I know it doesn't look like much for the serious headache it caused me: 2 backpacks, a duffel bag, 3 5-gallon buckets, and 4 gallons of water (still working on the whole water thing). Let me tell you - it was quite the chore to narrow it down. I kept having to remind myself that this stuff was for EMERGENCY purposes - not living in luxury, eating gourmet food, and sleeping on fluffy mattresses like we're on vacation at the Hilton. Simply put - would we be ALIVE at the end of 72 hours?
Here's the run down. Each kid has their own backpack. Inside that backpack are some pajamas, a change of clothes, a warm fuzzy blanket, a flashlight, a whistle, some snacks, and 2 water bottles. Tim and I have the duffel bag packed with our own changes of clothes and a little extra cash. In the buckets are: a mini-burner for warming food, whistle, utility knife that transforms into a screwdriver, knife, can opener, etc..., an AM/FM crank radio, flashlight, extra batteries, mini tin mess kits, hammer, scissors, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, a first aide kit (which I must say as a nurse is seriously lacking in awesome things I could use in an emergency - gotta work on that), personal hygiene items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, mini deodorant, lotion, lip balm, tampons, toilet paper, 2 wash rags, etc., etc., etc,. You get the idea.
Then, one bucket has food in it. Trust me - this was no easy task. Forget raman noodles, traditional granola bars, dried pastas - you know - food that's light and easily transported. Basically we have a lot of canned food - which tends to be heavier, but what choice to we have, really? So we have canned beans, chili, 2 GF soups, GF oatmeal, canned fruits/veggies, GF granola bars, craisins, raisins, and some protein/energy bars. Surprisingly, the buckets aren't very heavy - not even the one with canned food in it. Even Jackson can pick all the buckets up and carry them.
The problem I've run into is water. We have roughly 30 gallons of water stored here in the house, but what if we have to leave? I have 4 of the 1 gallon jugs stored with the rest of the 72 hour kit stuff, but current recommendations are 1 gallon of water per person per day. That's 12 gallons of water for our little family. How do we carry that? Well, we probably don't. That's why I have water purifying tablets on the list of Things-To-Get-That-I-Couldn't-Find-At-Walmart-Or-Just-Didn't-Think About. The problem with that is - we have to find a source of running water. Oh, the things I waste my energy worrying myself senseless about. I have waking nightmares about having a disaster where we have to leave, we find a source of running water about 5 miles away from our home, and then OH CRAP! there's about 350,000 other families trying to use water from the same teeny stream we found. And then they mug us for our iodine tablets. Cause you know it's going to happen.
In addition to water purifying tablets, some other things on my list of stuff to get (that's conveniently hanging on my fridge so I can think and worry about it 900 times a day when I glance in that direction until they are crossed off) are: an axe, leather gloves, garbage bags, a small tent, 4 compact sleeping bags. I don't want to use our current tent that we use all the time for camping because I just know the disaster will strike, we'll grab our stuff and run, it will be the middle of winter, and now the sun is setting, and I'll be all like, "Who has the tent?" and Tim will be like, "I think it's still in what used to be the garage but is now a huge pile of rubble from when we went camping 8 months ago." Same goes for the sleeping bags. Might seem a bit excessive and a waste of money to buy a whole new tent and sleeping bags, but seriously people, it is worth my peace of mind.
So there you have it. Next, food storage. I know I can't do that all at once, but I'm hoping to be able to do it in one month chunks, and my goal is to add up to at least 6 months for starters. I mean, the biggest barrier I had before (no room) has now been overcome with the move, so I don't really have an excuse. And if any of you have awesome recommendations of things that worked for your 72 hour kits (especially involving water), I'd love to hear them!
4 comments:
I'm the same way. If you're going to get something done- get it done right there and then. Don't add a square of toilet paper to the mix one day at a time. One thing you should be thankful for is that you live in Utah where there is plenty of stores that carry emergency supplies like this. Maybe that mostly applies to food storage, but it can be really hard to find certain things outside of Happy (aka Paranoid) Valley. We have a water filtration system in our bag, but we also fill all our empty pop bottles with water and assuming we have enough time, we'd throw those in the car before we'd head out. But it's not super likely in a real emergency that we'd have time for that. Good job on being proactive!
I love this post so so much. GF emergency kits have been stressing me out for months.
Here's what I think about water--no one needs to DRINK a gallon a day. That number includes water needed for cooking/bathing.
Since, as you say, the point is the be alive at the end of 72 hours, I wouldn't stress it too much. Who cares if you go three days without a bath?
A few other things are a MUST... put a current family picture in each bag... you hope you would never get seperated but if you did you are more likely to have help finding one another if people know what Jackson looks like...yah know? Also important info that might be needed that the kids might not know. Grandma/pa's names and addresses. SS#, phone #'s,(most people have speed dial now days but if your phone wasnt working and you had to use a land line could you call anyone off the top of your head that could help? Phone numbers are a must.) A list of things to grab if there is time... Coats- shoes- phone- meds- or what ever you have out and use everyday and there for can not be packed. And have a plan... where are you going to meet if Tim isnt home when you have to go? Where are some safe places to go? as for the water thing... they tell us when we have yphoons to fill our bath tub up and other large containers so we can use that water for stuff like flushing the toilet or washing and save our drinking water to drink and cook... that is all fine and dandy if you are home... no Ideas for you if you must leave. AND when you get your new callendar for next year pic a day about a year from now to go through and rotate or update... so clothes still fit and info is current. Good job that is a lot of work.
Oh great I think about this all the time too! And after Devin and I make a plan of what and where to go if we are separated, weeks later I'll say, I forgot what our plan is!! So then we have to discuss it again. Good job on getting all of that!
Post a Comment