Category Archives: 72 Hour Kits

Aug 27 2012

Surviving and Thriving in Times of Calamity

So you have just heard the news; a huge disaster is headed your way. It doesn’t matter what it is, just that it is coming your way and will result in the loss of power and ability to refrigerate and cook food for a period of time. This is a serious situation, but fear not! While all the people around you are losing their heads in panic, you know that you are as prepared as possible because you have taken the two most necessary steps to ensure that you and your family are as safe from harm. Continue reading »

Twitt
Jul 20 2012

Baby 72 Hour Checklist Infographic

When you put together 72 Hour Kits for your family, don’t forget the youngest members! Even if your baby isn’t born yet, it is still a good idea to have a kit for them as well. These can easily be made by gathering the following items and placing them into an extra diaper bag. Keep this kit with the 72 Hour Kits for the rest of your family and each person will be ready for an emergency. If you would like to embed this infographic to your site, there is a code right underneath the graphic! Continue reading »

Twitt
Mar 2 2012

Prepare your vehicles!

Whenever I leave my house, I am not usually thinking, “Hmmm, what could go wrong while I am out?” But I probably should be thinking that. So many people get into accidents and have emergencies in their vehicles. For this reason I have decided to make a little “kit” to go in my trunk.

The first item on my list is a small blanket. Maybe even one of those aluminum-foil looking blankets. I absolutely hate being cold. During the winter months (and even during the night through the summer months) it gets quite cold. I have often thought about how I would probably freeze to death if I got stranded in my car if it’s cold outside.

The next item is some sort of food item that won’t go bad. My first thought is to get a box of granola bars. The best option would be the very crunchy kind that won’t “melt” in the heat, and definitely nothing with chocolate (melted mess) or raisins (they might go bad quickly.)

Next on the list is water. I have heard a lot of theories that bottled water, if sitting in a warm car will absorb toxins from the plastic bottles. So perhaps a metal container would be best? I have seen cheap metal water bottles at the dollar store, so it wouldn’t be too pricey. However, even plastic water bottles would be better than nothing. If you are dehydrated and dying of thirst, you probably won’t be too concerned with the toxins in the water bottles.

If you’re like me, you try to be organized, so I am going to use one of my old backpacks to put these things in. That way I will have everything together just in case anything happens. Of course you will have to adjust the kit to fit anything that your specific car might need. (My car burns oil a little bit, so I always keep an extra quart of oil in the trunk.) A small first aid kit is also a very good thing to have in a car.

All in all, as long as you have water, food, and warmth, you will probably be able to make it through a situation where you are stranded and you will be grateful for the time that you put into your kit!

Twitt
Feb 15 2012

Pet Preparedness

When it comes to being prepared for a disaster, how many of us take into consideration our pets?

While you are preparing 72 hour kits for your family members, do not forget about your pets. I have two dogs so I have been thinking about what I will be doing for my dogs for prepare them for an emergency.

A typical 72 hour kit for a dog might include the following items:

At least one gallon of water (2 or 3 gallons might be needed, depending on the size of your dog)

3 days supply of food (dry or canned are both ideal to include in your kit because neither spoils very quickly. Keep in mind that with dry dog food, your dog will drink more water, so compensate for that when you are deciding how much water to include.)

A leash (Not one of those retractable ones, just a sturdy leash, at least 6 feet long.)

A buckle collar with a name tag on it (Make sure the name tag includes your phone number and address.)

A small fleece blanket, or a towel

Optional* You could include some treats and a favorite toy

Ideally, when you are gathering the items for the 72 hour kit, you will purchase a doggie “backpack”

so that you can pack all of the items into the pack and your dog can later wear it. Make sure that you get the correct size of pack for your dog. A 5 lb

chihuahua won’t be able to carry a gallon of water, or much of anything else. So if your dog is small, you may want to just pack their items into your pack so that you have everything all together.

This guideline can be modified for any type of pet. Just remember that if anything happens, you do not want to have to worry about your pets. It will be very nice to have everything all ready for them in case of an emergency.

Twitt
Jan 5 2012

Where to Start…What to Get

survivors Survivors of major catastrophes are faced with a few difficult realities.  Not only do they have to recover from any physical damage they have received to their bodies, they also are faced with starting over with next to nothing.  Although probably none of them will be living like kings after such a serious disaster, but some are more prepared to face their future than others when it comes to useful resources.                  

All we can do is prepare the best we can.  Here’s a link to a site that’s been built to help  ordinary people know what they can do to better prepare for such a situation.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/03/how-to-survive-an-emergen_n_275836.html

There’s lots of ways you can figure out how to prepare on your own.  There are some certain things you need to remember in your preparation.

-Water. Water.  Water.  You may need water for bathing, drinking, using the restroom, cooking, and just about anything.  Be sure that you have a good water supply along with your food supply.

-Food.  Certain foods can be preserved through freeze drying or dehydration.   There are companies that sell emergency food in bulk that may prove very helpful.  If possible, find foods that will be at least somewhat nutritious.  There’s no telling exactly how long you’ll be in need of help.  You don’t want to be on a diet of unhealthy food for too long.

Hygiene supplies.  Tooth brushes, toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, cloths or rags, shampoo, extra clothing if possible, towels.

Lighting- Flashlights, lanterns, batteries, candles, etc.

Medical supplies.  Bandages, cremes, antibacterial medicine, pain killers.survival

Twitt