What Do I Really Need?

Last month I introduced you to the idea and importance of developing your own personal emergency preparedness plan. Part of that plan is to create an emergency preparedness kit. What is in an emergency preparedness kit, you might be wondering? An emergency preparedness kit contains basic, non-perishable items necessary for you and your family to survive should a natural disaster or other catastrophic event occur. You will want to personalize your kit to meet your needs but every kit should have the following six basic items: water, food, first aid supplies, clothing, tools and special items.

The American Red Cross recommends putting together a 72-hour kit with these six items as your foundation. You will want to store at least one gallon of water per day per person. In other words, 3 gallons of water per person you are preparing for in your 72-hour kit. This will allow each individual at least two quarts of drinking water and 2 quarts of water to use for sanitation needs such as dishwashing, hand washing and teeth brushing.

The items you choose for food MUST be nonperishable. Freeze dried, dehydrated or canned items make excellent choices. Mountain House Freeze Dried packets and cans are easy to store, have a long shelf life, are easy to prepare and taste good. For more information or to order Mountain House products please visit http://www.proaxis.com/~ofd1/mh/index.ht... You can purchase many dehydrated items in bulk making them another excellent choice for your kit. For suggestions or to order bulk items you can visit: http://www.americanfamilynetwork.com/

A good first aid kit is a must! Besides Band-Aids it should have some antibiotic cream, splints, gloves, gauze and such. You can put your own first aid kit together but an easy alternative is to purchase a commercially prepared one. The American Red Cross has first aid kits and emergency preparedness kits that you can purchase direct through them.

You should have at least one complete change of clothing for each family member. This way, if someone’s clothing gets wet they will be able to change into dry clothes. Wet clothing can quickly lead to hypothermia. You might also consider extra bedding items as well.

Also, some basic tools will come in handy during an emergency. One of the first items that leaps to mind is a hatchet or axe of some type. It can be used to chop up some wood to build a fire if needed. It can also be used as a hammer or a freeing agent if trapped. Other items that are important are a shovel, flashlight and extra batteries and bulbs or a self-powered flashlight, the same goes for a radio if battery operated extra batteries or purchase a self-powered radio, waterproof matches, non-electric can opener and pliers will make a good start for your tool kit.

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