Emergency kit
When preparing household emergency kits, consider relevant specific items needed by household members from at-risk groups.
Recommended additional items for persons who are using a wheelchair:
- Tire patch kit
- Can of seal-in-air product (to repair flat tires on your wheelchair or scooter)
- Supply of inner tubes
- Pair of heavy gloves (to protect your hands while wheeling over glass or other sharp debris)
- Latex-free gloves (for anyone providing personal care to you)
- Spare deep-cycle battery for a motorized wheelchair or scooter
- A lightweight, manual wheelchair as a backup to a motorized wheelchair (if feasible)
- Spare catheters (if applicable)
- Your power outage backup plan
Recommended additional items for persons with who are deaf:
- Writing pads and pencils for communication
- Flashlight, whistle or personal alarm
- Pre-printed phrases you would use during an emergency
- Assistive devices according to your needs (i.e., hearing aid, personal amplifier, etc.)
- Portable visual notification devices to know if someone is knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell, or calling on the telephone
- Extra batteries for assistive devices
- Note that explains your hearing loss and identifies how first responders can communicate with you during an emergency
Recommended additional items for persons who are blind:
- Extra white cane, preferably longer in length
- Talking or Braille clock
- Large print timepiece with extra batteries
- Extra vision aids such as an electronic travel aid, monocular, binocular or magnifier
- Extra pair of prescription glasses (if applicable)
- Any reading devices/assistive technology to access information
Recommended additional items for persons with chronic health conditions:
- Supply of food items appropriate to your dietary restrictions
- Personal list and minimum one-week supply of all needed medications, medical supplies and special equipment (i.e., ventilator for asthma, an epinephrine pen against allergic reactions or anaphylactic shock, etc.)
- Detailed list of all prescription medications
Recommended additional items for older persons:
- Non-perishable food appropriate to your dietary restrictions
- Assistive devices needed such as canes, walkers, lightweight manual wheelchair, hearing aids, breathing apparatus, blood glucose monitoring device
- Extra prescription eyewear and footwear (if required)
- Extra supply of medications and vitamin supplements
- A list of all your needed medical supplies and special equipment
- Copies of all medication prescriptions
- Extra dentures (if required) and cleaner
- Latex-free gloves (for anyone providing personal care to you)
Recommended additional items for pregnant women, new mothers and infants:
- Copies of prenatal medical records, prenatal medications, extra maternity clothes and plenty of hand sanitizer for pregnant women.
- Supplies needed for an emergency birth, including clean towels and scissors, sterile gloves, sheets and sanitary pads.
- If caring for an infant, extra baby food, diapers and wipes, copies of medical and immunization records, hand sanitizer and a hands-free way to transport your baby, such as a sling, in case of evacuation.
- Baby formula if the mother is not breastfeeding.