It’s time to check your go bag

How many people still keep a go bag at home or in their vehicles?  For those who have those emergency bags, when was the last time those were inspected to check on expiry dates of its contents? The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) had an information campaign a few years ago to encourage people to keep a go bag in their homes.  Every time a major disaster like a strong typhoon or an earthquake occurs, this campaign is repeated. The go bag is a survival kit which should contain basic medical and food items that can sustain a person, or a family, after a major disaster damages communication and transportation infrastructure, until a rescue team comes or basic services are restored.  Thus the reason to keep a go bag at home with supplies to survive on for at least three days. The go bag is a small part of disaster preparedness.  But it is wise to keep it in our minds because we live in the Philippines where about 20 tropical cyclones enter within our area every year, eight of which traverses our islands. Plus, earthquakes and volcanic activity are not rare because the country lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire. A recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Station revealed that the Filipinos’ disaster preparedness has declined in 2022. In the nationwide survey conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, 2022 with 1,200 respondents, 29 percent said they are “very prepared,” and 43 percent said they are “somewhat prepared” for a typhoon as strong as Yolanda (Haiyan). There were 18 percent who said they are “somewhat not prepared” and 10 percent said they are “not prepared at all.” (Typhoon Yolanda struck the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013. It has been called the most powerful storm to make landfall in recorded history.) Although the majority of the public said that they are “very” or “somewhat prepared,”  SWS Vice President Gerardo Sandoval who presented the analysis, noted that compared to the December 2019 survey, “Filipinos who claimed that they are ‘very prepared’ for a strong typhoon dropped from 47 percent to 29 percent.” In the case of preparedness for an earthquake, SWS also found that 18 percent of Filipinos said they are “very prepared,” and 34 percent are “somewhat prepared” for an earthquake as strong as the one that hit Cebu and Bohol on Oct. 15, 2013. About 26 percent said they are “somewhat not prepared” and 22 percent said they are “not prepared at all.” Sandoval said that “compared to the previous survey in December 2019 where 35 percent said they were very prepared, now it’s down to 18 percent among Filipinos saying they are ‘very prepared’ for an earthquake as strong as that.” The annual SWS survey review conducted on Feb. 7 presented the analysis of the social weather in 2022, which includes the preparedness of Filipinos against natural disasters. Checking on – or organizing – your go bag is a start to revive attention on disaster preparedness in the home.  There is much information about the most essential items that an emergency bag should have.  Start with the most basic: water, canned food,  flashlight, extra batteries, whistle (to signal for help), mask, local maps, manual can opener,  first aid kit (include personal medicines), battery powered or hand-cranked radio. Build on that.  There should be one box of emergency items in the house, and another in backpacks in case you need to evacuate. While you are on it, organize a go bag to leave in your vehicle.  Include a pair of good walking shoes. It’s Sunday, there’s time to think about a go bag.