With the CIVID-19 pandemic affecting the entire world, it is now evident that everyone needs to be prepared for any unexpected emergency situation. In addition to the pandemic, natural disasters seem to be occurring quite frequently these days, you have hurricanes, the western US wildfires and, in 2019, the devastating floods in the Midwest.
They are all the latest reminders that a disaster can strike without warning at any time, anywhere. Are you and your family prepared for an emergency? In order to protect your family during a crisis situation, having an emergency survival supply kit is essential.
When you take into consideration tornados, earthquakes and human disasters such as chemical spills, there are no areas that are not affected by a potential emergency survival situation. There’s one thing for sure that can be learned from these situations, it’s imperative to be prepared to survive and to protect your family.
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Why Prepare
The best practice during an emergency is to shelter in place, although some scenarios will require that you evacuate. According to DisasterAssistance.gov, “Evacuations are more common than you might think. Fires and floods are the most frequent causes.”
After a disaster or some other sort of emergency has occurred, you may find yourself in a situation where you’d need to survive on your own for several days.
Ready.gov recommends that you have food, water and supplies for at least 72 hours. The American Red Cross recommends that you have a 3-day supply for evacuation and a 2-week supply for your home.
During an emergency situation, there is plenty to worry about. Whether or not your family has food to eat and water is the last thing that should be on your mind.
An emergency survival supply kit also referred to as a 72-hour kit, is a collection of basic items that you and your family may need for evacuation during an unforeseen emergency situation.
In my opinion, there are four areas of preparation:
1. An emergency supply kit for sheltering in place.
2. A bug-out or go bag for each person should evacuation be necessary.
3. An emergency kit for work.
4. An emergency kit for a car.
There is another area of importance that I have to mention. If you have school-age kids you may want to consider putting together a kids emergency kit for school. The school should have some sort of emergency kit and a plan in place should an emergency situation arise. But, for your child’s comfort and well being, not to mention your peace of mind, it’s a good idea to put together an emergency kit for school.
What to Pack in Your Emergency Survival Supply Kits
Shelter in Place
Chances are, you will have enough food between your pantry, fridge, and freezer to get you through 3 days. To play it safe, as recommended by the Red Cross, it’s a good idea to have at least two weeks’ worth of food and water on hand when sheltering in place.
To assemble your kit, I would suggest that you store the basic necessities in plastic totes. Even though this is your shelter in place emergency kit, I believe it’s best to keep your survival supplies in a central location for easy access. The reason is twofold;
1. You know for sure you have everything you’ll need.
2. If you have enough notice, you can easily load the totes for transportation should evacuation by advised.
At a minimum, you should have the basic supplies listed below:
1. Water
ready.gov suggests one gallon per person, per day for drinking and sanitation. With enough notice, you can fill your tub for added supply. I recommend water purification tablets and/or a good water purifier.
On a side note: I would suggest leaving a case of water in your car and rotate periodically. It’s a great way to have water ready in case of an emergency.
From the time our kids were playing travel sports, we always kept a case of water in our vehicles. Now that they are grown, we still keep a case of water in our cars.
2. Food
Non-perishable, easy to prepare. It’s important to rotate canned goods and dried goods according to expiration dates.
manual can opener
portable camp or backpacking stove
freeze dried long term food if preferred over canned/dried goods(benefits are ease of storage, no worries about rotating your food)
3. Flashlight
I personally prefer a good LED flashlight, much brighter and last longer. If you prefer, you could include a headlamp.
4. Radio
Battery-powered or a hand crank (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible). I prefer a hand-crank radio with solar charging ability.
5. Extra Batteries
6. First aid kit
7. Fire Starter
In the event you find yourself in a cold environment, being able to start a fire is emotionally comforting and could save your life. You’ll also need a source of fire for whatever portable cookstove you decide on. Here’s a list of my preferred fire starters.
Matches – I personally keep water and wind-resistant matches on hand. With general matches, you’ll need to keep them in a watertight container.
Lighters – You could pack a couple of disposable lighters but they have a tendency to fail and not work too well in the rain. A Zippo with backup fuel is a good lighter and is beneficial to keep on hand.
