Disasters take on many forms and can strike at any time. The list of situations that you could find yourself in is endless, but assembling 3 different kits should have you ready to face all but the most severe scenarios. You may find yourself confined to your home for days at a time without utilities, or perhaps you have to evacuate. Worse still, would be caught away from home, and needing to get back to your loved ones. Whatever happens, these 3 kits will make any of these scenarios easier to overcome.
1 – Home Emergency Kit
Your home emergency kit should contain items that will see you through several days without utilities. Some of the items you should have in this kit are:
- Non perishable food (canned or freeze dried meals)
- Source of light (candles, flashlights…don’t forget matches and batteries)
- Source of information (portable radio…again make sure you have batteries)
- Basic first aid kit (consider taking a basic F/A course from the Red Cross)
- Source of heat (be careful when using fuel burning heaters indoors)
2 – Bug Out Kit
Many preppers have bug out bags, but a backpack may not be the only option. Having some supplies in a few storage totes ready to go can save you valuable time when you need to get out of a troublesome situation. When assembling your bug out kit remember:
- List of possible destinations, contact info, and maps of routes to take
- Non perishable food that can be easily prepared or eaten without cooking
- Drinking water
- Have some gas stored so you can top off the car’s tank before you go
3 – Get Home Kit
You may one day find yourself in a situation where you need to abandon motorized transport in order to get home or to a designated safe place. Commuting to work can easily leave you with a 2 or 3 day hike to get to where you are going. Consider the following when you put together a get home kit.
- A change of clothes, something rugged and meant for the outdoors. Remember to keep it seasonal.
- A tarp or small tent to use for shelter.
- Non perishable food. Consider easy to prepare meals and always keep weight in mind.
- Water and a water filter. Carrying several days of water is impractical. Make sure you can purify water along the way.
Before you start building a year’s supply of food or getting a solar power system for your home, these 3 basic kits will get you started in the right direction and will likely prepare you for the vast majority of emergencies that could happen.