Parts of Northern BC have experienced evacuations because of wildfires, while several residents of Cache Creek were forced from their homes because of floods and the Better Business Bureau is reminding us to be prepared in case we’re confronted with a disaster.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, the BBB’s Aaron Guillen, said we should have an emergency kit in both our homes and vehicles. He says the kits should have enough in them to sustain us for at least two or three days in case we’re unable to get to a store. “What should be inside this kit, it should be, obviously, a first aid kit, some different forms of ID. Some medications if you do need those. A ton of water and little bit of disposable, non-perishable food.”

Guillen says along with a kit you should have an evacuation plan in case you are called upon to get out quickly.

You should have a muster point designated for everyone in the family and not just the humans. “That includes your pets as well. For you dog or your cat or your bird, you know a main meeting place. If something were to happen, the worst case scenario, are you meeting just outside the driveway or are you going to a local park just nearby? How do people know where to meet up especially if a ton of calls are going out the moment, you might not be able to get a call through to your loved ones.”

We should also keep cash on hand in case systems go down and we can’t pay with plastic. “Last summer with all the outages, there was an outage with a phone company that went down and I couldn’t pay with my card so I now have a couple hundred dollars, sprinkled throughout my car or my home just making sure I have cash and can pay if I’m in a really tough situation.”

He also stressed the importance of having proper insurance and noted most home policies do not cover floods or wildfires and you should make sure you are covered for any catastrophe you might be faced with.