This lifeline kit may save your life

Even as we’re still reeling from the calamities that recently visited the country, a STAR reader e-mailed to inquire about the Lifeline Kit. What Lifeline Kit? What’s a Lifeline Kit? As if our lives depended on it, we asked around and here’s the reply we got:

We can get information about this from the website of the Philippine National Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org.ph/lifeline.  The Lifeline Kit, as recommended by the PNRC, is a very comprehensive one containing practical suggestions regarding water, food, tools/gear, personal effects and hygiene kit, important documents and money, special needs of members of the family, and first-aid necessities in times of emergency. ?We’ve visited the PNRC Quezon City Chapter’s office to check if they sell Lifeline Kits as you have asked.  We were told that they do not sell any, which is fine because you can easily put together what you need for your family’s Lifeline Kit from what you already have at home, or from what you can source from your favorite grocery shop, hardware store, pharmacy, etc.  In fact, putting together a Lifeline Kit can be a good family activity that can raise the awareness of everyone about the value and need for disaster preparedness. ??Thank you and hope you find the following guide from PNRC useful.??— Manny C. Calonzo?

Volunteer, EcoWaste Coalition

According to PNRC,?when a disaster strikes, expect the first 72 hours to be critical. Power lines may be down, as well as water, telephone or mobile lines. If your area is flooded, your electricity has been cut off, and you’re cut off from the rest of the world as rescue may not be able to get to you immediately, you have nothing to depend on but your own resourcefulness and survival instinct. Every single adult member of the family has to be prepared to be self-reliant and able to survive for at least three days following a disaster.

This is where your Red Cross Lifeline Kit will surely come in handy. The Lifeline Kit is a portable kit or bag that’s practically got all the items you would need to survive for the first 72 hours when evacuating from a disaster. Where to get this life-saving kit? Why, you can put it together by yourself! Your immediate concern is evacuation survival rather than long-term survival. Learn to distinguish between the Lifeline Kit and the fixed-site disaster supplies kit. The Lifeline Kit should be checked every six months to make sure that the items about to expire are changed and that the stored water is replaced to maintain its freshness and effectiveness.

Assemble your own Lifeline Kit, which should be ready at a moment’s notice before another disaster strikes. It should be practical and portable so you can easily carry it with you if you ever need to flee from your home. Prepare a kit for every member of your family who is able to carry one. Let the older kids fashion their own kits to train them to make disaster preparedness a way of life.

So, shall we put a Lifeline Kit together? Here’s a checklist of the bare essentials for your life-saving kit. Note that the contents of your kit could vary depending on the needs of each family member or whatever is available on the market.

?1) Water.?We can survive without food for five days but not without water. Make sure you have clean water in clean airtight containers for drinking, cooking, and washing: That means one gallon (3.78 liters) per person per day (one liter for drinking and three liters for washing).?Also have water purification supplies ready. (One purification tablet can purify a liter of water — one tablet per person per day.)

?2) Food. Store only non-perishable food items that require no refrigeration, such as? protein/energy bars, dried fruit, crackers, cereals, and canned goods with easy-to-open cans. If any member of the family has hypoglycemia, have some canned juice or hard candies ready. Make sure there’s enough food for every member of the family for the next three days, as well as disposable plates and utensils.

?3) Emergency tools/gear. Prepare plastic laminated ID card(s) for family member(s) with special concerns (like autistic children or children who cannot talk), indicating bearer’s name, address, phone, who to call in case of emergency, contact details, the condition of the bearer, and special instructions on what to do in case the person is seen unconscious (e.g. diabetic). Before an actual disaster strikes, teach all members of the family how to use the Red Cross 143 Emergency/Disaster Guide that explains what to do in various types of disasters. Keep this for reference, including maps that indicate evacuation sites and routes.?

4) Whistle. In times of danger, help could be a whistle away. Use a whistle that is loud and has a compass on it.

5) Flashlight. Have one or two with extra batteries (self-powered flashlights are your best bets). As well as matches or lighter and candles (but make sure there are no gas leaks). And listen: Make sure your AM transistor radio has extra batteries or is self-powered so you can monitor the news continuously to keep yourself abreast of up-to-the-minute developments. Also, have a Swiss or multi-purpose knife?ready for any emergency job around the house.

6) Glow sticks. They will come in handy in case you can’t get hold of a flashlight. Plastic sheet or garbage bag (that you can use as floor mats, cover items so as not to get wet, or as a rain coat.). Heating blankets (not so heavy, easy to carry, and warm). Ropes (not nylon). Sleeping bag.

7) Personal effects and hygiene kit. Extra clothes, undergarments, socks. Antibacterial soap, hand towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, alcohol, sanitary napkin.

8) Important documents and money.? Secure them in a plastic envelope.? Have cash on hand and loose change.? List of important information (security insurance number, tax identification number, driver’s license, passport number, bank account details, insurance policy, etc.). Passport. Important legal documents, such as birth certificates, marriage contract, insurance certificates, land titles, etc. Other important documents, such as academic credentials, vaccination records, medical records, etc.

9) Special needs (of elderly, children, infant or sick member of the family). Emergency medication (anti-diarrheal, for fever, for cough and colds, children’s medication, etc.). Prescription medication (good for three days, like anti-hypertensive, insulin, etc.). Children’s food.

?10) First aid kit (standard). Always be prepared, have a first aid kit on hand. First aid is a life-saving skill. If you know how to apply first aid correctly, you can help save lives. Call the Philippine Red Cross National headquarters or the local chapters for some first aid kit items, like adhesive strips, bandages, swabs, scissors, safety pins, plastic bags, and gloves.

Below is a list of emergency telephone numbers based on President Noynoy Aquino’s Facebook page:

• National Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) hotlines: (02)911-1406, (02)912-2665, (02)912-5668.

• Philippine National Police (PNP) Hotline Patrol: 117 or send TXT PNP to 2920

• Bureau of Fire Protection (NCR): (02)729-5166, (02)410-6254, (02) 431-8859, (02)407-1230

• Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) hotline: 7890 or 09188848484

• Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Metrobase hotline: 136, Twitter @MMDA

• MMDA Flood Control: 882-4177, 882-0925

• Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH): (02)304-3713

• Red Cross hotline: 143, (02)911-1876

• North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) hotlines: (02)3-5000 and (02)580-8910

• Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) hotlines: (0920) 96-SCTEX (72839)

• Skyway System hotline: (02)776-7777, 09156256231, 09395006910, Twitter @SkywaySOMCO

• South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) hotline: 09088807539

• Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) hotline: (02)433-8526, Twitter @dost_pagasa

• Philippine Coast Guard: (02)527-3877, (02)527-8481, 09177243682, 0917-PCG-DOTC

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