UTAH (ABC4) – Be Ready Utah partners up with Utah State University and gives tips on how families with small spaces can better prepare for an emergency, Sunday.

“In a small apartment without storage space? You can STILL prepare, you just need to be creative,” shares Be Ready Utah.

According to April Litchford the Home and Community Extension Assistant Professor for Box Elder County, having your home prepared in case of an emergency is essential for survival.

Litchford shares that more 40% of US households do not have a 3-day supply of clean water, and one third of US households do not have enough food in their home to last three days.

“Households experiencing food insecurity may have less than a day of available food,” she adds. “This is kind of concerning.”

Litchford states that this issue has been brought to her attention following the birth of the pandemic and how many were panic buying, and leaving most shelves empty at grocery stores.

According to the Community Extension Assistant Professor, it is vital to plan ahead and be prepared. But how do you start?

Litchford says that it is best to start slow and keep going from there. She breaks it down to three points:

  • Condense
  • Plan
  • Sustain

When it comes to condensing, Litchford urges the public to throw out or donate things that are not essential and create space for the supplies that matter.

“Get a storage shed in another area for things you just can’t part with, also find better ways to store, so that you can free up space for emergency supplies that should be in your immediate dwelling,” she shares.

Planning is another essential point, Litchford brings up.

“Make sure to know a plan if there is fire, earthquake, or if we get quarantined, think ‘what are we going to do?'” she adds.

Planning is the driving factor that shows initiative and allows others to understand what to do in certain situations. When you have a plan guiding you through a sudden emergency, things are more likely to go smoothly.

The last point Litchford focuses on is sustainability. She emphasizes that keeping a routine and staying consistent is key for emergency preparedness.

Litchford suggest families should revisit their emergency storage, and go over their emergency plans together once every month.

“It is really important to schedule that and make it a consistent regular thing,” she adds.