10 Things You Need In Your Disaster Emergency Kit
I thought it critical to talk about getting your disaster emergency kit updated today, so I’m updating this post from some years ago. You may be thinking about 72-hour kits or bug-out bags, they are one and the same. Here’s the deal, you may or may not have to leave your home. Either way, we need these items in our disaster emergency kit. The recent news reports about Hurricane Ian and all the devastation in Florida have reminded us of what can happen to those in harm’s way, and why we should do our best to be prepared.
Here in Utah, we have had so many fires people have been evacuating their homes and some have lost their homes, particularly those who live in or near the mountains. It is so sad and devastating. I’ve heard about fires in several other states, particularly California. Some have been human-started, and some may have been started by lightning.
Sometimes, we need a friendly reminder to get at least these items in our home ready to use or take with us. Of course, the more you have right now the better off you’ll be.
10 Items You Need In Your Disaster Emergency Kit
1. Water:
The very first thing you’ll need will always be water. The American Red Cross suggests one gallon of water per day per person. I highly recommend four gallons of water per person per day. Yes, that’s a lot of water. You never know if you’ll have to hunker down in your home or have to leave. This is why you need a plan.
You need to carefully pack your belongings and make sure you have enough. You need smaller items to pack if you’re going to evacuate. If you can accommodate three days’ worth of water per person per day in your car, have it ready to grab. Plan on some water for your pet as well.
Some people think they only need water to stay hydrated, and that is the most important. But, personal hygiene is also important since we don’t want to get sick while we’re dealing with other challenges. Being able to wash our hands, take even a sponge bath, and possibly due a little laundry of at least our underwear will make us feel more clean and confident we’ll get through things.
There is also the issue of possibly having to cook a few meals, and water is a critical part of meal preparation.
WaterBricks and WaterBrick Spigot
2. Food:
I would plan on a minimum of three days’ worth of food if you need to evacuate. Keep your pantry stocked with food for at least 30 days or more, you may need it if you are homebound. Please add a can opener to your food inventory, as well as paper plates, plastic silverware, and a few paper towels. If I need to evacuate I’m eating foods that don’t need cooking, if possible. I’m not hauling a butane stove to the school or church in my neighborhood. Please choose the canned foods you and your family will eat, not junk food.
I suggest cold cereal, and canned goods like beans, ravioli, beef stew, fruit, green beans, and corn. These foods wouldn’t need refrigeration. Granola bars or protein bars are a great addition. Just add some of the foods you know your family will love to eat. Peanut butter and crackers are always popular.
If you have a pet, add some dog food to your 72-hour disaster emergency kit. While I’m talking about pets, make sure you have a water and food dish, a leash, and a copy of the pets’ immunizations.
3. First Aid Kit:
If the stores are closed, then the over-the-counter (OTC) medications you have this very minute in your home are the ones you can use. It may be days or weeks before stores open, and this makes it possible for you to replenish your first aid stash from what you already have on hand. I would consider fever reducers, cough suppressants, anti-diarrhea medication, allergy medicine, and some items for cuts, and bee stings. This list is short, I have my full-fledged first aid kit list right here: First Aid Kit by Linda
If you have some Band-Aids, Neosporin, bandages, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and sunscreen you are a step ahead of the game. Please throw in some N-95 masks. Always consider those in your home who may have special needs, like young children and the elderly.
4. Prescriptions:
If it’s critical for survival for you to have your everyday prescriptions available, put them in your bag. If you have to evacuate at midnight and it’s dark, be prepared to grab that extra pair of glasses.
5. Personal Hygiene Products:
This is a really quick one to put together. The next time you go to the grocery store, stock up on small containers of shampoo, conditioner, (or use the ones you bring home from hotels when you’re on vacation), toothpaste, toothbrushes, a razor, a small can of shaving cream, and a bar of soap. This is where baby wipes come in handy for cleaning our private parts. You can never have too much hand sanitizer since you never know what those hands might be expected to do.
