What disaster preparedness experts have packed in their go bags

Ferrari: How do you think about emergency preparedness in your day-to-day life?

Errett: It’s integrated into the way I do things. For example, I always have extra water in my car, and in my house, and I rotate it continuously… Bottled water does expire, I think because of plastic leaching into the water… so we try to rotate through big packs of bottled water once a year, not just have the same bottles sitting there for years.

My gas tank is always full. I always make sure that I have some cash at home and in my wallet. So it’s more integrated into what I do—I like to make extra supplies accessible, so I can rely on them. It often happens with people’s disaster kits that they buy them, put them in the back of the closet, and if and when they use it, things don’t work, it’s all expired and old, or they don’t remember where it is. So, I try to keep this stuff in rotation, and top of mind!

[I also have] an increased awareness of hazards: For example, when I go to the Oregon coast and there are tsunami warnings, I always know when I’m in the tsunami zone, and how to get out of the tsunami zone. It’s a heightened awareness of what’s happening around me and building up my capacity so that if something does happen, I’m ready.

Hofbauer: I spent time in a part of Florida where there was a hurricane risk. We had some preparations, a box with things from a FEMA checklist: nonperishable foods, matches that you keep in a waterproof container, a radio, a phone charger, cat food in our case… There are a lot of resources online. They also guide you through how to play through scenarios, and think, “if there is a fire, what are we going to do?” And how to talk about it with your family. Talking about it changes your whole perception of managing [emergencies], and it takes some of the fear away.