Have you noticed the world has been hammered with natural disasters and storms over the past couple of years? And that it’s getting worse?? Maybe you or someone you know has been affected by a tornado, hurricane, snow storm, or earthquakes, just to name a few…
What would you do if you were affected? Are you prepared? Not completely sure, let’s look at some common questions that you would be asking yourself. Do you have water storage in case your house water becomes contaminated? Do you have means to cook food if your power was out for weeks? Do you have food stored in the event that the grocery store had no food? Do you have supplies ready in the event that you had to leave your home quickly? If you have answered no to any of these questions let’s change that starting today. Because who would want to put their family or yourself in that situation? The answer, NO ONE… So let’s get prepared and have a plan just in case.
To start our emergency preparedness series, we are going to start with 72-hour kits. And if you have never heard of one of these kits, they are a kit with the supplies needed to survive for 72-hours. Before I begin showing you our 72-hour kits, please keep in mind that these kits are personalized to fit the needs of my family. So please keep in mind that yours could be different.
For the last month, I have been gathering supplies for our 72-hour kits (somethings we already had). If you are on a budget, try spending a certain amount each month toward the items needed than before you know it, you will have your kit completed… We decided to store our kits in our basement because that is the only place we have room, they are right below the window…
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Here are some of the things we have in our kits, somethings are only in Eric’s and mine bags or only in one of our bags plus the kids do have some extra things in their bags like card games/draw pads. Please note that I have tried to link the items to Amazon but something I could not find because we purchased at a local store or already had on hand.
Backpack (orange: New Outlander an amazing light bag), Road Atlas, Whistle, Radio (we already had this), Water, Food (linked to something similar to what we have), Water Purification Tablets
Light-stick, Candles, Blanket, Fire Starter, Hatchet Hammer w/knife (Eric Bag, purchased at a sports store), Pocket Knife (my bag), Gloves, Rope, Plastic Drop Cloth, Mask, Duck Tape, Matches, First-Aid, Hand Warmers, Poncho, Flashlight
Wipes, Soap, Q-tips, Shampoo/Conditioner, Sanitary Wipes, Brush, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss, Face Wash, Sunscreen, Deodorant, Hand Sanitizer, Fingernail Clippers, Tissues
There are still somethings I need to place in our bags, like our important papers, but that least we have everything else. Here is the checklist I created for our 72-hour kits.
**FIND the 72 Hour Bag Emergency Checklist-PDF file**
You can find more info on 72-hour kits at Ready.gov or Red Cross. There are lots of great websites on building a 72 hour kit (like this one at A Bowl Full of Lemons) please check them out so you can build the perfect kit for your family. Another thing you can do is buy an already made 72-hour kit, here are some that you can buy from Amazon.
Most of these items if you can find at a local store (I found some items at the dollar store/hardware store/camping store) or Emergency Preparedness store. Hope this info helps you become more prepared for an emergency.
