Prepare your emergency kit before B.C.’s cold snap

With a cold snap approaching B.C. next week, it’s a good time to start preparing an emergency kit.

The elements have been vicious this year, especially in B.C., where residents dealt with flooding, mudslides, an atmospheric river, a bomb cyclone, and — way back in the summer — hundreds of wildfires.

Fortunately, St. John Ambulance has tips for how to prepare a kit that can get you through the worst of times.

Heather Ferguson, B.C.’s Learning and Development Officer for St. John Ambulance, BC/Yukon suggests considering the time of year.

“Emergency kits you have to look at as seasonal, because what you would stock in your car or have readily available when we have a heat emergency is different from what you would stock if you’re going through the mountains in the middle of winter,” she said.

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Along with an emergency kit in your home, it’s important to be prepared across all areas of your life.

“You have to have something at work. You should have something in your vehicle, and you should have something at home,” she said.

The kits should include four litres of water, per person, per day; a week’s worth of non-perishable food; and safety items like whistles and flashlights. Other key items include sanitizer, radios, medications, and important documents such as identification.

Extreme cold is coming to the province from the Arctic. It’s unusual for British Columbians, so they may not think to plan ahead on their own.

“Emergency preparedness is more of a living entity — a lifestyle — rather than just buying an emergency kit you can chuck in your car or your house and never have to think about again,” said Ferguson.

Emergency kits need to be updated and replenished every six months, she added.