In School Emergency Kits for Children

As a general rule, most school districts have emergency preparedness plans for their students.  Most teachers and school officials are well informed on emergency procedures and an effort is usually made to inform and educate parents and students on these procedures.  However, like me, most of us go along in life expecting normalcy.  Many years ago, my children and I were experiencing a normal day, me at home and my children at their elementary school.  It was nearly time for school to end for the day when a News Flash came on announcing the mid-air crash of two small planes above the area of my children’s elementary school.  The announcer described debris and bodies from one of the planes raining down on the neighborhood surrounding my children’s school, with the other plane coming down and crashing into a house.  Upon hearing this, I called the school repeatedly until I could get through.  The school informed me that all of the children were safe and well.  They also informed me that they would be keeping all of the students inside the school until the area had been cleared of dangerous debris and visually upsetting scenes.  Being well acquainted with the school administration and teachers, I knew that my children would be well cared for.  It took emergency personnel of the city and county approximately 4 to 5 hours to clear the area of the most dangerous and disturbing obstacles.  When I was finally reunited with my children, we talked about the emergency situation and the extra time they spent at school. My children told me that the school staff had briefly explained the situation to the children, reassured them that they were safe and kept them busy with fun activities.  The only negative thing that my children mentioned was that they got hungry during the extra time they were there.

If we stop to think, there are many factors that can affect the normal activities of our children when they are at school.

·     Weather

·     Fires

·     Floods

·     Earthquakes

·     Accidents

·     Social Incidents

Thank goodness these things do not happen on a regular basis.  Nevertheless, it is best to prepare.

A few years ago, my youngest son’s elementary school requested that an emergency kit be sent to school for each child that contained items that could give the child comfort in the event of emergency.  What a good idea!

As storage space was limited, all items were to be placed in a gallon sized zip-lock bag clearly labeled with the child’s full name.  Items suggested to be put inside were:

• High calorie nutritious snacks that the child likes
• Bottle of water
• Flashlight or glow stick
• Some form of identification including name, address and phone number
• Names of parents or guardians
• Picture of family members
• Wet wipes
• Tissues

If your kit can be a bit larger, I also recommend:

• A small blanket

Back to school time is a great time to prepare to send your child back to school prepared for emergency situations.  Check with you school to see if they have any recommendations or policy for emergency kits for their students.  If not, talk to your PTA President.  Maybe a new policy can be instituted in your school.  A kit like the one suggested above would only take a short time to prepare, yet it could be extremely valuable to you child in case of emergency.

Shelf Reliance carries many products that are wonderful for your Emergency Preparedness needs.  Please click on the link below to go to my Shelf Reliance website.  You will be able to see all of the products available, recipes, food calculators, purchase items and have them delivered directly to you.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com