6. Tools and Supplies:
You may need a small tool kit, a 4-in-1 tool to turn off water and gas lines, a sewing kit, a flashlight with extra batteries, an all-purpose knife, matches, and a small fire extinguisher, to name a few unique supplies. I love my solar flashlights since batteries seem to run out faster than we ever expect.
If you have access to a crank radio that would be nice too. Get one that allows you to tune in to weather information, you’ll want to stay informed about what’s going on in your area, particularly, close to your home. The best flashlights, Solar Flashlights, Olight Flashlights, or Goal Zero Lanterns
7. Important Documents:
If you need to evacuate, please have all your important documents in a zippered binder. Some of the things you will want to have with you are your passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, insurance information, doctors’ names, and phone numbers, social security cards, copies of the critical pages of your will or trust, and contact information of all your close friends and family members.
If you have to leave your home, who knows how long you’ll be gone and what you might need to prove or negotiate before you can gain access.
8. Cleaning Supplies:
If you have to evacuate, be sure and take some garbage bags, dish soap, a bar of soap, hand sanitizer, some cleaning towels or rages, and bleach.
9. Clothing/Boots/Jackets:
You may not be coming back to your home soon if the authorities say you’re to be evacuated for days or weeks. If you have some extra underwear, at the very least, then an extra shirt and socks, you can get through almost anything. Having a set of clean clothes will uplift your spirits, I promise.
10. Misc. Items:
A blanket or two would be awesome. If you have some sleeping bags, those would be great. A water filter in case you run out of water no matter where you end up after leaving your home. Be sure and have a few one and five-dollar bills, since banks and ATMs possibly won’t be working or available. Bear Spray would be a good addition to our supplies.
Final Word
Let me know what you would add to my disaster emergency kit, we all learn from each other. Please be prepared before you need to be. May God Bless this world, Linda
Copyright pictures:Emergency: AdobeStock_43557390 by Pixsooz
Another list? Did I mention I like lists, LOL.
1. Water:
We keep a few cases of bottled water on hand, and the R/O system holds 7 gallons. The hot water tank holds 40 and as long as we have propane for the generator to run the well pump, we’ll have water. One thing we should not forget is the need to flush the toilet, so as a backup here, we keep several 5 gallon buckets nearly full of water, with a loose fitting lid on top to keep out the dirt & bugs. With modern low volume toilets using a 1.6 gallon flush, each bucket can provide 3 flushes and can also be used for hygiene like washing hands.
2. Food:
When you add that can opener, make sure it is manual. We always have two or more on hand, and try to keep them sharp. We like Progresso soups that can be eaten cold or hot. They are hearty and most need no can opener to access as do many canned food items today. As long as you have water and a way to cook, the Bear Creek mixes are inexpensive, tasty and filling; but, you need to keep track of the sodium.
3. First Aid Kit:
We have several of these and keep everything topped off, often from items at Dollar Tree.
4. Prescriptions:
I take the bulk of these and we have made sure that we have at least a 90 day supply of everything, ordering as soon as possible, to maintain the stock. For non narcotic medications, ask your doctor for some extra, especially generic medications that you may be able to purchase inexpensively without insurance.
5. Personal Hygiene Products:
I think of these as soap and tooth maintenance supplies. We are currently spending some money to get all of the final little things done with our dentist, since prevention beats a toothache or infection after an SHTF event.
For shaving you don’t need shaving cream, just lather up good with a soft soap or even shampoo. I do my shaving in the shower when I can get the beard really wet and softened up.
6. Tools and Supplies:
Unless you are very young (I am not), a tool collection can be acquired inexpensively over a life time, purchasing one tool at a time as you need them or they are on sale.
7. Important Documents:
We have these in a fireproof box; plus scanned copies stored on several USB thumb drives spread around for safe keeping.
8. Cleaning Supplies:
The wife has tons around; but, perhaps vinegar, ammonia, clorine bleach, and dawn makeup the core. Wet wipes are also handy in a pinch, as well as a hand cleaner for grease.
