Durham Family Emergency Resources

Most emergencies are small. A house fire, an eviction, a power cut, a breakdown on the highway with a cooler of milk in the back. They don’t make the news, but they can separate a baby from their feeding plan as surely as a hurricane does. Here is what Durham families need, in one place.

Jump to: Need help now? · Printable handouts · Feeding babies safely · Emergency kit · Family preparedness · Communication boards · Durham County · Staying together · En español

Printable handouts

Print these for your fridge, your diaper bag, or a family member. Each is one page, in English and Spanish.

Feeding babies safely

• Infant Feeding Safety Scale: the safest to least safe ways to feed a baby.
• SAFE Infant Feeding Quick Reference Guide / Guía de referencia rápida: simple picture instructions, in English and Spanish.
• Preparing powdered formula safely in an emergency: the water temperature matters more than anything else.
• DIY cold sanitation kit / en español: clean bottles, pump parts, and cups without power or hot water.
• Storing formula safely: opened and unopened containers.
• Planning ahead for winter weather with infants and young children
• Short videos: Safe infant feeding in emergencies · Hand expression · Infant carrying · Keeping baby warm / en español
• CDC resources for families
• All SAFE Infant Feeding Team family resources

Let’s build a family emergency kit

Most families pack a large waterproof tub (or two) for shared supplies and a small backpack for each person with their clothes, medications, and copies of documents in case you get separated. Plan for at least four days. Keep a master list inside the kit and check it every 6 months, or sooner when your family’s needs change. Tap each section to open it, or print the one-page checklist (en español).

Food, water, and kitchen

• At least 8 gallons of water per person (2 gallons per person per day), more if it is hot
• Non-perishable food for everyone in the family
• Camp stove and fuel
• Utensils, dishes, and a water bottle for each person
• Basic cookware and a manual can opener
• Dishwashing supplies: soap, scrub brushes, bottle and straw brushes
• Zip-top bags in several sizes
• Water purification tablets, or plain unscented bleach (nothing added) for purifying water
• Water filter, and written instructions for purifying water
• Paper towels and a bin for washing items

Baby and kids

• Diapers or training pants, diaper ointment, and wipes
• 3 to 4 complete changes of clothes
• Baby carrier
• A small cooler you can pack quickly with expressed breast milk and ice packs
• If breastfeeding: breast pads, a manual breast pump, and milk storage bags
• Disposable cups for cup feeding
• If formula feeding: enough ready-to-feed formula for 4 days (a fully formula-fed baby usually takes 24 to 32 oz a day; small single-feed bottles mean nothing has to be kept cold), disposable bottle nipples, and bottles if you use them
• Baby food or your child’s preferred snacks
• Any special cups, plates, or utensils your child prefers
• Comfort items: blanket, stuffed animal, sensory tools
• Toys, books, and games
• A laminated “All About Me!” form for each child
• A laminated Emergency Information Form for each child (the AAP has one to download)

Medical and first aid

• Prescription medications, with instructions
• Written contact information for every provider
• Important medical records
• Backup power for medical equipment
• Electrolyte powder
• Over-the-counter medications: allergy, pain, NSAID, antibiotic ointment, antacid
• First aid kit: bandages, elastic bandage, gauze, tourniquet, foil blanket, gloves, scissors, medical tape, thermometer

Household supplies

• 2 to 3 complete changes of clothes and a change of shoes for each person
• Flashlights or headlamps, batteries, and lanterns (solar is best)
• Chargers, battery packs, and solar chargers
• Emergency broadcast radio
• Pocket knife or multi-tool, duct tape, rope or paracord, and a tarp
• Toilet paper, menstrual products, and other toiletries
• Disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer
• Blankets and trash bags
• N95 masks

Assistive technology

• Backup communication boards (see communication boards below)
• A list of your child’s usual supports and devices
• Chargers and backup power for devices

Pets

• Pet food, water, and bowls
• Veterinary records, including vaccines
• Medications
• Leash, toys, and a blanket or travel bed

Documents (in a waterproof pouch)

• An Emergency Information Form for each family member and an “All About Me!” form for each child
• Copies of power of attorney documents, wills, and other legal documents
• Copies of ID: birth certificates, Social Security cards, driver licenses, passports, National Child ID Program cards
• Vehicle titles and your house deed or lease
• Provider lists and medication lists for each family member
• Health insurance cards
• Emergency contacts and other important phone numbers
• Recent photos of every family member and pet, alone and together
• Bank, credit card, and loan contact information
• Where the nearest shelter that meets your family’s needs is, and where the Family Assistance Center will be
• A list of what is in your kit

Miscellaneous

• Spare house and car keys
• Emergency cash (cards may not work)
• Playing cards or activity books
• A paper map or road atlas

Family preparedness

• American Academy of Pediatrics: disaster preparedness for families, including the Emergency Information Form
• Sesame Workshop: helping children get ready for emergencies (English and Spanish)
• Ready.gov: Ready Kids
• National Pediatric Disaster Coalition: resources for children and families

Emergency communication boards

Many children have a harder time communicating under stress. Pack a printed board even if your child usually talks.

• Temple University Institute on Disabilities: emergency picture communication aid
• Project Core, UNC Chapel Hill Center for Literacy and Disability Studies: printable core vocabulary boards

Durham County

• Alert Durham: free emergency alerts by text, call, or email for the addresses you choose.
• Would someone in your home need help evacuating (no car, medical equipment that needs power, a disability)? Durham County keeps a voluntary list so they can help. If the sign-up gives you trouble, call Durham County Emergency Services at (919) 560-8285.
• Feeding help in Durham: the Breastfeed Durham Lactation Collaborative and lactation groups and classes

Staying together

Pick a family code word, and make sure your child’s caregivers and child care program know your emergency plan and theirs.

• National Emergency Child Care Network: free emergency child care for any family in a disaster or a personal crisis like a house fire, job loss, or medical emergency. Fill out their form online and trained volunteers come to you.
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: disaster preparedness and reunification, including family emergency playbooks in English and Spanish
• Unaccompanied Minors Disaster Registry (only active during a declared disaster)
• National Child ID Program kit
• Team Adam: retired law enforcement who help find children separated from their families in a disaster

More

• Disaster birth plan (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Simple activities for children and adolescents, for any long stretch at home or in a shelter

Home visitors and partner staff: the slides and notes from our September 28 training, SAFE Infant Feeding in Micro-Emergencies, are on the SAFE Infant Feeding Team site. For more, see Nourishing Resilience, our free recorded training series.

Resources and kit checklist compiled by Rachel Fann, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, and the SAFE Infant Feeding Team, a project of Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities, the organization behind Breastfeed Durham.