Disaster Planning, Wellness, and Self-Care….Who Knew?

by | Sep 13, 2011 | Safety, Self-Care, Wellness Plan, Wellness Tips & Information


by Dr. Donna L. Hamilton, MD, MS

Have you been planning to take better care of yourself but the idea of slowing down to meditate or journal makes you cringe? Do you want to do something active and satisfying to improve your personal wellness but haven’t quite gotten around to working out yet? Here’s an important and relatively easy self-care activity that might also surprise you: emergency preparedness.

Now you’re probably wondering, “What does disaster planning have to do with health and wellness?”  It’s simple. Personal wellness means functioning at your best in all areas.  Eating well and exercising is important but it’s just one piece of the optimal health equation.  After all, flat abs and a firm butt can’t protect you from floods, fires, hurricanes or tornadoes. Injury prevention deserves as much attention as illness prevention.

Make emergency and disaster preparedness part of your personal wellness plan. It’s a great way to practice self-care. Preparing an emergency kit is a good place to start.

Certain emergency supplies fit just about every scenario. These include fresh food and water, clean air, and warm clothing.  Depending on where you live you might also want to plan for high probability emergencies such as tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, or earthquakes. In addition to preparing your home, it’s also a good idea to have a “ready bag” for your car  in case you need to evacuate.

The Ready.gov website recommends several items for a basic emergency supply kit including:

  • Water: 1 gallon per person per day for a minimum of three days. (i.e. have a minimum of 3 gallons per person.)
  • Food: Have at least a 3 day supply per person of non-perishable food.
  • Can opener
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Radio and batteries
  • First aid kit
  • Personal hygiene and sanitation products (i.e. trash bags, hand sanitizer, etc.)
  • Whistle or horn to signal for help
  • Cell phone with charger
  • Medication (at least a three day supply)
  • Dust mask

If you have children, pets, or anyone  with special needs you might also want to put their special supplies in the kit (ex. diapers, formula, pet food, etc.) Be sure to periodically check supplies and replenish anything with an expiration date. Out of date batteries won’t do much good and expired canned goods could make you sick.

For a more complete list of  what to include in your emergency kit visit the Ready.gov website .   You can also get information at the American Red Cross and FEMA websites.

Taking a little time to prepare an emergency kit now can make a big difference in the future.  It might also be the little bit of inspiration you need to start doing other types of self-care, like exercising or (shudder) meditating.

Do it for yourself.  If you ever need it you’ll be happy you did.

Be well.

About the Author

Holistic Wellness Speaker Dr. Donna L. Hamilton, MD, MS supports people in becoming optimally healthy.  She passionately teaches people what being healthy really means and provides practical tools and strategies to address the five key areas affecting health.  Dr. Hamilton-a former board certified pediatrician-is Chief Wellness Officer and owner of Manifest Excellence, LLC.  She specializes in holistic wellness promotion and speaks nationally on this topic.  Dr. Hamilton teaches a comprehensive approach to health and wellness that addresses mental, emotional, social, spiritual and physical wellbeing. For more information visit http://www.ManifestExcellence.com

© 2011 Donna L. Hamilton

Donna Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAP
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