Kits and Lists for an Emergency!

Why isn’t a 72-hour kit first on the list of things to prepare? A 72-hour kit is also called a Grab-and-Go kit—something you take with you when you leave your home if you need to evacuate. A lot of emergencies don’t require us to evacuate our homes. Winter storms, other natural disasters, civil unrest, food supply shortages, power outages, loss of employment and sickness and quarantine - these are all examples of emergencies where we would stay in our homes, not leave. So a 72-hour kit is useful, but not needed for every emergency.

There are other kits that are good to prepare for use every-day. What if a bad winter storm came up while you were running errands on a typical day. Would you have what you need to make it home already in your car? What if you are driving during an earthquake. Do you know what to do, and do you have supplies to last a few days if it takes you that long to get home? These are some examples of times a 72-hour kit wouldn’t be used, but another kit would. In this post, we are going to discuss the kits you should make for every-day possibilities, as well as evacuations.

Here is a video you can start with:

Here is a rundown of the kits I will be recommending:

1. Every-day Carry Kit. These are items that will slip in a purse or bag easily wherever you go. It’s light and portable and will cover a lot of basic needs.

2. Get Home Kit. This fits in a duffel type bag, and stays in the vehicle
   at all times. It’s to cover you if your vehicle fails you, for whatever reason, and you will be walking home. What would you need to handle that situation? Those things are in the bag.

3. Car Emergency Kit. This stays in the vehicle all the time, and contains the things you will need if your car has problems, or if you will need to stay with the car for some time if you are stuck in traffic, have a flat tire, are challenged by a weather emergency or other problems.

4. 72-hour Kit. This bag is to sustain life and comfort for at least three days under conditions of evacuation FROM home on foot. It really should be in a backpack, and be limited to what you can fit in a back- pack. In three days time you’re going to get hungry, cold, thirsty, sleepy, and need to use the restroom. What can you take in a backpack to deal with those needs?

   You will also need an Evacuation List. This is a list of items you will take from your home in the event of an evacuation. The list will also organize your needs into time frames. For example, you should have a list of things to take if you have 10 minutes to prepare, and another if you have an hour to prepare.

0. Create Your Evacuation Checklist

Here is how to create an emergency evacuation list:

I walked through my home with a clipboard, looking at everything in every room. I made lists for what I would take if I had 5 minutes before evacuating, 30 minutes, 1 hour and 1 day. Then I sat down with my family and went through the lists, making sure I included all of the necessities, as well as priceless sentimental items.

We then talked about what we would need to DO in those same periods of time. The things that are absolutely essential to grab or do are at the top of each list. I printed off multiple copies of my lists and put them in the garage, my bedroom, the kitchen, and my storeroom. We should all be able to find one in an emergency.

After you have your list, practice at least once to make sure you can get through everything on your evacuation checklist as quickly as possible and so you know how to fit everything in your car. Make needed adjustments, then practice yearly.

A few ideas:

• If the house is on fire, get yourself and your family out and don’t worry about anything else.

• Keep 72-hour kits in a place where they are easy to grab. In the garage, near the back door...

• Keep shoes by the door at all times. My friend had a pair of flip flops by her door, so that’s all she took with her in the wildfire..

• Put power out supplies, such as flashlights, light sticks and extra batteries together together in case you need to find things in the dark.

• When traveling, we always take a 72-hour kit and an extended car kit with us.

• Create a binder that has all of your important documents in it so you can grab it quickly. 

To Do This Month:

• Prepare your everyday kits - Every-day Carry, Every-day, Get Home Bag and Car Emergency Kit.
• Prepare your Evacuation Checklist with your family.
• Prepare your Emergency Binder with all of your Vital documents in one place.
• Prepare your 72-hour kits for your family