72 Hour Kit for Emergencies

Hurricane Isaac is heading towards the Gulf Coast and individuals in Florida’s panhandle, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi are preparing for the worst. We have seen tornadoes tearing through cities across the country and earthquakes rocking not just the coast but states like Ohio and Virginia, too. As a supermarket-reliant country that defines inconvenience as life without the Internet, these major storms, which seem to be increasing in both frequency and intensity, are truly terrifying. Now is the time to prepare for a power-outage. The Red Cross recommends keeping a 72-hour kit that contains non-perishable foods, medical supplies, and more; however, you can create a similar emergency pack on your own for less money.

Each member of the family should have his or her own pack and be responsible for carrying it in case of an emergency. During tornado season, keep your pack in the basement. If you are in a hurricane-prone area, keep it in the car. Practice and be prepared to grab your bag and head to safety during a crisis.

Get a backpack for each family member. It does not need to be fancy. You can use last year’s school bags or pick up reduced-price new ones at a dollar store or Walmart. All of your disaster kit items will be kept in your bag, so make sure that it is a regular sized bag, and not a miniature version.

Water is the most essential part of any preparedness kit. You should not only keep four to eight water bottles in each bag, you should also fill several empty milk jugs or plastic drink bottles with clean water to store in your home.

When planning the food for each bag, you want to make sure that each person has enough calories and proper nutrition for the three-day supply. You can choose what’s best for your family, and remember that calorie intake for a grown man is a lot different than a toddler. Choose items with a long shelf life and favor items which will not make you thirsty over items that will. Below are some ideas of what you can bring:

· Granola bars

· Trail mix

· Crackers or pretzels

· Tuna or other canned meat

· Beef jerky

· Canned fruits and vegetables

· Canned meals, such as complete soups or pastas

· Candy

· Fruit snacks

· Cookies

· Gum

Items for hygiene can include the following as needed:

· Tissues or roll of toilet paper

· Soap

· Lotion

· Toothbrush and paste

· Deodorant

· Shampoo/conditioner

· Comb

· Feminine hygiene products

· Hand sanitizer

· Sunscreen

· Pain medicine, heartburn medicine, allergy medicine, and any prescription drugs

· Bug spray

· Fingernail clippers

· Chapstick

· Floss

· First aid kit, including bandages, tweezers, wet wipes, disposable gloves, Neosporin

· Washcloths

Other survival items:

· Rain ponchos

· Extra clothing

· Flashlight with batteries

· Candles

· Lighter and matches

· Can opener

· Pocket knife

· Scissors

· Utensils (either plastic or regular)

· Napkins

· Pen and paper

· Battery-operated radio with spare batteries

· Duct tape

· Work gloves

You may also want to include something to entertain the kids, such as a book, playing cards, or puzzle books.

Being prepared in case of an emergency is something that needs to be done before the emergency occurs, in the same way that preparing for financial freedom should be planned in advance. Jason Hartman says that due to inflation, “a dollar tomorrow is less valuable than a dollar today.” In the same way, preparing tomorrow may be too late. The value is in preparing today. (Top image: Flickr | Global X)

The Holistic Survival Team