Just a reminder to get your 72 hour kits updated. I used to be so good at this - doing it every 6 months in April and October. I've had it on my to-do list for a long time.
Today we worked on Z's Emergency Preparedness merit badge and went thru a Home & Safety Checklist as required and decided OK, it's time.
We pulled out all the stuff and low and behold the food and clothes for the kids were 4 years old. The beef jerky survived, the rest was trashed. Sad. We went shopping and got it all organized and now baby K has her own bag and I feel much safer and prepared.
Are you ready? If so, what's your favorite gadget? We just found hand-crank flashlight/radios! No more batteries for us!
Showing posts with label emergency preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emergency preparedness. Show all posts
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Monday, March 8, 2010
Emergency Car Kit
Another list? Yep, I love lists and I love checking them off. Sometimes I'll start a to-do list and even write things I've already done that day so I feel like I've accomplished more that day. LOL Silly, I know. Anyway, my parents were in Chile during the 8.8 earthquake (they are serving a mission in Santiago for our church and come back next month) and that got me seriously motivated to double-check all our food storage/emergency preparedness and I found myself lacking in the car. I used to just throw extra food from the 72 hour kits in there, a thing of TP and some water. Jumper cables are in there... somewhere. You get the point. So I came up with this detailed list and now I know that wherever we go, we'll be prepared for almost any disaster that may happen.
Emergency Car Kit Contents
Water in 2 liter bottles, 1 per person for 3 days
3600 calorie bars, 1 per person for 3 days
(these can withstand extreme temperature changes & last 5 years)
Wool blanket and space blankets 1 per person
Emergency tube tent
First aid kit
Breathing masks
Multi-tool and work gloves
Jumper cables
Tire pressure checker and inflator
Light sticks
Hot packs/warmers
Emergency ponchos
Portable radio/charger/flashlight combo -no batteries required
Map of local area
Whistle with matches inside and compass
Duct tape
Container for it all – heavy duty with lid and clearly marked with this list
TP, diapers, baby wipes, baby carrier
Trash bags heavy duty
Hard candy
Playing cards
Mini Book of Mormon
P.S. Everything but the water fit nicely into a large 18 gallon sterilite container. I was able to get most of the items at Emergency Essentials which is close by (see http://emergencyessentials.com/), the rest at Walmart and Dollar Tree.
Emergency Car Kit Contents
Water in 2 liter bottles, 1 per person for 3 days
3600 calorie bars, 1 per person for 3 days
(these can withstand extreme temperature changes & last 5 years)
Wool blanket and space blankets 1 per person
Emergency tube tent
First aid kit
Breathing masks
Multi-tool and work gloves
Jumper cables
Tire pressure checker and inflator
Light sticks
Hot packs/warmers
Emergency ponchos
Portable radio/charger/flashlight combo -no batteries required
Map of local area
Whistle with matches inside and compass
Duct tape
Container for it all – heavy duty with lid and clearly marked with this list
TP, diapers, baby wipes, baby carrier
Trash bags heavy duty
Hard candy
Playing cards
Mini Book of Mormon
P.S. Everything but the water fit nicely into a large 18 gallon sterilite container. I was able to get most of the items at Emergency Essentials which is close by (see http://emergencyessentials.com/), the rest at Walmart and Dollar Tree.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
72 hour kits
N's excited because it's that's time of year again! I love listening to General Conference. That weekend we break open our 72 hour kits and gobble them up. We also assemble our new ones. I've been doing this for several years now and found that I like to put in things that require NO cooking and NO preparation. My kids won't eat MREs and the lemon butter squares would get boring after one day. Here's what we plan on putting in our kits:
6 people in our family times 3 days = 18 of everything except 32 granola bars and 180 candy
Breakfasts we have a breakfast bar and OJ packet.
Lunches we have beef jerky, 2 granola bars and fruit punch packet.
Snacks we have fruit leather or fruit snacks.
Dinners we have a small V8, protein bar (don't worry, I know the Twisted bars in my picture were recalled. We won't eat them) and grape juice packet. You could do a hot cocoa but then you'd need hot water. We have buddy burners in our backpacks but prefer not to use them.
Treats we have hard candy and gum wrapped in foil so the minty fresh smell doesn't spread to all your food. AND it keeps your gum fresh and soft. We kept ours a year one time and it was still soft
When shopping remember to check expiration dates!!!! It only needs to last 6 months (till the next General Conference). It would be a good idea to put in a prepaid phone card as well as some quarters. This all fits in a gallon size freezer bag. Don't forget to include a meal plan paper in there so they know when to eat what.
