Emergency Survival Kit
Being prepared for an emergency is very important for the health and safety of your family and co-workers. As we have seen in the last decade, emergencies can come in many different forms and cause different problems. From terrorist attacks to weather events to disease, the events that can occur can cripple our ability to get the essentials we need for life, including water and food. By making or purchasing an emergency survival kit, you can better take care of yourself and your family members in case of a natural disaster or attack on our country.
An emergency survival kit isn't just for backwoods adventures. Everybody needs to be prepared for some eventuality to keep them safe and comfortable in case an untoward event happens. Floods or snow hundreds of miles from you can impact your stores' abilities to stock their shelves; are you prepared? You just never know what's going to happen when. The better prepared you are the better you will survive the inconvenience to or change in your life.
Many companies sell ready-made emergency survival kits you can purchase. This can be an excellent starting point for you to create an emergency kit for you and your family. These emergency survival kits can be purchased for any quantity of people, so you can ensure that you have enough of the essentials to take care of everyone in your living or work situation.
Most companies allow you to choose the size of your emergency survival kit and this is based on the number of days you want to be prepared for. These kits include a basic first aid kit, water packets, water bottle, a mylar blanket, protein bars and more to allow you to be able to survive an emergency. These are a little costly, but if you are in an emergency, they will be well worth the cost.
Or if you don't want to buy an emergency survival kit you can make your own. Make a plan and act on it. Start today! Websites abound with a list of items that you will need for your own emergency kit, starting with this site. Ready.gov offers a list that is recommended by the Department of Homeland Security. The list includes:
- Drinking water (one gallon for each person per day, at least three days worth)
- Food (at least three days worth for your family)
- Flashlight (hand crank or one with extra batteries)
- Emergency crank radio
- First aid kit
- Plastic bags and ties for sanitation
- Dust mask
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to create a shelter if needed
- Local maps
This is just the basic list. Other items that may be included are sleeping bags, blankets, bleach or food-grade iodine to purify water, extra paper products (TP, tissue, paper towels), prescription medications and vitamins, pet food, and matches. Creating an emergency survival kit that fits the needs of you and your family is essential to ensure that you can make it through any emergency situation.
I'll also add the notion of traveling with a change of clothes in your car in case you get stranded. I also have a snow shovel and ice scraper stashed in my car; you never know here in Colorado. Having emergency food rations is also beneficial. I no longer travel from home without several days of extra medicine, vitamins and snacks in case of changed (by circumstances) travel plans.
Whether you choose to purchase an emergency survival kit or you create your own, you want to be sure it's located where you can access it easily. Having it in an easy to carry form can allow you to evacuate if you need to, which is something that you may want to consider.
An emergency survival kit is only as good as the preparation that went into it. By preparing carefully for an emergency, you can better care for you and your family.
