Are you thinking about giving emergency preparedness or food storage items to your loved ones for Christmas? I went to the Family Storehouse the other day to buy a 72 hour food kit.
I'd been thinking for a long time about what food to include in our 72 hour kits. Most of the advice out there is to have ready-to-eat food that requires little to no cooking. That usually translates into canned foods which are great but really weigh down the pack and take up space.
Then I can across Family Storehouse and noticed that they sell a 72 hr kit with 33 servings including milk that weighs only 3 lbs!
I think it is a great option especially if you are evacuating because it frees up so much space and weight. I bought 2.
All their meals come in 5 serving pouches that only require water to make. Yes, I know. Water is heavy. I don't plan on including more than drinking water in my 72 hr kits because I figure the only way we will be needing to eat this food is if we are evacuated or sheltering in place.
There will be water at the shelter. Or we could use the water we have stored at home if we are sheltering in place and need to eat this food. (And I have extra water stored in my car trunks in case we are stranded somewhere.)
What's best about this food is that is can last up to 25 years. Now I don't have to worry about rotating so often. I'm sure I still will though. I can imagine these little pouches would be great on camping trips.
Can you tell how excited I am about this?
I met the owner of the store while I was there. We talked about emergency preparedness and food storage of course. I told him all about my blog and he offered to give my readers a promo code for 10% off any purchase! Awesome huh?
They carry all sorts or long-term food storage kits out of the same food pouches ranging from 5-8 servings. I can imagine what a treat it would be to have no cook meals like Chicken ala King and Beef Stroganoff some nights if we were living exclusively off our food storage.
They also have first aid kits, emergency supplies, survival tools and water treatment equipment. I'm asking for their
water filter system for Christmas...it's awesome.
So if you are interested you can check them out at
FamilyStorehouse.net and don't forget to use your 10% off by typing in
provprincess at checkout.
Merry Christmas Shopping!
The probability of a disaster happening while you are away from home is very high. So an important component of any emergency preparedness plan would include having a well-stocked car.
There are also times when you may need to evacuate or be stranded in your car. Having your car stocked to help you survive will give you a lot more peace of mind and help you stay calm and focus on the important things in these situations.
Prepare your car now by always keeping your gas tank above half-full, always check the weather and road conditions before a trip and keep up on your car's maintenance.
Since you may not be at home and may not have the chance to go back and get your disaster supplies kits (72 hour kits or grab bags), you will want to keep a smaller version in the trunks of each of your cars.
Car Kits might include:
- First aid kit and manual
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Cell phone, charger
- Roadside assistance card
- Portable radio and extra batteries
- Fire extinguisher (5 lb ABC type)
- Extra fuses
- List of important phone numbers (local and out-of-town)
- Detailed maps
- Waterproof matches and candles
- Whistle and small mirror
- Pen, pencils, paper
- Cash (bills and coins)
- Flares or hazard reflectors
- Jumper cables
- Properly inflated spare tire
- Jack, lug wrench, tire gauge
- Basic tool kit
- Windshield scraper and brush
- Small folding shovel
- Duct tape
- Sand for traction
- Rags, paper towels, wet wipes, and diapers if you have small kids
- Drinking water
- Bleach
- Nonperishable food (focus on high energy) also you may want a bottle and formula if you have a baby
- Hand can opener
- Medications
- Toiletries
- Emergency blankets, hand warmers
- Extra clothes, gloves, hats, sturdy shoes
I hope some of these ideas get you thinking about what you might need to prepare your car for emergencies and disasters that could happen. I would love to hear about any ideas you might have in addition to what I have listed.
Happy Prepping!
It seems like there has been one disaster after the other lately: wildfires, an earthquake in virginia and now a hurricane along the East Coast.
As I was following the coverage of Hurricane Irene, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered more than 270,000 people to evacuate their homes before the storm was to came.
270,000 people!
That is a lot of people to tell to just up and move. I wonder how many of them are prepared for such an event? Do they have somewhere to go? Some way to keep in contact with their families? Or a plan to take their valuable things with them?
These are all very important things to think about. Fortunately they have a couple of days to prepare, but what would happen if you were only given a few hours, or less?
One thing that could dramatically lower your stress level is if every member of your family had an evacuation kit they could each grab in case of an emergency. That way you wouldn't be running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to find everything that was running through your head and worrying about what you might be forgetting.
This is called a grab bag. It is actually a smaller part of your disasters supply kit. But it is the part that can be "grabbed" quickly in case of evacuation.
It doesn't have to be a bag. It could be a large, covered trash container, a five-gallon bucket, or a suitcase on wheels. I think it makes more sense for it to be a camping backpack. They have more space, are made for carrying long distances and have waterproof fabric or layers that could be useful if you had to be outdoors.
Some basic supplies that should be included in your grab bag are:
- ID tags on the bags-containing emergency contact information and numbers, medical info, current medications and reasons why they are being used and any allergies, especially to antibiotics. (For example: I am allergic to penicillin which is an antibiotic so in case someone found me unconscious and I had an infection, they would know that I would need a different kind of antibiotic)
- Copies of important documents- will, deed, marriage license, birth certificate, health insurance ect
- Extra keys to your house and cars
- Change of warm clothes, sturdy shoes, rain gear and a warm hat like a beanie
- Food- ready to eat or requiring minimal preparation and water
- Manual can opener and other cooking supplies (I've heard at shelters that sometimes they will hand out canned food that don't have the pop-top lids or utensils and plates. So you want to make sure that you can make use of what you are given.
- Water- 1 gallon per person per day (this gets kind of heavy, I put in probably a gallon and 1/2 and then pack our cars with extra.) Water purification tablets are lightweight and a good thing to have but you aren't guaranteed to have water accessible.
