andee Tagle says it's easier than you think to get started, and now is the time.
ANDEE TAGLE, BYLINE: Professor Alyssa Provencio says what you have to understand about emergency go bags is that they're essential no matter who you are or where you live because when it comes to disasters, severe weather events...
ALYSSA PROVENCIO: It's a matter of when and not if. The more people are empowered and have a plan, the better the outcomes will be.
TAGLE: Provencio's teaching and research focus at the University of Central Oklahoma is emergency and disaster management. She says to start, a go bag typically contains enough food, water and supplies for 72 hours. Now, there are a lot of very thorough checklists out there that can provide best practices, categories and specific items you might need, including one from yours truly on npr.org. But don't get intimidated by long listicles.
PROVENCIO: You can start building it slowly, so you don't have to get everything all at once.
TAGLE: Provencio says what can often stop people before they start is thinking that they have to go all out - spend hundreds of dollars on prepackaged, astronaut approved, dehydrated food type emergency kits. Her guiding principle - something is better than nothing. So just start with what you have or what's well within your budget.
PROVENCIO: When you go to buy secondhand, there's often unused or new gear that's for sale on these marketplaces or in a thrift store.
TAGLE: Or just shop your closet, starting with the go bag itself. Common guidance calls for one bag for every member of your household. So a new life for Grandpa's old Army bag and your backpack from high school. The most essential of emergency essentials in those bags, food and water. Provencio says, if you can, consider socking away a few groceries at a time - a can of tuna or two here, some granola bars there. But if you can't afford to spare anything, she says there is a next-best option.
PROVENCIO: Having a list of items that you already have in your home that you can grab at the ready is really important in those situations.
TAGLE: Put that list in place everyone knows and can access, like the front of the fridge, and keep it updated. Like, the water bottles are in the hallway closet. There's a jar of peanut butter on the bottom shelf of the pantry. But don't stop there. You can be similarly savvy about all the rest of the supplies on those go bag checklists. Most lists call for a change of clothes and a protective pair of shoes, for example. But no need to head to your nearest camping store.
PROVENCIO: Usually, they're just an old pair of sneakers or something that I'm not currently wearing very often.
TAGLE: If you don't have money to spare for, say, a new first-aid kit or camping gear, Provencio says start by just scanning your house with an eye for emergency supplies. You might be surprised by how much you already have just laying around.
PROVENCIO: We all have these junk drawers, right? And they all have lighters, batteries, maybe an extra pocketknife. Just put them all in one place and call them a go bag.
TAGLE: But , a go bag is more than simply supplies. It's also a jumping off point for your household's overall emergency preparedness plan - an opportunity to talk about evacuation routes, meet-up points, finally copy all those important documents.
PROVENCIO: Creating a go bag is another way to have conversations with your family about what your plan is when severe weather happens or extreme events happen. This is just another step that a family can take to be able to take care of one another.
TAGLE: For NPR's Life Kit, I'm Andee Tagle.
DETROW: You can find more ideas for building your own go bag at npr.org/lifekit.
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