Fire striker – There are plenty of fire strikers available from magnesium rods to blocks. They are a good source for starting a fire as they provide an extremely hot spark. Much hotter than a lighter and are basically weatherproof.
8. Personal Hygiene
Best practice, make a list of toiletry items you use each day and purchase travel size for each family member.
9. Sanitation
Include toilet paper, antibacterial moist towelettes, trash bags, and plastic ties.
10. Prescription Medications
11. Dust Mask
To filter contaminated air. Plastic sheeting and duct tape to cover doors and windows to keep contamination out as you shelter in place.
12. Multi-Purpose Tool
Even though you have your home tools while sheltering in place, it’s a good idea to keep a multi-purpose tool in your emergency survival supply kit. You may decide to relocate if safe to do so.
13. Emergency Blankets – Use the same thinking as the multi-purpose tool.
14. Extra Cash
15. Map(s) of the area
16. Copies of Personal Documents
medication list and pertinent medical information
proof of address, deed/lease to home
passports, birth certificates
insurance policies
17. Pet Food and supplies as determined by your personal situation.
18. Clothing
It’s not required because you’re sheltering in place but I would suggest keeping an extra set of clothes packed. It’s best to change them out depending on what time of year it is. Also, have a good pair of shoes available. You may need to walk and sandals won’t cut it. Include a rain poncho for each kit.
19. Security
It’s not something anyone likes to think about but it may be necessary to protect yourself and your family. During an emergency situation, you never know what lengths an individual would go to get your supply.
I would suggest that you at least carry a knife in your pack for protection. If you are uncomfortable carrying any sort of weapon, you could always include pepper spray or mace in your kit.
The above is a basic list of necessities you should have on hand in preparation for a shelter in place scenario. You may want to consider some additional emergency supplies that I have included below.
Bug-Out /Go Bag
Why put together a 72-hour bug-out bag? Imagine this scenario: There’s been a local emergency of some form or another (train derailment, gas leak, fire, ect…) emergency personnel are knocking on your door, they inform you that you have to leave your home NOW. You are given 5 minutes to evacuate. Will you be scrambling around wondering what you’re going to take with you? Or, because you planned ahead, you grab your go bag and get out of dodge.
You will find that most of the emergency supplies are much the same as the “Shelter in Place” list. The difference is that you are putting together a 72 hour emergency survival kit for a quick exit should the need arise. In an emergency evacuation situation, it’s much easier to grab a bag and get out the door. There may not be time to load your two-week shelter in place bins. I personally prefer to have all my bases covered.
What Type of Container Should You Use?
Short answer; any container that is easily transported will work just fine. You can use backpacks, wheeled suitcases for easy transport or plastic totes. Any of these containers will work. Use what you have on hand that will hold the recommended emergency supplies that can easily be transported.
We personally use our kids’ recycled school backpacks. They are good ones too. Fortunately, our kids needed the best, which in hindsight, worked out well for us because there is plenty of room with lots of compartments. In addition, both of our kids played baseball and softball and used some really nice backpack style bat bags with lots of room.
At a minimum, you should have these basic supplies for your 72 Hour Kit
1. Water
ready.gov suggests one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation purposes. It’s not too practical to carry around gallons of water.
Here are some items that I find useful:
Water Pouches – Will easily fit and pack nicely in your backpack
Water Bottle – One pre-filled for each go-bag. Good for collecting
water when needed.
Water Purification Tablets – If you’re not in an area with freshwater, water purification tablets are an essential item for your
72-hour kit.
Life Straw – Simple way to remove impurities from water. I have had
no issues with them.
Sawyer Mini – This is a wonderful small lightweight water filtration unit that can filter up to 100,000 gallons of water.
On a side note: I would suggest leaving a case of water in your car and rotate periodically. It’s a great way to have water ready in case of an emergency.
2. Food
You’ll want to make sure you are packing enough foods that are high in calories and loaded with nutrients. The following is a list of foods that are ideal for your kit. You’ll have to decide if you want easy to prepare foods or require foods that require cooking.