Breakfast: Breakfast bar, orange juice packet
Lunch: Beef Jerky, fruit punch packet, 2 granola bars
Snacks: Fruit leather/snacks
Dinner: V8, protein bar, juice or hot cocoa packet
Treats: 3 hard candy and 1 stick of gum
Put any leftover food in your car. This is great if you're stuck in traffic or the kids say "But I'm starving Mom!" We also keep a 2 liter bottle of water in our car as well as TP and trash bags. Extra outfit, diapers and wipes are under our baby's seat. Just in case...
Friday, January 2, 2009
Emergency Preparedness
I really loved my previous calling in church as an Emergency Preparedness Specialist. Yes, I store food like a pack-rat (under beds and in closets) and actually drink powdered milk and use my whole wheat *gasp* :)
The most important thing is to rotate and EAT what you store. My grandmother and mother spend a lot of money getting their year supply but hardly ever used it and we ended up throwing it all away this past year. Nobody wants to eat anything 30+ years old.
Always start with a 72 hour food and water kit, then make an emergency kit for your car/work. Next you'll want to store water in your home. 55 gallon barrels are great if you have room to safely store them. Recycled soda bottles work great too. You'll need 1 gallon per person per day. After that you can get non-perishable food items that you already eat like canned soup, vegetables and fruit, PB&J, cereal, etc. Then add basics like wheat, flour, oats, rice, pasta, sugar, and powdered milk stored in #10 sealed cans. The people at the LDS Cannery are so helpful. Visit www.providentliving.org to find one near you. Work yourself up to a year supply. An easy way to figure out what you eat is to write down what you eat for one month then multiply it by 12. Every time you go to the store just buy a few extra cans. Another important thing to store is TP, soap, shampoo and other basic necessities. Some people who have lost their jobs are so thankful they followed the counsel to "get their houses in order." My biggest problem is we're always using our food storage so I have to keep track of what we eat so I know what to buy to replenish.
Items in your 72 hour food kit that will last 1 year if stored in cool, dry place:
(Just remember to eat it every October General Conference. We do this but the kids tend to go thru it in 2 days but I could make it 3 days if we HAD to in an emergency)
Tip: Wrap your gum in aluminum foil to prevent smell from spreading to other foods!
72 Hour Kit Meal Planner (Put this in with the food so you can make it last 3 days)
BREAKFAST 1 breakfast bar (Kelloggs brand is yummy) & 1 hot cocoa packet
LUNCH 2 granola bars, 1 beef jerky, 1 apple cider packet
DINNER 1 protein bar or can of soup (with pull-tab lid), 1 small can of peaches or fruit leather
SNACK 4 pieces of candy, 1 stick of gum
Don't forget your water bottles! All these items you could eat without heating if you had to.
If you want to round it out more you could always add a large can of V8 :)
*When shopping: Multiply all these items by 9 to get 3 meals for 3 days.
My Comprehensive 72 hour kit
¨ BIG backpack or duffel bag to hold everything
¨ mini set of scriptures
¨ compass and map of local area
¨ change of clothing in Ziploc bag and pair of sturdy shoes
¨ 72-Hour Food and Water Supply (at least 2 liters of water per person per day)
(It's best to use non-perishable food that doesn't require cooking)
¨ water sanitation tablets
¨ solar/handcrank radio with flashlight & extra batteries (test it every 6 months and replace batteries as needed)
¨ whistle
¨ 100-hour emergency candle
¨ 12-hour lightstick or flashlight with extra batteries (need 2 sources of light)
¨ multifunction pliers/pocket knife w/ can opener for food
¨ mess kit: plate, utensils, and cup
¨ wool blend blanket
¨ emergency sleeping bag
¨ (3) 20-hour hand and body warmers
¨ poncho with hood
¨ tube tent
¨ waterproof matches
¨ firestarters (need 2 sources of fire)
¨ tri-fold shovel
¨ nylon utility cord
¨ leather gloves
¨ duct tape
¨ memo pad and marking pens
¨ mini-sewing kit
¨ chapstick with sunscreen
¨ toilet paper
¨ soap
¨ 2 washcloths (one for personal use, one for dishes)
¨ toothpaste and toothbrush
¨ baby wipes (no showers unless it rains)
¨ feminine items and/or baby items (diapers, formula)
¨ prescription/medications
¨ first-aid kit
¨ basic first-aid & CPR booklet
¨ antibacterial gel
¨ sunscreen w/ insect repellant
¨ flat-fold stove & sterno can fuel
¨ several large trash bags for various uses
¨ important papers in Ziploc bag: financial documents, photos of family members, driver’s license, etc.
