Use Daylight Savings Time To Update Emergency Kit

Daylight Saving Time ends tomorrow at 2 a.m. That means it is time to set your clocks back one hour which most people do before they go to bed tonight. That additional hour can lead to 60 more minutes of shuteye on Sunday.

The Rockland County Health Department suggests you use Daylight Saving Time as a reminder to change the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and check your emergency supply kit.  Remember at this time last year we were dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. 

Check to make sure smoke alarms and CO2 devices are in good working order. See if any items are missing from the emergency supply kit and if anything is out-of-date, leaking or damaged.

“The real life experience of Hurricane Sandy showed us how important it is to be prepared for emergencies,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert. “Natural events, like floods, or man-made events, like terrorist attacks, can happen with little or no warning - that’s why having an emergency supply kit is so important.”

Here are some basics that an emergency kit should contain: 

• A minimum three-day supply of food and water with at least one gallon of water per person per day and foods that do not need to be refrigerated or cooked such as peanut butter and ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables 
• Take care of pets with a supply of their food and additional water 
• Include flashlights, a hand-operated can opener, battery-operated radio with spare batteries and copies of important documents
• Other necessary items might be contact lens solution or diapers

If setting up the emergency kit is too costly to do all at once, buy a few items on each grocery shopping trip or stock up at bulk sales. Partner with a friend, co-worker or neighbor as a “preparedness buddy” to purchase a case of items.

Once the emergency kit is complete, put it away so the items do not get used until there is an actual emergency. 

Organizations can schedule a “Get Ready Rockland” emergency preparedness presentation by the Health Department by calling 845-364-2526. Go here www.getreadyforflu.org/clocksstocks for more information.