• Water ( You need at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for 3 days.  A normally active person needs to drink at least one half gallon of water each day.  You will also need water to clean yourself and to cook.  This means a family of four needs 12 gallons of water in their emergency supply)
• Food (non-perishable)
• Manual Can opener
• Crank or battery operated flashlight, with extra batteries
• Extra keys for your house or car
• First aid kit
• Cash, in small bills
• Special needs items (ie. medications, infant formula)
• Personal hygiene items
•  Special needs items (i.e. medications, infant formula)
• Important Family documents (i.e. copies of birth and marriage certificates, passports, licenses, wills, land deeds and insurance)
• A copy of your emergency plan.

Additional items to consider                                  Sample 72hr Kit 

• Plastic Sheeting
• Change of clothing and footwear for each family member
• Scissors and a pocket knife
• Whistle
• Hand sanitizer
• Pet food and pet medication
• Garbage bags and twist ties
• Toilet Paper
• Multi tool or basic tools, (i.e. hammer, wrench, screwdriver etc.)
• Duct tape
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each member of your household 

Thunderstorms, lightning and hail

Thunderstorms and lightning occur throughout Canada but less frequently in the North. On average, 10 people die each year in Canada and up to 160 are injured during such storms.

•  Thunderstorms are usually over within an hour, although a series of thunderstorms can last several hours.
•  Hailstorms occur across Canada, mostly from May to October. They are most frequent in Alberta, the southern Prairies and in southern Ontario.
•  Some hailstones are the size of peas while others can be as big as grapefruits.
•  Hail comes down at great speed, especially when accompanied by high winds and can cause serious injuries and damages.

• If you are caught outside and you can see lightning or hear thunder, you are in danger of being hit. Seek shelter immediately either in an enclosed building or a hard-topped vehicle. There is no safe place outside in a thunderstorm.
•  If caught outside far from a safe location, stay away from tall objects, such as trees, poles, wires and fences. Take shelter in a low lying area.
•  Wait 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before going outside again.

• Before a severe thunderstorm, unplug radios, televisions and appliances (especially those that may start up automatically when the power is restored). Listen for weather updates on your wind-up or battery-powered radio.
•  If you need to use the phone during a thunderstorm use a cordless phone.
•  Stay away from items that may conduct electricity, such as corded telephones, appliances, sinks, bathtubs, radiators and metal pipes.
•  Consult our "Power Outages – What to do?” publication for more information.
•  If hail is forecast, protect your vehicle by putting it in the garage or other enclosed space.
•  Take cover when hail begins to fall. Do not go out to cover plants, cars or garden furniture.
•  When a hailstorm hits, stay indoors, and keep yourself and your pets away from windows, glass doors and skylights which can shatter if hit by hailstones

Warning signs of a potential tornado                  Severe Weather 

• Severe thunderstorms.
•  An extremely dark sky, sometimes highlighted by green or yellow clouds.
•  A rumbling or a whistling sound caused by flying debris.
•  A funnel cloud at the rear base of a thundercloud, often behind a curtain of heavy rain or hail.

What to do In all cases

• Get as close to the ground as possible, protect your head and watch for flying debris.
•  Do not chase tornadoes – they are unpredictable and can change course abruptly.
•  A tornado is deceptive. It may appear to be standing still but may in fact be moving toward you.

In a house

•  Go to the basement or take shelter in a small interior ground floor room such as a bathroom, closet or hallway.
•  If you have no basement, protect yourself by taking shelter under a heavy table or desk.
•  In all cases, stay away from windows, outside walls and doors.

• If your personal safety is not at risk, you may have time to open routes of escape for your livestock. Open the gate, if necessary, and then exit the area in a direction perpendicular to the expected path of the tornado.
• Livestock hear and sense impending tornadoes. If your family or home is at risk, the livestock will be a non-issue. If your personal safety is not an issue, you may only have time to open routes of escape for your livestock. Open the gate, if you must, and then exit the area in a tangent direction away from the expected path of the twister. 

• Find shelter elsewhere, preferably in a building with a strong foundation.
•  If no shelter is available, crouch down in a ditch away from the mobile home or recreational vehicle. Beware of flooding from downpours and be prepared to move.

•  Take shelter in an inner hallway or room, ideally in the basement or on the ground floor.
•  Do not use the elevator.
•  Stay away from windows.

•  Large buildings with wide-span roofs may collapse if a tornado hits.
•  If you are in one of these buildings and cannot leave, take cover under a sturdy structure such as a table or desk.

• If you spot a tornado in the distance go to the nearest solid shelter.
•  If the tornado is close, get out of your car and take cover in a low-lying area, such as a ditch.
•  Do not take shelter under an overpass or a bridge. Winds can accelerate under an overpass or a bridge and cause injury or death from flying debris.

•  Go to the basement or take shelter in a small interior ground floor room such as a bathroom, closet or hallway.
•  If you have no basement, protect yourself by taking shelter under a heavy table or desk.
•  In all cases, stay away from windows, outside walls and doors.

• Take shelter in an inner hallway or room, ideally in the basement or on the ground floor.
•  Do not use the elevator.
•  Stay away from windows.

• Large buildings with wide-span roofs may collapse if a tornado hits.
•  If possible, find shelter in another building.
•  If you are in one of these buildings and cannot leave, take cover under a sturdy structure such as a table or desk.

• More than half of all deaths from tornadoes happen in mobile homes.
•  Find shelter elsewhere, preferably in a building with a strong foundation.
•  If no shelter is available, lie down in a ditch away from the car or mobile home. Beware of flooding from downpours and be prepared to move.

• If you spot a tornado in the distance go to the nearest solid shelter.
•  If the tornado is close, get out of your car and take cover in a low-lying area, such as a ditch.

• Get as close to the ground as possible, protect your head and watch for flying debris.
•  Do not chase tornadoes - they are unpredictable and can change course abruptly.
•  A tornado is deceptive. It may appear to be standing still but is, in fact, moving toward you.