What to put in your Disaster/Emergency Kit

Now that you have your escape routes planned and you know where your local shelters are, you will want to start thinking about your emergency kit.

An emergency kit is a collection of items that you will need in the event of a disaster. Ideally, this kit should have everything you need in order to survive for at least three days. These kits can range in size depending on the size of your family and a person’s specific needs (such as health complications, pets, or location). These kits can also be used as mobile kits, meaning they’re meant to be quickly grabbed in the event of an evacuation, or kits meant to support your family when they are riding out a disaster at home.

Ready.gov has a great checklist that you can reference:

https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

For a basic kit you will want to include:

 

• Water
• A radio or weather alert system
• First aid kit
• Batteries and chargers
• Any medications or prescriptions specific to your needs
• Supplies for your pets
• Flashlight
• A basic tool kit
• A tarp

 

This list is meant to be for a basic kit and will vary from person to person.  There may be additional items you need that aren’t listed and there may be items listed you do not feel your family needs. All the items in the above list and on other sites have a good purpose, so you will need to do your research to decide what is best for your family to include.

 

One important thing to also note is that the food and water in these kits needs to be rotated. When selecting non-perishable or canned foods, try to pick foods with at least a year to two-year shelf life. The first year that you buy this food, mark and date when you purchased it and when you need to rotate it out.

 

One thing my family does, is we donate all of the non-expired foods every year. A good way to remember to rotate out your food, is to replenish and restock around Thanksgiving time. Every Thanksgiving, hundreds of charities around the country collect food to be donated. So, one thing you can do is make it a point to select foods that will last longer than a year, and every November, donate your unexpired food to a local charity and just replenish your emergency kit with new food.

 

If you are planning to make your emergency kit as an on the go emergency kit and not one meant exclusively for the home, be sure to get a backpack or tub that is waterproof, not too heavy, and made to store multiple things.

 

Personally, I like Under Armors camping backpacks. They’re water proof, they have storage compartments designed for clothing, and are meant to handle harsh environments.

 

This one here is actually on sale right now:

https://supersurplusstore.com/product/under-armour-hustle-camo-backpack/

 

There are many other options for storing kits such as dedicated closest, tubs, backpacks or specially designed cases. Personally, I like the idea of a backpack. There is something reassuring in knowing that you can just grab a premade pack and go if you had to leave at a moment’s notice.

 

Until tomorrow!