Thankfully the night came and went without any incidents. Although it was nice to get at least a little sleep from all the hard work the day before, you could not be happier to see the sun coming up. With the calm and quiet of night came the emotions that had a chance to creep in. But the day was dawning bright and beautiful, and you know it’s going to be another long and busy day ahead.
Your stomach growls as the smell of eggs and hot cereal fills the emergency shelter. It isn’t much, and it doesn’t look very appetizing, but it is food! You are not going to complain.
“What I wouldn’t give for some sauces right now,” Jackson grumbles as he looks at the overcooked eggs on his plate.
“Here!” Gage says rummaging around his bag. He pulls out several condiment packages of ketchup, mayo, mustard, and various salsas.
“I have some salt, pepper, and sugar if anyone wants some,” Ava offers holding up a Ziploc bag of the packets.
“I am not even surprised,” Jackson states grabbing the hot salsa and a salt packet. “What did you guys do, raid the deli counter at the local grocery store?”
“Sometimes,” Ava teases back, “but mostly we just keep the extra condiments we receive from fast food restaurants. We put them in with our home emergency supplies. They make a great backup in the event of a disaster situation. Small, portable, and in predetermined serving sizes.”
“We put them in our disaster supply kits as well and obviously bring some along when we travel,” Gage chimes offering you and Skye the packages.
Learn more about putting gathering emergency supplies at home below. To learn more about what each icon represents go to the Quest Icon Legend.
“What’s the difference between home emergency supplies and a regular disaster supply kit?” Skye asks as she liberally squeezes ketchup onto her eggs.
“Well, it depends on where you are going to be able to stay following a disaster. Are you able to stay in your home or is your home unsafe forcing you to evacuate to a family or friend’s house or an emergency shelter,” Gage says waving his hand around. “A disaster supply kit is something you can quickly grab which contains everything from needs to comfort items to help you survive. When building your kit it is important to include items from all 12 areas of preparedness.”
“Each kit should also be personalized,” Ava adds, pulling out a pair of earplugs. “I know for me I cannot sleep unless there is dead silence. I always keep a pair of earplugs in disaster supply kit. These came in handy last night, the woman in the cot next to me snored so loudly!”
Learn more about a disaster supply kit below. To learn more about what each icon represents go to the Quest Icon Legend.
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Learn more about putting together a work emergency kit below. To learn more about what each icon represents go to the Quest Icon Legend.
“I’ve volunteered to go with some of the villagers to the next town over and see if we can barter for fuel for the generators,” Gage says, placing some supplies in the back of the jeep. “We should be back by tonight,” he assures his sister, closing the hatch and coming around to the driver’s side door.
One of the villagers walks up to Gage and says something you don’t quiet catch. Gage responds briefly and the villager nods before walking toward another vehicle.
“What’s wrong?” Jackson asks as Gage opens the back of the jeep again.
“Seems like their vehicle won’t start. Sounds like an issue with the battery,” Gage replies.
“You have a pair of jumper cables back there,” Ava teases, smiling as she pokes Gage with a stick.
“Ava, please, do you doubt me?” Gage responds with mock hurt as he pulls out the cables. Teasing back, he shakes his head and wags a finger at her but walks away with a smile.
“He is always on my case about keeping emergency supplies in my vehicle, including jumper cables,” Ava explains as she laughs.
Learn more about maintaining a car emergency kit below. To learn more about what each icon represents go to the Quest Icon Legend.
“Jackson! Are you ok?!” You hear Ava exclaim in alarm. You spin around to see Jackson slumped against the side of one of the buildings.
“I’ll be fine. I just don’t feel very well,” Jackson says breathing heavily. He was sweating profusely and was very flushed.
“Here, sit down,” Ava pulls him into the shade. She turns to you, “Grab the first aid kit and two bottles of water, please”. As you are leaving Ava helps Jackson remove his overshirt. You return moments later with the items. She opens the first aid kit and pulls out a small square packet. You watch as she opens the packet and pours the powdered contents into one of the water bottles. She back on the lid and gives it a light shake.
“Sip this, slowly,” Ava advises Jackson handing over the water bottle. She opens the second water bottle and grabs a small washcloth from the first aid kit. Soaking the cloth with water she then places it on the back of his neck. You help her fan him.
After about 20 minutes Jackson was back on his feet. “You were experiencing heat exhaustion. You need to be more careful in this jungle heat and drink plenty of water,” Ava told him.
“What was that powder you gave him?” you ask her.
Ava holds up another packet. “Oral Rehydration Salts. I always keep a few in my first aid kit.”
Learn more about maintaining a first aid kit in the event of a disaster below. To learn more about what each icon represents go to the Quest Icon Legend.
You and Ava help Jackson to back to the emergency shelter. Villagers mill around inside the shelter. With no power to run fans the temperature inside the shelter is little better than outside, but a nice cross breeze comes through the open windows and at least there is protection from the penetrating sunlight. Jackson sits on his cot and Ava adds more water to the washcloth before handing it back to him.
Out one of the windows you can see Skye working in one of the tents in the village square. You haven’t seen her since this morning and wonder what she has been working on. As you approach her you can see the tent is filled with cages. Dogs, cats, and other animals fill most of them. Skye is sponge washing a dog whose fur is caked in mud as it eats eagerly from a broken bowl.
“Many people didn’t know what to do with their pets during the evacuation, so they just left them. Rescuers have been bringing in animals who were trapped by the flood waters since dawn,” Skye said, her voice cracking a little. Behind her a little girl squeals in excitement. You watch as a villager hands the girl a small black kitten which she hugs in delight.
“We are hoping to find their owners, but only a few have been claimed so far and many of these animals do not have any sort of identification,” Skye continues with a sigh.
Learn more about taking care of pets in the event of a disaster below. To learn more about what each icon represents go to the Quest Icon Legend.
