Expect to be all right, but be prepared!

"Emergency boxes are very personal items"

I’m sure you’ll agree that being prepared for emergencies is better than running around like a headless chicken when disaster strikes.

I suggest having an ‘emergency box’ that contains the stuff you would want to grab if you had to leave at speed. That does not need to be a box, any portable container will do (a box, backpack, or a small suitcase) as long as it can hold whatever you have decided is something you need in an emergency (a health crisis, a fire, flood or any other reason you’d have to leave in a hurry).

You could even just have a dedicated drawer or shelf for these items, from where you can easily and quickly decant into a bag. The point is: you want to be able to find all the important stuff and grab it all without losing time.

Each person’s ‘emergency box’ is something uniquely personal – we all live different lives, so you’ll have to put some thought into the items you will want to bring in different kinds of emergencies that might realistically apply to you. Note the “realistically” in the last sentence: don’t go overboard and stick to the basics rather than prepare for situations you are unlikely to encounter.

There are some common items you should always consider to keep in your emergency box:

• Personal documents: passport, drivers licence, birth certificate, etc.;
• Clothes: focus on underwear – this needs to be replaced more often and can be washed, while outerwear may become dirty but can be worn longer;
• Basic hygiene items: cloth & soap, toothbrush & toothpaste, shampoo & bodywash, etc. – all in travel-sized containers, of course;
• Electronics: extra phone charger (!), backup drives, etc.
• Medical & health: medication, medical appliances (inhalers, etc.), a list of prescriptions, etc.;
• Proof of ownership of goods: titles, deeds & certificates;
• Your diary with appointments, a list of contact numbers/email, etc.;
• Food: small, calory-heavy snacks with a long shelf-life are best;
• A small amount of cash: in case you cannot retrieve money from a machine

You’ll probably find that some of those items apply more or less to your personal situation. Some items can be kept in that box permanently (documents, medical, phone charger, etc.) while others will be in constant use and may have to be collected when the time comes (phone, diary, etc.)

Anything that is on your particular list of items that is NOT permanently in your ‘emergency box’ needs to be assigned a dedicated spot from where you can always retrieve it at short notice.

Of course, there is such a thing as “too prepared”: you don’t want to imagine every single eventuality and get ready for it. There is a difference between having things ready for something you know will eventually happen, or being prepared for the zombie apocalypse. However, it’s worth being at least somewhat prepared when you are running out of time…