The purpose of a safe room is to ensure that you and your family remain safe during adverse times, such as a natural disaster or a home invasion. Your safe room does not need to be the typical small constructed secretly behind a bookshelf – any convenient room can be turned into a safe room. All you have to do is take care of a few security enhancements and ensure that you have all the necessary items in place. Once your safe room is fully constructed and ready, you need to make a checklist of the items you need to have in it. This blog post will explain some of the essential items you need to have in your safe room.
Contents
Drinking-Water
Water is a basic human need – nobody can survive without it for more than 3 days. Thus, it is crucial to keep plenty of fresh water in your safe room. If you have children, you might want to consider stocking up on juices as well. You can store water in the form of water bottles or huge canisters. Make sure that the water is sufficient for at least one month.
Storable Food Supply
You never know how long you would have to remain locked up in a safe room. Obviously, you can’t leave until the outside zone is all clear. We recommend stocking at least one month’s worth of food for each person. You can use canned meals or chips and ready-made packed meals. Canned food is widely used in the military and the navy and includes corn, rice, curry, and chicken. You can also store some plastic or paper plates and spoons for eating.
Rest Room
At some point, you will need to use the restroom while you are waiting inside your safe room. So while constructing a safe room, you must ensure that you leave enough space for a portable restroom. There are many different types of options for restrooms to choose from. They are convenient and are usually designed for disaster situations.
Hygiene Products
You need to stock up on hygiene supplies such as wipes, toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitizers, towels, etc. Having these items for at least a month is necessary because you never know how long you might have to spend in a safe room.
First Aid Kit
It is important to be prepared for sickness or injury while waiting. A first aid kit should include band-aids, alcohol wipes, over the counter medications such as ibuprofen, and other first-aid kit necessities. This is an essential thing to keep in your safe room and should not be overlooked.
Telephone or Mobile Phone
You can choose to keep a landline phone or a mobile phone (keep both on the safe side) inside your safe room. It is important to stay connected to people and the news around the world. Keep the phone off until you need to use it, and make sure that you keep a wall changer and a couple of power banks as well. We also suggest that you keep regular checks on your phone to ensure that it’s working. If possible, store a wireless internet device to get a constant internet connection inside your safe room.
Radio
You can choose a battery-powered radio to keep yourself up to date with all of the local news in case of a natural disaster. You can place it inside the safe room beforehand, or you can quickly grab it while getting inside the room. This can come in handy in case you lose your cellphone and Wi-Fi signals.
Necessities for Babies
If you have a baby in your house, you have to ensure that you stock the safe room with diapers, baby bottles, baby food, wipes, toys, clothes, and other necessary items for the baby. Having these items will ensure that your baby remains happy and comfortable in the safe room.
Flash Light
You obviously don’t want to sit in the dark in a safe room. Therefore, make sure that you have a flashlight inside with a couple of batteries as a backup. You can also use other types of battery-powered lights to illuminate the room.
Thermal Blanket and Pillows
You want to ensure that you and your family remain warm and comfortable while waiting in the safe room. Blankets are necessary, especially if the electricity goes out during a natural disaster or an invasion. Stock the room with enough pillows and blankets to ensure that you remain warm during cold months.
Emergency Contacts
Make a list of all of the people you can get in touch with the case of an emergency. It can come in handy at any point. You can contact these people to call the police in case you’re getting robbed, or they can come and inspect your home to let you know whether it’s safe to come out.
Fire Extinguishers
It is always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in place. There could be potential fire hazards, and you need to make sure that you get out safely. Also, you should store fire blankets to get out of a blazing fire without getting injured.
Clothing
Stock the safe room with all of the essential clothes that you might need to wear. At least keep enough clothes for about one month just in case. It is important to be prepared for unforeseen situations.
Conclusion
The things you choose to stock inside your safe room largely depend on the circumstances you will be in. So it is better to think from a broad perspective and be prepared for any situation you might encounter. Moreover, you should make sure that everyone living in your house has access to the safe room and knows how to shut it in case of an emergency securely.