The other day while at work we were discussing the state of the world today. Which led us into further discussion concerning the hype about the shortage of rice, wheat and other basic grains as well as the astronomical rise in gas prices. (I will bite my tongue and not level disparaging remarks at the White House or Washington DC.--Although if you want to post a comment about any of them, I wouldn't be offended.) Anyway, we kind of left off with a "Well what do we do now" feeling. For the past week or so, I have thought off and on about where do we begin? How do we react? I have to admit, I was really in a quandary. This morning as I was driving in, it came to me, where do I start? It was so basic and so simple. Those of you who share my religious background I am certain are yelling at me, knowing what I should do. Anyway, today I was talking with my same coworkers and told them where I thought we needed to start. We need to start by making certain we have our 72-Hour emergency preparedness kit. Which led us into our next discussion, What really should be in those kits? I have done a little research and have compiled a list that are all suggestions for a kit. Of course this is not comprehensive and you may need to change it to suit your needs. Anyway, here we go.....
- Flashlight w/ spare batteries
- Basic First Aid Kit
- Bottled water and/or purification tablets
- Waterproof Matches
- AM Radio with batteries or a solar powered radio
- Change of clothes--include underwear and 2-3 pair of socks
- Extra pair of shoes
- Food essentials--high calorie bar, jerky, other items with a long shelf-life. But be certain to include items you like. It does not make sense to have food that you will not eat. (For instance peanut butter is something I would never have.)
- Rain Poncho ($.79 ones from Wal-Mart work fine)
- Emergency Blanket
- Supply of any medications you need
It is also recommended that you make certain things are updated twice a year. Clothing is suited to the season/weather, food has not exceeded their shelf-life. Batteries have power, etc. I think it has been suggested to check and update these items when you change the clocks.
Of course this is not a long-term fix to all problems. But in the event of an emergency the first few days are the most critical and it is during this time that these kind of kits are most beneficial. Keep your 72-hour kit in a safe location that you is easy for you to get to quickly. Somewhere you can just grab and go. Hope this helps. If any of you have additional ideas or items, please let me know.
3 comments:
Baby Wipes are essential. In an emergency you may need to clean up and those things have many uses. Thanks for adding this to your blog Clinton. Nathan and I are going to put one together for each car this weekend.
Are we in Sunday School? :) Just kidding. I agree. This year Dan and I have a goal to work on our 72 hour kits and year supply. We're going to get a 4 man kit from Emergency Essentials. It's got most of what we need and we'll throw in some extras. Thanks for the post. My friend keeps saying that she thinks something big will happen in our lifetime. I don't like her very much. Heehee. I want to be on the other side of the veil before something major happens. Who knows. There's a very interesting book you should read about something drastic happening. The name just left me, but I'll find out and get back to you. It was a good read and got me scared, but thinking at the same time. One nice thing about being LDS is we won't be alone if something happens. We have people to turn to. We're one big family afterall.
You are such an inspiration!! Now I guess I will have to go out and do another one for work
pj
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