What To Put In A Go Bag ☆ Basic Items For Disaster Response

GO BAG FOR EMERGENCY

Coming from Japan, I remember that my family had a very basic go bag in our home in case of catastrophic earthquakes. I never had to use it, but my family probably used it when the earthquakes hit Tokyo in 2011. A go bag is something that many Japanese families keep in their homes.

It’s always good to be prepared especially for a disaster. Fortunately, my husband, our kids and I have never been in a situation where we had to evacuate. Knock on wood. However, we do know a number of friends and family members who have gone through crazy evacuations. For long-term expats, evacuation is nothing out-of-the-ordinary.

EVACUATION FOR EXPATS

For those of us who live overseas for a job assignment, whether it is a disaster prone city or not, it is advised that we keep a go bag in case of emergency. We have seen evacuations caused by epidemics, earthquakes, floods, volcanos, forest fires, political unrests, and other threats. Most recently in January 2020, many expats evacuated from China after an outbreak of novel corona virus. For those of us in Manila also had a scare after Taal volcano erupted shortly after the year turned to 2020.

For expats, evacuation may mean that you have to abruptly leave the host nation without saying good-bye to friends. People usually have a few days leading up to the departure, but it could happen quickly as well. The nature of evacuation itself is stressful. Therefore, it helps to be prepared and have a go bag ready so that at least you have that part taken care of.

START WITH A SIMPLE GO BAG

Here in this post, I would like to encourage more people to at least prepare a simple Go Bag that you can keep at all time in your home. The reason why I say “simple” is because I always felt intimidated by the idea of creating a go bag. It felt like a big task for something you may not use. It is a blessing if you don’t have to use it. Speaking from my own experience of making one after so many years of being an expat, I realized it’s not that daunting. Once you make it, you can keep it for a long time. It’s better to have a simple one than not having any at all. You may be able to make a quick go bag with items you already own in your home.

I have a list of items you can put in your go bag in this post. If you don’t have certain items, you can always fill your go bag with missing items over time.

As a reference, I used these lists below as my guide.

Go Bag

How To Make A Go Bag (With Pictures)

 

TOILETRIES

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Soap
Shampoo & Conditioner
Wet wipes
Anti-bacterial wipes
Kleenex
Cotton swabs
Alcohol disinfectant
Female products
Makeup remover

 

FIRST AID KIT & OTHER NECESSARY ITEMS

First aid kit (bandaids, anti-bacterial medicine, fever reducer, antihistamine, etc.)
Nail clipper
Flashlights
Extra batteries
Portable cell phone Charger
Notepad & pen
Masks (N95)
Gloves (In case of epidemic, they will help.)
Whistle or bell

 

WATER & FOOD

Bottled water (and sports drinks) and non-perishable food need to be in a go bag. I keep my food and drinks for our go bag in our pantry, but they are separated from the regular food.

Following is some suggestions for food you can pack.

Cereal
Protein/Granola bars
Nuts
Dried fruits
Trail Mix
Crackers
Peanutbutter
Canned meat
Canned soup
Chocolate

EXTRA FOOD

We keep a basket filled with emergency food in our pantry. After 5 months, we have to replace the content with new packages and buy new bottles of water/sports drinks. I don’t keep this in my go bag since I have to refresh the content once every 5-6 months. If I keep them in my go bag, I will definitely forget about them.

Once you gather everything or almost everything, all you have to do is to pack them in your bag.

You might see my bag and want to comment, “where is a backpack?” Or “You can’t evacuate with that fancy bag!” If I’m evacuating, I don’t see why I can’t evacuate in my style with my favorite bag.

 

CLOTHES

The lists I used say that you should pack 3 outfits for 3 days.

Some lists suggest that you pack a blanket as well.

I don’t keep 3 outfits in our go bag as suggested in many instructions. If I do, my family and I won’t be able to wear them and my kids will grow out of them quickly. In case we have to evacuate, each of us will quickly grab 3 outfits.

 

PET OWNERS

If you have a pet, don’t forget to pack for your pet as well. There are many pages online for a pet go bag.

Just to give you a few examples, here are some links.

PET EVACUATION GRAB AND GO BAG

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

 

FOR EXPATS

PASSPORTS & VISA

Check your passport and visa expiration dates. You won’t be able to leave your host nation without them.

Keep copies of all the family members’ updated passports (front page as well as the page with a visa and an entry stamp) inside the go bag.

DOCUMENTS

You will need to collect all the important documents in case you could not go back to your housing overseas once you evacuate. If you go back to your home country and need to enroll your child to a school back home, you will have to pack documents required for school enrollment as well.

You may need to pack the original documents of the following in case an evacuation out of your host country happens.

Birth certificates
Marriage certificate
Contracts
Immunization records
School records
Certificates and licenses
Tax document
Original will

 

OTHER ITEMS

Cash (small bills)
Credit cards

 

There you go!

I am aware that you’re supposed to have one go bag per member of a family. However, this is the only go bag I prepared for my family. I find it more feasible.

My list may have some holes or missing items, but I hope this post will be helpful for many people as they prepare one.

LIST

For those of you who would like to print out a list, here it is.

Hopefully you will not have to use a go bag, but creating one will give you a peace fo mind. You will be better off with one for sure.

Stay safe!

 

FOR LATER