- First Aid Kit and manual- I went to an healthy woman event put on by a local hospital and at one of the display booths they were handing out these nifty little first aid kits that are the perfect size for our grab bags and car kits. I even keep one in my diaper bag.
- Prescription medications
- Personal hygiene items- ie. toilet paper, feminine supplies, hand sanitizer or soap, toothbrush/paste
- Tools- Flashlight, batteries, pocket knife, heavy work gloves, dusk mask, whistle, map of the area, battery operated radio (obviously some of these don't need to be in everyone's bag but definately if they are old enough to operate or use them, they should have them. This would be a good reason to teach your kids how to read a map and also for you to have a designated meeting place that they will know where to go to.)
- Permanent marker, paper, duct tape and current photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
- Disposable camera
- Sleeping Bag or blanket
- Money- cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls (if you can find a pay phone anymore)
- Extra prescription eye glasses, contacts, hearing aids or other personal items
- Special needs items- for children, seniors, disabled people or pets
In addition to your grab bags, you should make a 'grab list'. These are all the things you would want to take with you if you had time and room to bring them with you. What are the things you would want to have with you if you were never able to come back?
For me that would be my scrapbooks, family histories and genealogy, family keepsakes and jewelry, ect. These are also the first things I would grab out of my house if it was on fire after I made sure my family was safe.
One last thing.
The last thing you would want to worry about was having to stop in a huge line of other unprepared people filling up their cars on their way out of town. Always keep your car's gas take half full.
I am horrible at this, but I have a new goal to be better.
I would love to hear of any ideas you may have or of items I have missed that would be a great addition to my grab bags.
I went to an Emergency Preparedness Fair over the weekend. It has really had me thinking about what I need to do to get my family more prepared. Disasters can happen anytime. Just look at Japan and the crisis the people are in because of the earthquake and tsunami and now the nuclear disaster threat that is keeping people shut in their homes(sheltering in place) until the radiation scare is gone.
I'm really excited to share the things I learned with you all over the next few weeks, especially ideas for alternate cooking methods. But first things first. If a disaster happens, you need a disaster supplies kit.
For years we've been told to have a 72 hr kit but after Hurricane Katrina happened, some people didn't see relief in over a week. So now FEMA recommends having a disaster supply kit that can provide for your family's needs and not really get hung up on just the 3 days part. They say it would be wise to plan for at least 3 days but more likely 5-7 days.
I think the best idea would be to make 2 types of kits. 1)Disaster Supplies Kit- that has everything you need if you can stay in your home with your family after a disaster and 2)a Grab Bag- a smaller, lightweight version for each family member that they can grab quickly if you are required to evacuate.
Here is a list of some things that would be good to include in your Disaster Supplies Kit. I will cover the grab bag in a later post.
Water-
Store one gallon of water per person, per day. 2 qts for drinking and 2 qts for food preparation and sanitation.
Food-
Non-perishable food that requires no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little to no water since you may be without utilities.
Some ideas include- ready to eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables, canned juices, milk, soup.
High energy foods- peanut butter, jelly crackers, granola bars, trail mix
Vitamins
Food for infants/ elderly persons or those with special diets
Comfort/stress foods (especially good for kids)- cookies, sweetened cereals
Disposable utensils and plates and a hand can opener.
Note-If we are staying at home, I plan on being able to tap into our 3 month supply of food but a lot of that still needs to be cooked so it is still wise to have ready to eat food available too.
Tools and Supplies
Emergency Preparedness manual- like a boy scout manual
Battery-operated radio and extra batteries (or solar powered/hand crank radio)
Flashlight and extra batteries
Cash- in small denominations
Fire Extinguisher
Tent
Pliers
Tape/Duct Tape
Matches in a waterproof container
Paper, pencil
Needles, thread
Shut-off wrench (to turn off household water and gas-only if you can smell or hear a leak or see a broken pipe)
Whistle
Plastic Sheeting
Extra set of car and house keys
Alternative cooking methods and fuel
Sanitation
Toilet paper
Soap, liguid detergent
Feminine supplies
Personal hygiene items
Plastic garbage bags and ties (for personal sanitation uses)
Plastic bucket with tight lid (make-shift port-a-potty)
Disinfectant and household chlorine bleach
Clothing and Bedding
Sturdy shoes or work boots
Blankets or sleeping bags
Hat, gloves and thermal underwear
Special Items
Remember family members with special requirements:
- Baby- Formula (even if you breastfeed, what if you were separated or something happened to you? I just keep the free samples the formula companies send in the mail in our disaster supplies kit). Diapers and wipes, bottles, powdered milk, medications
- Adults-Heart and high blood pressure medication, insulin, prescription drugs, denture need, contacts and supplies, extra eye glasses, batteries for hearing aids
- Pets-Medications, letter and littler pan, food and drinkable water for 3+ days,
Entertainment-
Chances are good that you and especially your children will have a lot of down time if you are staying at home after/during a disaster. Games and books along with other toys will really help to pass the time and ease tension.
Important Family Documents
Keep these records in a waterproof, portable container just in case you need to take them with you if you evacuate
Will, insurance policies, contracts deeds, stocks and bonds, passports, social security cards, immunization records, bank account information, credit card account numbers, companies and phone numbers. Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers, family records(birth, marriage, death certificates), recent family photos for identification.
First Aid Kit- One for your home and a smaller one in each car. I will cover those in more depth in a later post as well.
Remember to change your stored water at least every year and replace your stored food every six months. I do mine in April and October. That seems to be a good time to change out seasonal clothing. Make sure to test/ replace your batteries too.
If there are any other things you have included in your Disaster Supplies Kit I would love to hear it.
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