Preparing Your Emergency Kit - Ask The Expert with Greg Marcyniuk

Greg shares tips for preparing your emergency kit in advance of severe weather season in Saskatchewan. 800 CHAB radio presents Ask the Expert with Greg Marcyniuk of Heritage Insurance located in Moose Jaw.

Here's a transcript of this episode:

Rob Carney: With Greg Marcyniuk, our friend from Heritage Insurance, our insurance expert from Heritage insurance in downtown Moose Jaw. Once again, Greg, we've seen it happening again, despite the fact we warn our listeners all the time. Break and enters. In fact, they're not even breaking and entering. They're stealing garage door openers and getting in real easy.

Greg Marcyniuk: That's right, Rob. Again, I know we talked about this not that long ago, just a couple of weeks ago, and people are becoming more and more brazen. I just want to make sure that people lock their front door and lock their vehicle, because these thefts are happening midday, on a Sunday afternoon. There's lots of people out, the people are out back. They just check your vehicle, pop the door if it's open, they grab the garage door opener. And poof, they're off. They'll come at 2 or 3 in the morning, steal your vehicle, steal whatever.

A lot of people, don't keep your keys in your garage or in your vehicle, and keep that door locked between the garage and your house as well. Because we've had a couple of claims now like that, and I just want to reiterate that.

The other thing that I wanted to talk about is the fact that severe weather is coming, and along with severe weather comes tornadoes, power outages. You just never know when an emergency is going to happen, and you should always have a basic emergency kit set aside.

What you should have is one of those portable suitcases with wheels on it, so that it's easy to carry — or whether it's in a backpack, so it's readily available and easy to get out of the house, in the event of an emergency. You want to have at least two liters of water per person, per day, and usually smaller bottles can be carried or a bigger one. As well, you want food that won't spoil, such as canned food, energy bars, dried foods. And again, if you do have a kit, remember to replace that and the water at least once a year. You want a manual can opener.

Definitely, flashlights and batteries are a great thing. Battery-powered radio or a wind-up radio, one or the other, along with extra batteries, as well as extra battery power for your cell phone. A first-aid kit is a must, and any special needs items. If you have any prescription medications, infant formula or equipment for people with disabilities, you want to have that there. As well, I recommend you have extra keys for both your car and your house packed in there, in the event something does happen and you don't have access to it.

Another thing a lot of people don't carry these days is some cash. You should have some extra cash, because I tell you, if power goes down, you've got no ATMs, no debit machines. I know in Toronto, I had a buddy when the power went out there for a week. Fortunately for him, he had about $400 cash. He said it was like gold when he was out there and allowed them to eat, and basically survive.

And the next thing to do is to have an emergency plan which includes that you have contacts for in-town and out of town, and what you're going to do in the event of an emergency.

So, just take the time to put these things together. It doesn't take too long, and you're prepared in the event something may happen.

Rob: And we can find a list of those things to put in the emergency kit online, sir.

Greg: That's correct, nohassleinsurance.ca, or come on down to the corner of Fairford and 1st and talk to any of our fine people here.

(Video transcription by Speechpad)

Preparing Your Emergency Kit - Ask The Expert with Greg Marcyniuk

No Comments