Granola bars – The ole stand by snack
Protein Bars – Protein is essential when on the go
Beef jerky – Another good source of protein
Peanut butter crackers – Good source of energy
Canned items – Most have a long shelve life, can be found in your grocery store and believe it or not, can be eaten right from the can without heat in an emergency situation.
Can opener if you’re packing canned goods
Freeze-dried meals – My personal favorite. Lightweight pouches, nutritious, easily packed and can be stored for years. The only drawback is you’ll need a heat source to heat the water.
Comfort food – In an emergency situation, it would certainly be nice to have an enjoyable snack.
You’ll need to pack whatever cooking items are necessary for the foods you determine are best for you and your family. If you plan on cooking, you’ll need a heat source and the utensils (pot/pan, spoon/fork). At the very least, one item is necessary to boil water. Most importantly is to keep it lightweight.
3. Fire Starter
In the event you find yourself in a cold environment, being able to start a fire is emotionally comforting and could save your life. You’ll also need a source of fire for whatever portable cookstove you decide on. Here’s a list of my preferred fire starters.
Matches – I personally keep water and wind-resistant matches on hand. With the general type matches, you’ll need to keep them in a watertight container.
Lighters – You could pack a couple of disposable lighters but they have a tendency to fail and not work too well in the rain. A Zippo with backup fuel is a good lighter and is beneficial to keep on hand.
Fire striker – There are plenty of fire strikers available from magnesium rods to blocks. They are a good source for starting a fire as they provide an extremely hot spark. Much hotter than a lighter and are basically weatherproof.
4. Radio
Battery-powered or a hand crank (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible). I prefer a hand-crank radio with solar charging ability.
5. Flashlight
I personally prefer a good LED flashlight, much brighter, and last longer. If you prefer, you could include a headlamp.
6. Extra Batteries
7. First Aid Kit
8. Personal Hygiene
Best practice, make a list of toiletry items you use each day and purchase travel size for each family member.
9. Sanitation
Include toilet paper, antibacterial moist towelettes, trash bags, and plastic ties.
10. Prescription Medications
11. Dust Mask
Used to filter contaminated air. You never know what situation you’d find yourself in.
16. Copies of Personal Documents as recommended by the Red Cross
medication list and pertinent medical information
proof of address, deed/lease to home
passports, birth certificates
insurance policies
7. Pet Food and supplies as determined by your personal situation:
18. Clothing
I would suggest keeping an extra set of clothes packed. It’s best to change them out depending on what time of year it is but always keep a warm top. Also, have a good pair of shoes available. You may need to walk and sandals won’t cut it. Include a rain poncho for each kit.
19. Cell Phone with Chargers
If for some reason you are not able to stay with your vehicle, I recommend packing a solar charger. Lightweight and easy to pack.
20. Shelter
Again, if for some reason you are not able to stay with your vehicle, having a lightweight shelter is a good idea. It could be as simple as a packable tent tarp or you can attach a small tent to your bug out bag.
21. Security
It’s not something anyone likes to think about but it may be necessary to protect yourself and your family. During an emergency situation, you never know what lengths an individual would go to get your supply.
I would suggest that you at least carry a knife in your pack for protection. If you are uncomfortable carrying any sort of weapon, you could always include pepper spray or mace in your kit.
The above is a basic list of necessities you should have on hand in preparation for a 72 hour bug-out bag. You may want to consider some additional emergency supplies that I have included below.
What to Pack in Your Emergency 72-Hour Bug-Out / Go Bag for Your Entire Family
There is no need to include every recommended emergency item in every individual 72-hour kit for your family. If you’re like me, you have all of your kids’ used school backpacks. If not, I’d suggest purchasing the least expensive backpacks you can find.
Each additional backpack should contain the items listed below:
Change of clothing to include underwear and a warm top.
Rain poncho – Always be prepared for inclement weather.
Personal hygiene products, purchase travel size
Prescription Medication – Just a few days worth. Rotate them out as required.
Water – Include a water bottle for use with whatever you choose to use as your water purification. If you’re going to pack water pouches, spread them out amongst each kit. That way you’ll lighten the load of your main 72-hour kit.
