Project Envolve: How to Prepare Your Family for an Emergency (Plus a Giveaway!)

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This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Project Envolve. All opinions expressed in this post and blog are my own and may not reflect the opinions of Project Envolve and its sponsors. #ProjectEnvolve #BePrepared #EmergencyPreparedness

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My husband is a fan of anything related to zombies, so if you ask him about “emergency preparedness,” he’d rattle off a laundry list of items you’d need for a good zombie survival shelter. He’s half-kidding, of course. (The half serious part is a little troubling.) Realistically speaking, true emergency preparedness has less to do with surviving the undead and more to do with surviving an extended power outage in the case of a natural disaster.

And, since September is National Preparedness Month, the folks at Project Envolve sent me a very helpful emergency starter kit. Project Envolve is a campaign sponsored by PPL Electric Utilities that was created to help inspire people to adopt a more energy-efficient, green and eco-conscious lifestyle.

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The emergency kit from Project Envolve included essentials like a first aid kit, a hand-crank radio, a battery powered LED lantern, extra batteries, and a manual can opener. All of these things are basic emergency necessities, but they’re not the only things you’ll need to get ready for a power outage.

I stopped by Target recently to help round out our family’s emergency supply. While I was there, I picked up a couple things on the list below (I already had some of these items, thanks to Project Envolve):

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The bottom line is this: Being prepared for an emergency is important. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thousands of people are affected by disasters each year. Being prepared will help keep your family safe, and that preparation starts with having an emergency kit assembled BEFORE disaster strikes.

Build your kit based on your family’s needs. For tips and a list of basic emergency kit items, check out the Ready.gov website.

You should also create an emergency plan, which starts with a comprehensive listing of important contacts and their contact information. That plan should also include a family meeting to discuss the plan. We had a family meeting, and it was very helpful! To get started on creating your own emergency plan (including a plan for kids to use), check out the helpful downloadable documents on the FEMA website.

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Last, but not least, you’ll need to come up with some ideas for things to do with your family to keep everyone occupied while the power is out. You can read, tell stories, or play board games. We tested our own list of activities — and a few of our emergency supplies — with a “No Power Night” recently. It was a lot of fun, and I definitely recommend you do the same!

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Leave a comment below with what type of fun activities your family would do to pass the time during a power outage. I’ll choose one comment at random to win a battery-powered LED Quad Lantern, which has four removable LED panels that function as independent lights. Good luck! (Giveaway ends September 9, 2014.)

Visit the Project Envolve website for information about #ProjectEnvolve, including energy-saving tips and emergency preparedness tips.

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Comments

  1. sara haaf says:

    We would play cards and tell stories.

  2. I need to do this. Another really important thing is cash. When power goes out for an extended period of time so do debit card machines. And gas….my friend said you should never let you car go below half a tank, so u always can drive if you need to. Thanks for the reminder…I REALLY need to do this. Great post!

  3. Linda romer says:

    We have had power outages before and we played games and drew pictures.

  4. Jennifer Rote says:

    During power outages we like to play board games.

  5. Lauren Nicole says:

    What my family and I would do – shadow puppet charades, hide and seek with flashlights(adds a fun creepiness to it), murder mystery, and a couple board games.

  6. Great article. Having a practice night with games/flashlights (as if there was no power) sounds like a great idea to keep kids from being traumatized later on.

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