August 72-hour kit

Posted by LivingProvident on Aug 10th, 2009 | no comments home title

Emergency Preparedness Goal

Place $20.00 in coin and small bills in your “Cash Stash”. Hopefully you have $160.00. WOW!! (If you don’t have this amount maybe you should hide your “Stash” somewhere else!).
Newspapers
Metal cup, metal bowl (1 per person – scout mess kit is ideal)
Wash cloths, towels
Gloves

Food Storage Goal

72-hour kit

Challenge

You and your family try living off your 72-hour kits for one Saturday and Sunday. See what works and what you still may need to make it more bearable for your family. This is a great practice test.

72-Hour Emergency Preparedness

A 72-hour emergency kit is not the same thing as a year’s supply of essentials or even home emergency supplies. The kit is to be packed and kept in a convenient place to be picked up at a moment’s notice in case of evacuation. The contents are to provide basic needs during the “lag time” – before help arrives. This can be up to 72-hours. This means all your water, food, shelter, and clothing. This must be for anytime day or night, winter or summer.

The seriousness of the situation can be compounded depending on the weather, your family’s physical condition and the resources you have at hand. Your family’s success in surviving a situation will depend largely upon its ability to adapt and solve the problems of providing the necessities of life.

Planning Your Kit

Your KIT must be individualized to meet your family’s needs in order to be successful. Basic things to keep in mind:

Family size
Climate
Health and age of each family member
Prepare to WALK as it may not be possible to use a car.
Be selective – don’t pack unnecessary items. They only add weight and extra burden to an already stressful situation.
Your kit may be all you have to save your life or the life of a loved one. Don’t cheat yourself.

Of course, there is always the chance that your family may never face a disaster.

But

Do you want to take that chance?

Hints

Location of your kit. If possible, keep it in a place where:

It is safe, clean, convenient and know by all of the family.
It can be picked up quickly, preferably near an exit on the ground floor or near a window.
It is cool, dry and dark.

Provide a self-sustaining kit or backpack for every member of the family old enough to carry one.

As much as possible, use air-tight, waterproof Ziploc bags to store items in your kit.

Attach a laminated list to the outside of the kit to identify locations of items.

Use food that has a shelf life of at least 1-3 years and ROTATE IT EVERY YEAR.

Re-evaluate your family’s needs and check your kit every year.

Never carry anything in your hands that you can carry on your back. This will keep your hands free for unplanned situations.

Have a predetermined action plan (plus an alternate plan) for your family to reunite at a central location if they are separated.

Practice*Practice*Practice

Show each family member how to turn off your home’s GAS, WATER AND ELECTRICITY.

Take a First Aid class.

Don’t count on the following:

The use of a car
A functioning gas station
Accessible roads

These are usually the first services to be interrupted in an emergency.

To help waterproof your backpack, use heavy duty trash can liners to line your pack or cover it in case of rain or to use as a ground cover.

Test your kit. Take your family camping for 72 hours using nothing but the kit.

Remember special needs of infants, toddlers, invalids, the sick, blind and handicapped and the elderly.

Keep an emergency flashlight in your car, home and kit.

Be familiar with state, county and city disaster plans.

Locate emergency shelters close to your home, schools and work and make sure family members know where they are.

Having your family prepared makes it possible for you and your family to help others.

Sew or attach a label to the outside of your kit/backpack with the following information on it:

Name
Name of parents
Home address
Birthdate
Person to notify in case of an emergency
Blood type/RH factor (ask your doctor)
Allergies
Medications currently taking and special instructions
Medic-Alert tag/card, “Vial of Life” information (if applicable)
Any other important medical information
Names of relatives, close friends or neighbors
Phone number

Fear can make an already stressful situation much more stressful. Fear of the unknown, fear of your ability to cope, and the individual fears of family members can multiple a situation. To help calm down a situation, remember what was stated earlier:

We do not usually fear the familiar – it is the unfamiliar that we fear most.

Practice*Practice*Practice

Many times the lack of essential items such as clean water, food, heat, light, first aid equipment and trained medical help (in other words, the lack of preparation) and not the disaster itself that takes the greatest toll on life and health.

Personal and family preparedness for the unexpected should be a matter of common sense

Here are some other posts from us that you may find of use when planning your Emergency Preparedness 72-hour Kit:

Emergency Supply Kit

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