339 Shannon Court
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
Office: 850-226-7147
Fax: 850-226-6178
Email: office@gulfcoastcitychurch.org
Website: gulfcoastcitychurch.org
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and
my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He
will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the
terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, for He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On
their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion
and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
“Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name. When he calls to Me, I will
answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
~Psalm 91: 1-5, 11-16
Emergency Preparedness
We recommend that you create an Emergency Preparedness plan for your household, which will be unique to your
family and include many of the things discussed below. This list is by no means comprehensive. You may think of
things that you would want to add or subtract depending on your family situation.
By using the term Emergency Preparedness, we are talking about being prepared for various kinds of situations, to
include: Tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, explosions, terrorist attacks, flooding, power outages and pandemics.
The old rule of thumb was to have a three day supply of necessities for emergencies. However, in light of recent
concerns, the new rule of thumb is to have at least 3 weeks of necessities on hand.
Note: Each family is different due to size, illnesses, or special needs. The following is going to be a general list and
you can add or delete as required. This is simply meant to get you thinking and planning.
We want to start with the number one necessity for every individual and family – water.
WATER
Other than air, water is the most important substance that your body requires for survival. The average person can
only live 3 days without drinking water. If your power is taken off line, or the municipal water source is contaminated,
you will not be able to turn on your faucet and use clean water. There may not be any water at all.
Here are six different suggestions to help prepare for this:
1) Using the rule of thumb of 1 gallon of water per person per day (for drinking, washing, cooking), store enough
bottled water for three weeks. Keep in mind that you may need more in the middle of summer and if air conditioners
are inoperable.
2) If you have enough forewarning about an emergency, clean out your bathtub with Clorox, make sure the stopper
doesn’t leak and fill your tub with water. This water can be used for cooking, flushing toilets, bathing, or drinking water
for your pets. Another good option along this line is to purchase a “bathtub liner” (such as AquaPod or WaterBOB).
These fit in your tub and include a pump.
3) Purchase new 30 or 55 gallon “food grade” plastic barrels and fill them with tap water and a “water preserver” that
will keep water fresh for 5 years (can find on-line at several places). Remember to purchase a hand pump to pump
water out into smaller containers.
4) Buy personal water filter. There are several great types that will filter 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and make
the water pure. One good option is the “Life Straw Personal Water Filter”. (Note: you would want these for each
member of your family).
5) You can boil water. This is ok for washing or food preparation, but it may not help the taste of the water.
6) Chlorine Bleach. Adding 16 drops (1/8 of a teaspoon) of unscented, color safe bleach per gallon of water can
disinfect water, but may not kill all germs and bacteria. My suggestion is to use a variety of the above ideas to be
ready for your family.
POWER and HEAT
If your power is taken off line, you may need to have a backup plan in order to cope with no lights at night, and with
no power to cook with or store refrigerated food. Having no power means no hot water, no cooking (unless you have
a gas cook top), no television, washer, dryer, refrigerator, freezer, etc.
People tend to panic fairly quickly when there is no power, which is one thing we are trying to avoid.
Here are some suggestions to help with power and heat:
1) You may want to consider purchasing a generator, although this can be expensive. You can purchase a smaller
generator to operate your refrigerator, stove and some lights for around $500. Or, you could purchase a generator
that runs your entire home automatically in the event of loss of power. These larger generators may cost up to $6,000
to have installed (depending on the size of your home). If you have a generator, be sure to keep the exhaust from
entering your home. Generators must be placed OUTSIDE with good ventilation. Also keep in mind that natural gas
availability could be disrupted, so you may want to consider getting a generator that operates on propane and
purchase/rent a large propane tank outside of your home.
2) If you do not purchase a generator, you may want to consider buying a propane camping stove for cooking and
warming water. This is not expensive, but you will need to have several canisters of propane on hand (most of these
stoves have to be used OUTSIDE, but some can be used indoors as well – do not use indoors, unless product
specifically says you can).
3) You may also want to consider cooking with a Dutch oven and charcoal.
4) If you have an outdoor grill, you can cook using this, although keep in mind you have to be OUTSIDE to use this.
5) You may want to consider having a wood burning stove or fireplace insert installed in your home. This can provide
an alternate source of heat if power is out and also a cooking surface for your home. Keep in mind to have a lot of
wood available.
LIGHT
If your power is taken off line, you may need to have a backup plan in order to cope with no lights at night.
1) A generator would provide you with lights.
2) Have enough flashlights for your family. One per person is suggested. Also have back up batteries. Make sure you
get good heavy-duty quality lights.
a. For under $20 you can purchase “wind-up” flashlights that do not require batteries or flashlights that recharge by
shaking or winding.
b. L.E.D. flashlights are good options as their bulbs last a long time.
