I am a member of my local Medical Reserve Corps. We are trained to provide medical and other assistance in emergencies. This winter a terrible ice storm left neighboring towns without power or water for several days. For the Amherst MRC, this reinforced our understanding that helping people be better prepared for emergencies is a top priority.
Tuesday night, at our monthly meeting, we decided to make 72 hour kits our project for the year. A 72 hour kit contains enough supplies and every day items for a forced three day stay at home. An article in today’s New York Times indicates that emergency preparedness is part of the Ready Campaign of Homeland Security for 2009. The article has links to sites which provide additional information about what a 72 hour kit should contain. For more information about MRC’s and to find one in your area, medicalreservecorps.gov