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It
is
very important for each family to have an accessible kit that would
help
sustain life for up to 3 days if needed.
City
officials and your local governments and cities usually need 3 days to
get basic utilities back on line in times of disaster.
Also
see 'MY BUG OUT
BAG' for more ideas!
None
of us ever expect to have to be evacuated from our homes, but the truth
is, that it could happen to any of us, and we need to be prepared for
that.
Natural disasters such as snow storms, fires, tornadoes,
hurricanes,
severe storms, civil disturbances, and earthquakes send thousands
fleeing
from their homes every year in the US and Canada alone.
You will need enough supplies for each of your family members. Each kit should be easily reachable near an exit in your home. A good place to store these would be in a hall closet near the front or back door.
TYPES OF HOLDERS
FOR KITS
Sweatshirt
72-hour kits.
You can make an easy
to
carry
'sweatshirt pack' if you wish. Simple take an ordinary
sweatshirt
- each family member can have their own size, and if you don't have
used
ones, go to a yard sale or thrift shop to purchase them. Sew the bottom
of the sweatshirt shut using a needle and dental floss for
stability.
Do the same with the sleeves. Each sleeve can hold bottled water
and a warm pair of socks. Food storage in zip lock bags are then
placed in the body of the shirt. These special 72 hour packs can be
hung
in the hall closet and slung over your back and shoulders in an
emergency.
Backpack
kits
You can use the
kids' old
school backpacks for your 72 hours kits also. This way each
child/teen
can carry their own. We have 2 backpacks- one on wheels, in
addition to a large white bucket kit. Backpacks on wheels on
GREAT! Have one for each kid.
Shared by a
reader -
Pat
"Bev, Once
we did this for the whole family. We were kind of poor so instead
of buying Christmas gifs we bought things that went inside the pack (we
bought back
packs) and wrapped them up in bulk. Then on Christmas morning we
all sat around the tree and assembled our individual packs. Each
pack was individualized to the person who was using it and we used a
3x5
card to list everything that was in each compartment of the pack so you
could read it like a menu. That would help you to keep from
digging
through everything all the time."
Large
bucket
Our
kit items are stored in large white frosting buckets that I purchased
from
our grocery store. Most delis sell clean, empty buckets with
tight-fitting
lids, for a few dollars. They are waterproof and food safe,
so I recommend that you go to any grocery store that has a
'from-scratch'
bakery and ask if they sell similar buckets. (The ones we have had 40
lbs
of frosting in them originally.)
CONTENTS of KITS
For
Warmth and Shelter
Small
tent and 2 sleeping bags (we have 5 sleeping bags ready to grab, in our
hall closet if we needed to evacuate.)
Water-Proof
Matches , or a couple of lighters
Emergency
reflective blankets
Buddy
Burner
2
6-hour
Hand and Body warm packs
2
Ponchos
6'
length of Tin foil for cooking (folded up flat)
Wool
mittens, hats
Light
Sources
Flashlight
-battery run or hand generated
Batteries
-stored separately
100
hour emergency candle
2 Light
sticks
Safety
First
Aid Kit
Plus bottle of Potassium
iodide tablets for purifying water (I have found them in camping
supplies
at Walmart, Shopko, etc)
Bug dope -get
the
small/sample packets to save space
Sunscreen SPT 45
or higher -
small
bottle - be sure it is UVB and UVA protection
Money
at
least $50 in change and small bills in your kit, plus quarters
and dimes for phone calls.
make
sure that there have $5 in quarters and dimes in each child's kit also
phone
card
Food
6
Beef or Buffalo Jerky sticks (3 per day each) -a high quality one
is
available at the ON Store.
2
cans
of meat
2
cans vegetables
2
cans fruit
2
cans Soup,
read-to-eat variety
small
pkg cookies or crackers
Dried
Fruit
Granola
4
Power Bars
3
packages
of hot chocolate & 2 qts. potable water, easily stored in
plastic
pop bottles.
Hard
Candy and Chewing Gum
Can opener!
WATER at least 2 gallon per person. And a water purification
system.
MRE
(Meals Ready to Eat) -also found some of these in the camping
supplies
at department stores. These are very handy for 72 hour kits and you
could
buy one for each meal instead of some of the other products listed here.
Packages
of peanut butter and crackers
small
can
opener - did I mention that already???
Paper
Plates and cups, Plastic silverware
3-4
large garbage
bags (can serve as a rain poncho if needed)
Personal
needs (Place in an ice cream bucket)*
small
bar of soap (hotel soap works great)
toothbrushes
and gel toothpaste, or baking soda
small
shampoo
comb
roll
of toilet paper
sanitary
napkins (good for large wounds)
Boy
Scout Handbook for info on 1st Aid and survival
small-disposable
pack wash wipes
MEDICINE
if
family members are on prescription meds
Don't
forget food for pets for 3 days too.
Change of underclothing, and warm, dry socks for each person.
Communications
Small
am/fm radio with batteries stored separately in the bucket
Whistle
with neck cord
Ham Radio if you have a license.
Tools
Pocket
knife
Shovel
(foldable ones are available in many dept stores in camping supplies)
Hatchet
or ax
Sewing
kit - 2 needles, 2 pins, 2 buttons,
needle
threader, small spool of white thread
50
foot nylon rope and 12 clothespins
Fishing
line and 3 hooks
Important
Papers
Copies
of birth certificates, marriage license, will, insurance forms, copies
of genealogy records
Phone
numbers you might need
Credit
card info
Up
to date photos of each family member
I
also
took finger prints and hand prints of each family member for
identification
ADDITIONAL
ITEMS
Potable
(drinkable)water--very
important!
When
my boys were toddlers, I kept a change of clothes in the kit
also.
If you have babies, you will need some paper diapers also.
It
is a sensible idea to change the food and clothing in these kits every
6 months, when you switch the clocks back or forward perhaps.
This
is especially true if you have small children as they out-grow them so
quickly.
Durable
nylon packs
Metalized
Woven Thermal Blanket
Separate
nylon bag with tent.
An
Ice Cream bucket with lid and a roll of toilet paper inside, can be
used
for a porta potty if needed.
Even if you live in
warm
areas of the country or world, you still need warm clothing in case of
rain and winds. People get very chilled if wet and under
stress.
You don't want to experience hypo-thermia!
Be
sure
to personalize your bucket with items that fit your family. Also
have enough items for each family member split among several
buckets
being sure enough people will be able to grab and carry them quickly.
OFFSITE LINKS to 72 hour kits
FEMA's
LIST of water and food for 72 hours
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/72hourkit
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/preparation/72_hour_kit.pdf
http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/dem/prepare/72hourkit.jsp
http://www-suares.stanford.edu/72hour-kit.html
http://outlands.tripod.com/survival/72hrkit.htm