Note: Do not buy cheap rechargeable flashlights from dollar stores.
3) Candles
4) Kerosene, oil, or propane lamps.
5) Lanterns (which burn white gas or Coleman fuel)
6) Glow Sticks
SANITATION
This is one area that a lot of people tend to forget. If you have no electric power, your bathrooms will probably not
work for long, particularly if coupled with loss of clean water.
If you don’t want to be forced outside with a shovel, you may want to consider purchasing a portable commode. WalMart or Sears carries these and they work well. It has a double tank – one for clean water to flush and another for the
waste. You can use chemicals to help with odor. You will also need to have some special, inexpensive toilet paper
that dissolves.
COMMUNICATION
During many types of emergencies, internet, home and cell phones may not be operational. We are working on a
communication plan for our church family where we can communicate with one another during these types of
emergencies. However, you may want to consider these as well:
1) Purchasing walkie-talkies that you can buy from many different places. Some require FCC licenses, while others
do not. I would try to find the kind that has the longest range without purchasing a license.
2) CB Radios, Trunk Radios or Short Wave radios are also a good option for two-way communication.
3) Emergency Radio: Along with having two-way communication, it will probably be vital to be able to stay informed
with current weather, safety concerns or government warnings through the local authorities. Purchasing a radio is a
good idea. You can purchase a good “wind-up” or “solar” powered radio that carries a variety of NOAA, FM and AM
stations for around $50. Some models even have a cigarette adapter that will run other electronic equipment.
4) Family Emergency Plan: From “Ready.gov.”
FOOD SUPPLIES
To plan for 3 weeks of food for your family (plus two others), you will want to purchase food that does not require
refrigeration and must be storable for the longest time possible.
There are numerous ways in which you can plan for food storage, to include MRE’s (Military rations which are very
good and don’t require water), dry-food (that requires water or oil, or both) and canned food (which may not have as
long of a shelf life). There are many on-line sites that sell dried food and packages for families that are very cost
effective. The best rule of thumb when it comes to any type of food storage is to “Store What You Eat and Eat What
You Store”.
Here are some examples of the type of food you may want to have stored:
Powdered milk
Potatoes Dry
Dried Fruit
Crackers
Peanut Butter
Spam (helped get our forefathers through the
depression and WWII)
Soups
Tuna
Jelly
Canned Fruit and Vegetables
Vitamins
Pop tarts
Salt & Pepper (spices)
Instant Coffee and Tea
Boxed Foods (remember these can be susceptible to
bugs)
White Rice
Oatmeal
Bouillon cubes
Spaghetti and Sauce
Bottled drinks
Canned hams (no refrigeration)
FIRST AID KIT
Home First Aid Kits are fairly simple; however, you will need to customize them to your family’s needs. Keep in mind
that you may have special medicine that is required (e.g., if allergic to aspirin, etc.).
Suggestions for First Aid Kit:
First Aid Book (a good book that give a lot of
information)
Eye Drops
Benadryl
Assorted Band Aids with different sizes
Hygiene items for men and women
Triple Antibiotics ointment (Neosporin)
Cough medicine
Alcohol (for cleaning, sterilizing)
Soap
Antiseptic (Betadine)
Latex gloves
Cotton balls or Q-tips
Option: Dental first aid kit
Hydrogen Peroxide
Scissors
Gauge Pads – assorted sizes
Extra Blankets or Emergency blankets
Medical tape
Hand sanitizer
Bactine – will not burn
Tweezers
Merthiolate, iodine, etc.
Thermometer
Tums or Rolaids
Magnifying glass
Laxatives and anti-diarrheal medicines
Hand Cream (lotion)
Personal Doctors prescriptions
Aspirin or Tylenol or Ibuprofen
GAMES
If you are home without power, the kids will get bored quickly. A good way to help the time pass is with some cards,
battery operated radios and televisions, and cd players with stories for children. You may need to get creative.
MISC
Depending on the emergency, I would also suggest the following items be included in your emergency kit:
Water proof matches or lighter
Dish soap & dish towels
Tent and sleeping bags (if flooded out or have to
leave home)
Basic tools, knife
Cash (Just in case ATM’s or Banks are unavailable)
Emergency kits for each of your automobiles with
basic necessities
Moist towelettes
Extra batteries in various sizes
Local Map
Pens, pencil and paper
Can opener
Toilet paper (several rolls)
Garbage bags (Contractor yard bags)
TIPS



Ensure all important paperwork/documents are kept together and are able to be taken quickly in the event of
an emergency.
Maintain a list of emergency contacts in the event you are unable to utilize electronic devices.
Remember, some planning is ALWAYS better than NO planning. Don’t feel overwhelmed; just make
small steps as you can!
*Portions of this document were taken from a widely circulated Morning Star email along with several other online sources.