*Have child’s kit contain at least food, water bottle, emergency blanket, flashlight, change of clothes and ID card.
I highly recommend First Aid, CPR, and CERT training as well. When I went to do it they were offering CERT training for free and once you completed the program, you got to go and have First Aid and CPR certification for FREE! Call around to your local Fire Stations to find out.
The most important thing is to rotate and EAT what you store. My grandmother and mother spend a lot of money getting their year supply but hardly ever used it and we ended up throwing it all away this past year. Nobody wants to eat anything 30+ years old.
Always start with a 72 hour food and water kit, then make an emergency kit for your car/work. Next you'll want to store water in your home. 55 gallon barrels are great if you have room to safely store them. Recycled soda bottles work great too. You'll need 1 gallon per person per day. After that you can get non-perishable food items that you already eat like canned soup, vegetables and fruit, PB&J, cereal, etc. Then add basics like wheat, flour, oats, rice, pasta, sugar, and powdered milk stored in #10 sealed cans. The people at the LDS Cannery are so helpful. Visit www.providentliving.org to find one near you. Work yourself up to a year supply. An easy way to figure out what you eat is to write down what you eat for one month then multiply it by 12. Every time you go to the store just buy a few extra cans. Another important thing to store is TP, soap, shampoo and other basic necessities. Some people who have lost their jobs are so thankful they followed the counsel to "get their houses in order." My biggest problem is we're always using our food storage so I have to keep track of what we eat so I know what to buy to replenish.
Items in your 72 hour food kit that will last 1 year if stored in cool, dry place:
(Just remember to eat it every October General Conference. We do this but the kids tend to go thru it in 2 days but I could make it 3 days if we HAD to in an emergency)
Tip: Wrap your gum in aluminum foil to prevent smell from spreading to other foods!
72 Hour Kit Meal Planner (Put this in with the food so you can make it last 3 days)
BREAKFAST 1 breakfast bar (Kelloggs brand is yummy) & 1 hot cocoa packet
LUNCH 2 granola bars, 1 beef jerky, 1 apple cider packet
DINNER 1 protein bar or can of soup (with pull-tab lid), 1 small can of peaches or fruit leather
SNACK 4 pieces of candy, 1 stick of gum
Don't forget your water bottles! All these items you could eat without heating if you had to.
If you want to round it out more you could always add a large can of V8 :)
*When shopping: Multiply all these items by 9 to get 3 meals for 3 days.
My Comprehensive 72 hour kit
¨ BIG backpack or duffel bag to hold everything
¨ mini set of scriptures
¨ compass and map of local area
¨ change of clothing in Ziploc bag and pair of sturdy shoes
¨ 72-Hour Food and Water Supply (at least 2 liters of water per person per day)
(It's best to use non-perishable food that doesn't require cooking)
¨ water sanitation tablets
¨ solar/handcrank radio with flashlight & extra batteries (test it every 6 months and replace batteries as needed)
¨ whistle
¨ 100-hour emergency candle
¨ 12-hour lightstick or flashlight with extra batteries (need 2 sources of light)
¨ multifunction pliers/pocket knife w/ can opener for food
¨ mess kit: plate, utensils, and cup
¨ wool blend blanket
¨ emergency sleeping bag
¨ (3) 20-hour hand and body warmers
¨ poncho with hood
¨ tube tent
¨ waterproof matches
¨ firestarters (need 2 sources of fire)
¨ tri-fold shovel
¨ nylon utility cord
¨ leather gloves
¨ duct tape
¨ memo pad and marking pens
¨ mini-sewing kit
¨ chapstick with sunscreen
¨ toilet paper
¨ soap
¨ 2 washcloths (one for personal use, one for dishes)
¨ toothpaste and toothbrush
¨ baby wipes (no showers unless it rains)
¨ feminine items and/or baby items (diapers, formula)
¨ prescription/medications
¨ first-aid kit
¨ basic first-aid & CPR booklet
¨ antibacterial gel
¨ sunscreen w/ insect repellant
¨ flat-fold stove & sterno can fuel
¨ several large trash bags for various uses
¨ important papers in Ziploc bag: financial documents, photos of family members, driver’s license, etc.
*Have child’s kit contain at least food, water bottle, emergency blanket, flashlight, change of clothes and ID card.
I highly recommend First Aid, CPR, and CERT training as well. When I went to do it they were offering CERT training for free and once you completed the program, you got to go and have First Aid and CPR certification for FREE! Call around to your local Fire Stations to find out.
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