9. Clothing/Boots/Jackets:
Over a 36 year marriage living in one place for 34 years, we have all that we need, and perhaps even too much. In a pinch we could provide older things to others.
10. Misc. Items:
We all have some of this clutter, LOL. Hopefully some of it may be useful in the future, like the many wool and fleece blankets, sleeping bags and the MMSS (Military Modular Sleep System). Adding some air mattresses, inflatable beds, and cots, can make your place a hub with select people joining you to help with chores and security.
Hi Ohio Prepper, I LOVE your comment! You are a great example to everyone! I had to Google this item: MMSS (Military Modular Sleep System/ I learn something new every day! Great comment! Stay safe, stay well. Linda
Linda, I was glad to see this comment still standing. we lost TOP a year or so, back suddenly. He always had such good info to add to posts on several sites he frequented. He is the one who told me to put all canning lids in very hot water with a little baking soda to condition the lids..It stopped my canning failures.
Hi Denise, that is so sad to hear, I did not know that. The comment is so awesome, and he was awesome! Great tip on the lids! Linda
Linda,
Add some sort of personal protection to the list and it’s complete. At a bare minimum, some bear spray.
Hi Ray, good one, I will do that!! Thank you, Linda
It’s definitely good to think on and have a plan. Things happen and more often than not. I hate to see folks doing the mad scramble and grabbing things like flip flops and whatever happens to be laying in the coffee table.
You only own what you can protect. Weapons
Looters can be an issue
I prefer powerful lights such as olights that recharge and that can be done with a simple solar charger or the vehicle.
Hi Matt, I love the Olight flashlights you told me about! Great reminder! Adding them, Linda
I usually have a pack of baby wipes in my kits. Cheap, easily accessible, and not only will clean you up, they also can take care of floors and carpeting. I need to add dish detergent to my kit. We made the decision to use paper products in our evacuation kit. Unless we take our camper with us, then we have all sorts of cleaning stuff.
For those of us who have too many medical problems, it would help to have a list of all your doctors and phone numbers. Several years ago my husband ended up in the ER and he was so worried about what was happening that he had trouble remembering all his medication. When we got home, I put together a list of his meds and also listed all his doctors and phone numbers. Since then we’ve updated it to include things like date of last colonoscopy (the joy of turning 50 and it keeps on giving), the date of any of diagnostic testing, and his most recent A1C. My list includes the date and results from my last mammogram and the new bone scan that is done every other year. Basically any information that a doctor who has never seen you before needs to know.
My list was extremely helpful this week. Our local hospital system has technology problems and all their wonderful and time saving online charting is down. I went in for my 90 day check up and I had my list of medications that I have had unpleasant reactions to and shouldn’t take, the meds I take daily, and everything else. It made things easier for them.
One thing that I saw that was helpful is that if you have to evacuate and may end up at a shelter for a day or so, if you have an older person or a person in a wheelchair or is disabled and needs assistance, bring a list of what the person is able to do for themselves. Let’s say a person is wheelchair bound and can feed themselves, can transfer onto a toilet if there is space and grab bars to help. The person will need help dressing themselves. Between my husband and myself, we have a “collection” of about 8 specialists.
Hi Topaz, great comment, I need to share my binder contents. It has a sheet with all of this information. Great reminder, we may not always have the internet. Great tips! Linda
Great reminder for me to re-pack my important papers. I recently moved my bedroom to another BR, including my safe and my other important papers box. My safe no longer locks so I had to remove stuff from it so a couple more boxes needed. Geez, procrastination set in, so hadn’t re-organized, put stuff back in it. Adult grandson came to me wanting his ssn card and birth certificate…I had to look hard to find! Your post is yet another reminder to sort important papers, put away properly. Also, find that binder with the copies of all those same papers!
Hi Wendy, I totally agree, it’s so nice to be able to find those important documents when we need them. That’s a bummer your safe lock no longer works. Dang! Linda