Food Items Granola bars, jerky, peanut butter crackers. Again, to lighten the load of your main 72-hour kit.
Ready.gov suggests that you “be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours.” I personally have not worked at a central location for years but if I did, I’d feel more comfortable with preparing for more than 24 hours. I do not believe you need every item found in your bug-out/go bag emergency kit for work.
Keep your kit in your office, desk, or locker. You never know what the emergency situation might be and may not have access to your vehicle. Her is a list of items to include:
Water – At least one bottle of water that can be refilled. I would suggest water purification tablets in the event that the water is no longer working at your place of work. You may also want to consider a Lifestraw.
Food – Granola bars, protein bars, beef jerky. Enough for a couple of days. You may also want to consider canned goods.
Clothing – You’ll want to be comfortable. Include a warm top.
Rain Poncho – If you’re unable to get home due to transportation issues, you may have to walk home which could be many miles.
Footwear – Durable but comfortable shoes for walking if the need arises
Fire Starter – If you find it necessary to walk home, you may need to keep or get warm at some point.
Shelter – Simple packable tent tarp will serve the purpose. Just in case you’re stuck outside for the night.
According to the National Safety Council, “every vehicle should have an emergency supply kit located in the trunk.” It is recommended that emergency kits for a car be “checked every six months, and expired items should be replaced to keep it up to date.”
An emergency kit for a car should include the following supplies:
Spare Tire – Keep your spare tire properly inflated and
make sure you have your wheel wrench and jack.
Jumper cables
Tool Kit – or a good multipurpose utility tool
Flares – or a reflective triangle
Flashlight – include extra batteries
A Compass
First Aid Kit – at a minimum it should contain gauze, tape,
bandages, antibiotic ointment, aspirin, non-latex gloves, scissors,
hydrocortisone, thermometer, tweezers and instant cold compress
Water – use water pouches, keep a case of water in the car, Lifestraw
Food – granola bars, protein bars, unsalted nuts, dried fruit.
Rotate as needed
Blanket – keep a warm blanket handy. To save space keep a few Mylar blankets on hand.
Reflective Vest – just in case you need to walk to find help
Rain Poncho
Cell Phone Charger – have a car charger and I recommend having a solar-powered charger as well.
Fire Extinguisher – better to be safe than sorry
Duct Tape – the ole standby, can be used in a countless number of ways
Additional Cold Weather Items – snow brush, windshield washer fluid, shovel, warm clothing, cat litter or sand for traction
I also recommend that you keep your vehicle in good mechanical working order. The last thing you need to have happen during an evacuation scenario is to have your car breakdown. Have your mechanic ensure:
all fluid levels are full
brakes are in good working order
tires have adequate tread
all lights and hazards are functioning
windshield wiper equipment in good working order
heater and defroster in good working order
Battery charging as it should
I would also suggest that you keep your gas tank full as best possible. In case you have to evacuate during a power outage you won’t have to worry about finding fuel right away.
Additional Emergency Supplies
You may want to consider adding the following items to your emergency survival supply kit. Some of the items may be required depending on your individual needs. Other items on the list could be considered comfort items, not necessary for survival but would be nice to have with you.
Fire extinguisher, just a reminder if your emergency car kit does not contain one
Books, games, puzzles, playing cards, crayons, and paper; activities for your kids
Paper and pencil or pen
Small stuffed animal or comfort toy
Glow sticks
In Closing
It is my sincere hope and desire that the information found throughout this post, will help guide and assist you in your own efforts to be prepared. Having a plan can bring you peace of mind and comfort in knowing you are ready for whatever the future holds.
It may seem so overwhelming when you think of all the areas that you need to prepare for. All I can say is, you’re right. The task at hand is a very daunting undertaking. The best way I found to prepare is to just get started. It may take some time and that’s okay.
Use the information included and print the checklist found at the end of each section. Get a plan together; having a plan can bring you peace of mind and comfort in knowing you will be prepared for whatever the future holds. Best wishes to you on your journey.
