Emergency Preparedness Kit - What's In Yours?

OK, so now we've covered why we should be prepared and how to make a plan. I've also compiled a lot of information over the past several years on what to put in an emergency preparedness kit, so this list is extensive - you can pick and choose which items you feel are really necessary for your family, but this includes items to protect you from everything from Avian flu to nuclear fallout. (No, don't come knocking on my door - our family doesn't have even half of what's on this list!)

Emergency Preparation Supplies:

Important Documents -

• Disaster plan (see my other post)
• Emergency contact list
• Out-of-state contact cards
• Local maps
• Recent photos of each child
• Photos of each pet
• Pet microchip information
• Pet immunization records
• Copies of identification (passports, licenses, birth certificates)
• Copies of medical records, estate plan documents
• Copies of recent tax return
• CD including documentation - photos, lists, video of valuables
• Copies of social security cards, bank, credit card and investment account numbers
• USPS Communication kit (paper, envelopes, stamps)

Survival Essentials -

• Water (1 gallon+ per person)
• Plastic water containers
• Water storage barrel (or jugs) & pump
• Food - 3+ days for each person (canned meals, fruits, and vegetables, energy bars, freeze-dried meals)
• Can opener (manual)
• Bowls with lids
• Water purification tablets
• Pot for cooking
• Reusable (fold-up, plastic, tin, etc.) cups, plates, utensils
• Extra infant formula and/or baby food (if applicable)
• Portable propane stove
• Propane container
• Vitamins

Emergency Supplies -

• Flashlight (battery or hand-crank)
• AM radio (battery or hand-crank)
• Pocket knife
• Light sticks
• Flares
• Compass
• Whistle
• Matches in water-proof containers
• Waterproof notebook and pens
• Lighters
• Butane refills
• Gas masks
• Dust masks
• Extra set of house and car keys
• Cash for 1-2 weeks
• Roll of quarters (for pay phones)

Medical Supplies -

• Prescription Medications (one month's worth)
• First-aid kit (compress dressing, bandages, cloth tape, ointment, antiseptic wipes, aspirin, non-latex gloves, scissors, gauze pads, anti-diarrheal medicine, tweezers, instructions)
• Instant ice packs
• Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer
• Sunscreen
• Wet wipes
• Extra pair of glasses
• Insect repellant
• Particulate respirator (for airborne virus prevention)
• Secondary first-aid supplies (thermometer, medicine dropper, cotton balls, cotton swabs, saline solution)
• Safety pins
• Anti-radiation tablets
• Liquid bandage spray
• Tyvek suits (insulating in the case of bird flu or some other virus)
• Compression Stockings

Misc Use -

• Plastic garbage bags & ties
• Paper towels
• Aluminum foil

Clothing & Maintenance -

• Emergency change of clothes (long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks, underwear)
• Jacket
• Sturdy, closed-toed shoes or boots
• Hat
• Gloves
• Chlorine bleach (for disinfecting)
• Sewing kit (needles, thread)
• Portable handwash laundry detergent
• Thermal underwear

Weather Safety & Insulation -

• Thermal blankets
• Tent
• Rain ponchos
• Body warmer pads
• Sleeping bags

Personal Hygiene -

• Portable toilet
• Diapers (if applicable)
• Toilet paper
• Tissues
• Personal hygiene supplies (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, brush, shampoo, contact lens supplies, feminine supplies)

Pet Supplies -

• Pet rations for 3+ days
• Fold-up pet bowls
• Pet leashes & collars
• Pet first-aid kit
• Pet medications
• Portable pet carriers or crates
• Litter box and liners (for cats)
• Splint materials
• Pet grooming supplies
• Cat litter
• Cat or Dog toys
• Muzzle (for dogs)
• Old newspapers

Home Repair & Control -

• Fire extinguisher (A-B-C type)
• Shut-off wrench
• Plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Toolkit (hammer, nails, screwdriver, staple gun, staples, pliers)
• Work gloves
• Safety goggles
• Axe
• Broom
• Shovel
• Plywood
• Rope (1/2")
• Pry bar

Vehicle Supplies -

• Spare tire
• Gasoline in jug
• Bicycle
• Emergency road emergency kit
• Jack

Power Supplies -

• Extra batteries for cell phone, flash lights, radio, etc.
• Power generator
• Solar charger (for cell phone, etc.)

Comfort/Stress Relief -

• Instant coffee
• Books, games
• Toys

Print this, and download and print the Red Cross checklist.

Here's where to find supplies:

American Red Cross Quake Kare Earth Shakes REI Emergency Essentials iPrepare.com Safety Central Emergency Resources Earthquake Store Safeware

OK, now tell us honestly - what's in yours?

Comments

[Leelee]

A bottle of wine and an opener :)

[Sheila BD - xiaolinmama]

This is the best list ever! Great job Sarah. I am printing it out and goin' shoppin!

[BirdieRoark]

Holy crap, batman - that's a ton of stuff. How to pair it down?? B/c there is no way I can make an emergency kit out of that. there won't be room for any of us in the car, if I had to pack all that during an evacuation.

[Jill Asher]

ummmmm.. I am completely unprepared. OMG!
Alright, I am going to print this out and go shopping this week. Yikes.

[Sarah Granger]

Well, I'm looking at it as we need the emergency essentials and food stores and water for sure. We don't need long underwear if we have sleeping bags and thermal blankets because we live in CA. We don't need to keep the fancy anti-viral suits outside because our house wouldn't be destroyed by that (not that I have one of those or am necessarily buying one, but you get my drift).

We don't need batteries for flashlights and radios if they're all hand-cranked. I hate compression stockings so that nixes those off the list. The toolbox - well, that stays in the garage because there's no room in the kit and if the garage really is that far gone that we can't get in it, we shouldn't be bothering to board it up.

There are also great places you can double-up on things. A good Swiss Army knife will have a bottle opener on it for the wine, for example ;) and some emergency kits come with everything in a bucket that you can use as a toilet (comes with a toilet lid), you can use soap as shampoo if your hair can handle it, etc.

I'll be doing some shopping this week too and I'll let you all know if I come up with any good combo deals.

[Claire]

I found myself obsessing about this stuff in the middle of the night when we first moved to the area last year. I ended up buying a 4 person/ 3 day kit that comes in a backpack off the Costco website. It doesn't have absolutely everything listed above, but it has the essentials. Of course, I have yet to gather our personal documents, etc, but it was such a huge relief to me to have at least part of it done. I'm sure it would have been cheaper to put together myself, but definitely worth it to me in terms of time and energy spent.

[Wendy Harman]

This is a great post - I applaud Sarah and the SV Moms for talking about this subject!

Oh, this is Wendy Harman from the American Red Cross.

I don't want to seem like a spammer but if anyone would like to join our Be Red Cross Ready facebook group to continue the discussion, come on over:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7212181970

[Malcolm]

This is a one of the most complete lists I have seen.