It’s important to keep a Go Bag in your home so that in cases of emergency, you’re ready for the worst to happen. When building a Disaster Kit, there are some basic necessities that immediately come to mind like food, water, blankets, and medical supplies. While those items are all critical to include in your kit, it’s also important to think beyond the bare necessities – especially if you are in a situation where you are displaced from your home for the long term. So, without further ado, here are five Go Bag Essentials you forgot to put in your kit, and the reasons why you’ll want to include them.

1. Whistle

The whistle isn’t for sing-along songs around the fire – it’s a tool that’ll allow for some form of communication,  in the event that someone is lost or trapped. It is a good idea to include one whistle for each member of your family, preferably the kind you wear around your neck. If someone is hurt or lost, they can sound the whistle so that search-and-rescue teams know where to look.

2. Safety mask

Safety masks are rarely considered worthy enough to make in it a family’s Go Bag, but we consider them to be high-priority items in any disaster kit. These can come in the form of your average, run of the mill dust mask, or more elaborate masks made specifically for gas or fire. We prefer the N95 masks ourselves. Floods and fires can significantly lower the area’s air quality, and these masks can keep the worst spores and soot out of your lungs. For asthma sufferers, this could mean the difference between life and death.

3. Manual can opener

So you brought all this canned, non-perishable food, but how are you going to open it? Don’t forget to pick up an old-fashioned can opener and keep it in your kit, too. The kind of can opener that punctures a hole in the top of the can might be less convenient, but they’re also extremely light and easy to Pack.

4. Proof of address

Make sure to pack copies of your important documents such as driver’s licenses, insurance papers, loan and mortgage papers, health records, birth certificates, etc. If your home is completely destroyed, you’ll need to have proof of address and homeownership so that you can get the assistance you need in rebuilding your home.

5. Cash

In a disaster, you never know if you’ll even have access to a bank, or if ATMs and credit card readers will continue to work. To be safe, pack some hard cash in your Go Bag to make sure that you and your family aren’t stranded without any funds.

There you have it – five things that are essential for any good Go Bag. Remember to include these items in order to ensure that you and your family stay safe and comfortable in the event of a flood, fire, or other disaster.

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