Toolkit Specifically for Home Emergency
Jun 1, 2013 Generators
Home emergencies can happen without forewarning and in most circumstances a swift call to 911 will provide help quickly. At times if the emergency is distributed across a whole area then you may be left to fend for yourself and handle any problems that come about on your own.
Be ready for an emergency with a home emergency toolkit, a plan of action, and the supplies you need to get through a week or more.
When a big weather event like a hurricane threatens, people panic and it doesn’t take very long for them to use up local supplies such as lumber and foods or emergency tools.
Electricity powers our world and we don’t think about it much until we miss it . Giving heat, preserving food at proper temperatures and retains our utilities running such as pumps and lights. When the power goes out, a standby or portable generator will help keep your home secure and your family comfortable until the electric utility restores power.
A generator takes time install or put together, and hooking up it appropriately to your home needs a transfer switch. Have an electrician set up a manual transfer switch for a portable generator or an automatic transfer switch for a standby generator and you’ll be ready to withstand a power outage in comfort and security.
If you are utilizing a portable generator be sure to keep your fuel in a 5 gallon container, rotate it on a normal basis, and use a stabilizer to keep it fresh.
In an emergency, a tool bag is far better than a tool box because it totes easy if you have to abandon your home. Make sure you have an arsenal of screwdrivers, wrenches, adjustable wrenches, and an assortment of pliers. Ratcheting screwdriver sets with interchangeable heads are light, tough, and don’t take up a lot of space. Small socket sets, Allen wrenches, a hammer, a hacksaw, and a hatchet are all good tools to have in an emergency. Heavy-duty extension cords make it easy to connect generators to power tools.
Both Water and food are critical needs and must be considered early on. Make sure that you have water storage containers on hand for the future. Gallon-size containers are easy to move and fill, larger containers are less portable and harder to fill, but can store a great deal of water for use during a widespread disaster.
Chlorine based water purification tablets will purify questionable water supplies and kill bacteria, viruses and parasites to make water safe for drinking. Bringing along a small camp stove will ensure a warm meal and also permits you to boil your water to make it safe to drink. You most likely won’t run your electric stove from a generator, but you could power a hotplate, microwave oven, or toaster oven.
Don’t neglect basic supplies such as duct tape, rope, bungee cords, and lumber. Have them on hand all the time and resupply them when your emergency toolkit runs low.
If you do not have a portable power source then battery powered flashlights or lanterns will assist you through the dark. Gasoline powered lanterns can provide a bright light, but can also emit dangerous carbon monoxide.
An inverter to link to your car’s battery can supply power for chargers and similar items. Better models with greater wattage can power additional items. Although, trying to run larger motors with the power they supply such as refrigerators, freezers or pumps is not the best and cannot be relied upon.
You’ll have to run your car’s engine to prevent the battery from running too low, but if it does happen, a battery charger you can plug into your generator will charge it up again, or you could link it to another battery with jumper cables to give your car a boost.
There is more that you need than just your emergency toolkit. Have a plan, be prepared to put the plan into use and know what dangers are frequent where you live. Formulate your strategy around your local dangers and you should be well ready if and when an emergency transpires.
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