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ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- This weekend organizers are getting ready for the Safe and Sound Emergency Preparedness Fair at the Loussac Library.
Experts say one important element of preparing for the unexpected is to have a three-day emergency kit ready to go.
Jeremy Zidek, a public information officer with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security, took Channel 2 on a shopping trip to stock such a kit.
"It is a bit of a scavenger hunt," he said. "You'll need water for drinking, of course, but also cooking and for hygiene. Over a course of three days, if you have five people in your family, you're going to need a total of 15 gallons of water."
Zidek grabs some of the obvious items.
"Those foods should be things that are non-perishable, like cans of soup, dried goods, anything that has a good shelf life," he said.
Along with some tips for emergency kits you might not think of -- like lay off that health food.
"In an emergency situation you're going to want to have really densely-packed calories," he said.
Zidek says don't worry about getting the items for your emergency kit all at once, but rather get them a few at a time when the price is right.
"Look for sales on items that have a long shelf life and put those in your kit," he said. "We're building one from scratch here at the store, but many of these items people already have in their homes."
After adding a few cleaning supplies -- "Unscented bleach can be used to sterilize water" -- Zidek's ready to check out.
"$181 to go and buy everything at the store, but again, a lot of these items you'll probably have at home," he said.
While the state says a three-day supply is essential, folks there recommend you have a seven-day emergency kit with other types of supplies in it.
The Safe and Sound Emergency Preparedness Fair is Saturday at the Loussac Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Experts say one important element of preparing for the unexpected is to have a three-day emergency kit ready to go.
Jeremy Zidek, a public information officer with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security, took Channel 2 on a shopping trip to stock such a kit.
"It is a bit of a scavenger hunt," he said. "You'll need water for drinking, of course, but also cooking and for hygiene. Over a course of three days, if you have five people in your family, you're going to need a total of 15 gallons of water."
Zidek grabs some of the obvious items.
"Those foods should be things that are non-perishable, like cans of soup, dried goods, anything that has a good shelf life," he said.
Along with some tips for emergency kits you might not think of -- like lay off that health food.
"In an emergency situation you're going to want to have really densely-packed calories," he said.
Zidek says don't worry about getting the items for your emergency kit all at once, but rather get them a few at a time when the price is right.
"Look for sales on items that have a long shelf life and put those in your kit," he said. "We're building one from scratch here at the store, but many of these items people already have in their homes."
After adding a few cleaning supplies -- "Unscented bleach can be used to sterilize water" -- Zidek's ready to check out.
"$181 to go and buy everything at the store, but again, a lot of these items you'll probably have at home," he said.
While the state says a three-day supply is essential, folks there recommend you have a seven-day emergency kit with other types of supplies in it.
The Safe and Sound Emergency Preparedness Fair is Saturday at the Loussac Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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