Checklist for Individuals and Families

Virginia Department of Health checklist link

This checklist will help you to take steps to lessen the impact of a severe coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on you and your family. Many of these steps are good advice to help you and your family during any disaster, like an earthquake or flood.

Examples of non-perishable food:
 Canned meats, such as tuna, chicken, turkey, Vienna sausage
 Canned beans, fruits, vegetables, soups
 Protein or fruit bars
 Dry cereal or granola
 Dried fruit
 Peanut butter and jelly
 Nuts and trail mix
 Crackers
 Comfort food, including cookies, candy, instant coffee, tea bags
 Canned juices
 Bottled water
 Baby formula and canned or jarred baby food
Examples of other emergency supplies:
 Pet food, cat litter
 Disposable diapers
 Feminine supplies
 Flashlight
 Portable radio
 Batteries for flashlights, radios, games, thermometers
 Manual can opener
 Plastic garbage bags
 Tissues and toilet paper
 Entertainment–games, crafts, books, movies, etc.
 Supplies for persons with special needs – the elderly or disabled
 Some extra cash
Store water, food, and other essentials.
Prepare to get by for at least a week on what you have at home. You may be unable to get to a store, or stores may not be open or may have limited supplies for weeks. Public services may also be disrupted, so prepare for outages in electricity, water, and garbage services. Keep extra supplies on hand (they can also be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages and natural disasters).

                                  AT HOME      Make household emergency plans
 Prepare for possible changes in healthcare. For example, medical advice and healthcare may be
more difficult to obtain during a severe pandemic and healthcare providers and medical facilities
may be overwhelmed. There may not be enough medical supplies, healthcare providers, and
hospital beds for all persons who are ill.
 Difficult decisions about who receives medical care and how much treatment can be administered
will be necessary. Talk about these possibilities with your family and loved ones.
 Think about how you would care for people in your family who have disabilities if support services
are not available.
 Decide who will take care of children if schools are closed.
 For general preparedness, agree on a point of contact where all family members can check-in if
you are separated during any emergency.