Boy Scout Motto
My heart and prayers go out to all those suffering from Hurricane Sandy and the Guatemala earthquake. It is an extremely difficult time when you are suffering from the impact of a natural disaster. This is especially true if you have lost your home or more importantly, your loved ones. Unfortunately, natural disasters are a part of our life. Some areas around the world suffer from them more than others. Nearly all of us will at some point in our life experience a natural disaster.
When the Northridge earthquake hit Los Angeles in 1994, it was the first time that I actually thought, "okay, this is it, we are about to die." It is a terrible experience that you don't wish to go through again. Having survived that quake, I then experienced first-hand what it was like to be in the aftermath of a disaster. There was no power for days, grocery stores were raided, and everything came to a stop. The loss of power, access to water and food, and other essential supplies are a part of every major natural disaster. In the more severe disasters, you may lose your home or have to evacuate and need to go to a public shelter or other family members for shelter. We were blessed to have not lost our home at that time and the damage wasn't severe enough to have to evacuate, but there were many who did lose their homes.
I remember well, how quickly the grocery stores were emptied of essential supplies. Water, food, toilet paper, batteries, flashlights, and candles were completely depleted within a few short hours of the quake. It was interesting as we stood by and watched as bystanders. People were going crazy trying to get supplies. There were long lines and a lot of angry people. However, we were prepared. Because of our preparedness, we were actually able to go to our neighbour's and help those who did not have supplies instead of being the ones in the line. We had our 72 hour kits, a year's supply of freeze-dried food, a one-month supply of water storage, weeks worth of food in our pantry and plenty of batteries, candles, heating and a cooking supply.
It took officials between 48 and 72 hours to get supplies to people who were in need. It was nearly a week before grocery stores were stocked again. Because of our preparedness, we didn't have to stand in one single line for supplies.
Most government agencies tell you to have a 72 hour kit available. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has taught its members over many years to be prepared with 72 hour kits. I have taught this principle many times over the years to people in our local community, so I thought I would include this in my blog for a wider audience.
This will be the first in a series of welfare principles. This series will cover areas of welfare that help us to be provident in providing for ourselves.
What is a 72 Hour Kit?
A 72 Hour Kit is a pack of essential supplies to help you survive a disaster or evacuation for 72 hours. It is called a 72 Hour Kit because, in a disaster, it takes emergency personnel nearly 72 hours to get critical supplies to those in need. FEMA says it this way on their website, "
You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least 72 hours. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours or it might take days."
A 72 Hour Kit can be many things for different people. It really depends on what your daily needs are. It will obviously be different for a single person compared to a family, a physically ill person compared to an athlete. Whatever your situation is, you should customise your kit to your own needs.
A few examples of customising your 72 Hour Kit would be the following:
- If you have children, you should include a toy, book, stuffed animal or a favourite blanket. Something that will comfort them and/or keep them occupied.
- If you are on medication, you should have some extra meds in your kit.
- Perhaps you have specific food needs, you should pack appropriate food for your needs.
FEMA provides information on planning for emergencies. Please take a minute and look at their website. They have some practical tips that are based on dealing with natural disasters and mass evacuations.
FEMA provides a emergency supplies list for you in text or PDF. Here is the PDF link:
FEMA Supplies List
Making your own kit
I will just show some examples but it is up to you to decide what you should have in your kit.
Start with a bag or container of some sort. Make sure it is easy to carry or pull.
I would look at dollar stores or 2nd hand stores like St. Vinnies, Deseret Industries or ebay.
You don't want to spend a lot of money for a pack that is going to be sitting around most of the time.
Do make sure that the straps aren't damaged and that there aren't any holes.
Some people buy great big backpacker bags with waste straps. Most people can't carry that much weight so be sure to get a pack that fits your capability. The same goes for children.
Water is really essential. Most instructions on water is that you should keep one gallon (four litres) of water per person. Water is quite heavy so you may need to distribute the water. More for adults and less for the children. Children will not be able to carry their 3 gallons of water. One gallon per day is for drinking and sanitation.
Here are some samples of different kinds of foods. Try to buy cans that don't need a can opener. It's one less thing to carry. Also, lunch kits and food in packages don't last as long as cans. Dried foods such as crackers can last a while and is a good option. You will need to check your kit every 6 months to rotate food that is about to expire so you don't waste food and you always have good food ready.
Remember to try and buy food that you can eat without cooking.
A change of clothing is important. You may need to get out of wet clothes and you can have a change of clothes while you wash and dry another set. Keep a good pair of walking shoes, socks, underwear, jeans and shirt.
If you live in colder climates then you may want to include a warm hat, gloves or sweat shirt. Hand warmers are nice to have in your kit as well.
Personal items are important as well. I have shown three different ways of packing personal items in the pictures above. The top picture is a kit that I received from the airline on one of my business trips. The second is using special waterproof bags that I bought at K-Mart in the camping section. The third picture is using zip-lock bags.
The second option is probably the best but slightly more expensive for the waterproof bags.
Having a small first aid kit is important. Make sure you keep it small and just have some of the basic essentials. You can buy these kits at stores like Walmart, BigW, Target, K-Mart, Pharmacies, and some groceries store.
Make sure you keep some spare medication in your bag and be sure to not let it expire. If you wear contacts you might want to keep a pair of old glasses in your bag as well.
A waterproof flashlight and batteries are an important item. It is good to have a small one available for each of the children to have. Check the expiry date on your batteries and store them separate to the flashlight.
Here are some other items that can come in real handy. Waterproof matches, multitool, whistle, compass and the small flashlight I mentioned earlier. I also have a Leatheman multitool that can convert to a pair of pliers.
An emergency blanket may be the only thing to keep you warm so be sure and pack one for each person. Also, you should keep a rain poncho that is big enough to cover you and your backpack.
These items aren't essential but can be very handy. Depending on where you need to evacuate the ground cover and rope and easily become shelter for you. The shovel can be very handy indeed! ;-)
Here are a couple of nice to have items. A flashlight that works by shaking it for a little while. No batteries are required. A water purifier that is small and light weight.
This will add to the cost of your kit but are very nice to have.
I think one of these are really important. It is a wind up radio and flashlight. They are expensive but it is well worth having a radio for updates on the disaster and relief efforts.
I used to have one of these until it mysteriously went missing at one of my presentations. Just saying... :-)
Conclusion
Having a 72 hour kit is like having insurance. You hope you never have to use it, but when you do, you are so thankful that you have it.
I hope you take the time to prepare yourself. Remember that these are guidelines and you can include anything you want. Just remember to:
- keep it as portable as possible
- don't over burden yourself with the weight
- if you have children, you will need to carry some of their items
- don't forget to check expiry dates every 6 months.
Oh, just in case you don't want to go through the trouble of making your own, you can buy 72 hour kits. Just look on-line for a retailer local to you.
Resources
FEMA Ready Website
Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
Maintaining Your Kit
Kit Storage Locations
Living Essentials - 72 Hour Kit
Living Essentials - Using your 72 Hour Kit
