Emergency Supplies Blog

A little pre-planning doesn’t make you a dooms-day-ist.  Being prepared could alleviate a whole lot of stress and agravation.  It could even save your life and/or a family members.  If you find you never have to use your emergency supplies its even better yet.  Its kind of like the seat belts in your car.  You put them on just in case, as putting them on after an accident is too late.

The basic survival kit should be designed to get you through a 72 hour or 3 day period.  This is what the Red Cross and most others suggest.  I believe if you give people the information and knowledge you can put together a nice kit that is unique for each member of your family.

Every time there is a disaster, people are unprepared and they cannot believe what is happening to them.  They then have to wait for State and/or Federal government help or charitable organizations to bring them emergency supplies.

Condider your own unique situation and take the time to get informed, get a plan, and gather your emergency supplies in advance.

Its smart to find ways to protect your data before an emergency.  Its a good idea to have a copy of your important emergency contact information in your emergency kit.

Also, your important pictures , financial information, etc… should be secured as well and be portable and/or secured in a second location.

Below are a few of the most common ways to back up and store your data.

Use a USB flash drive to store your important data.

Put your important dats and pictures on a CD/DVD

Buy an external hard drive and put your data on there.

Use an online backup service.

Update your hand written lists, forms, etc…

Disasters strike suddenly and without prior warning, leaving you entirely at a loss! Since you are never prepared for such crises you could be anywhere – home, work, school or in a car. We are so absorbed in our day to day activities that we often make the mistake of avoiding important safety measures which are required to safeguard us from freak accidents or other sources of harm. That is why keeping your emergency kits within close proximity is always advisable. Lack of proper emergency supplies during such grave has been the cause for death of many who could have survived if proper disaster kits had been available around.

You can buy emergency and disaster kits from various sources but selecting a proper one is a matter of discretion. A good emergency survival kit is one that fits your unigue needs. There emergency kits are available for one person to more than hundred people. You can buy these kits either by visiting a good real world outlet or through online retailers. No matter whether you want to buy a personal survival kit, office kit, classroom kit or a C.E.R.T kit, you can look to the Internet for a variety of sources to buy them from.

There are different types of emergency and disaster kits that you can use, with some useful ones listed below:

Fanny Pack Survival Kit: A fanny pack survival kit can be used for at least a three day trip. It is a little larger in size than a pocket survival kit and can carry vital emergency supplies. Generally it comprises of bottled water, packaged food, rescue signal devices, compass, basic forms of shelter, flint stones and other crucial survival equipments.

Water Survival Kit: At certain emergency situations it becomes mandatory to survive exclusively over water. At times it even happens that water or rain becomes a major threat to survival. During such situations water survival kits are the best to opt for. Water survival emergency kits are generally carried by pilots, fishermen, people living on houseboats, cruise tourists and even for people living in flood prone regions. Water survival kits generally contains rescue items like water canteen, food and water supplies, compass, blankets, strobe lights, glares, sunscreen, bandannas or handkerchiefs, fishing kit, floats, waterproof fire starter equipment, and similar items.

Pocket Survival Emergency and Disaster Kits: Pocket survival kits are generally small and can be carried in one’s pocket itself (as the name suggests). Pocket kits are generally used by people who are on frequent outings, or by those who go for camping or pursue adventure sports. Trekkers, campers, cyclists, hunters are among the ones to use this survival kit. All the basic survival tools like compass, rescue whistles, knife, fishing cords, flashlights, duct tape etc are present among the components in the pack.

Backpack Survival Kit/Bucket Emergency Kits: Both of these kits are easy to carry. They generally contains almost all the survival supplies like first aid, proper shelter equipment, emergency food, waterm communication product, and more. It could be a best kit in case of an general emergency or in surviving post an earthquake, flood or even a forest fire.

Usually the emergency and disaster kits differ based on the purpose of their use. There could be difference in the quality of the materials; however the basic tools and equipments in the pack always remain about the same.

For many people, keeping an emergency kit includes food, bandages and batteries.  During these times of high stress, people also forget that they have important documents such as social security cards, insurance papers and things of that nature.  Here’s a list of items that should be included in your emergency supplies  such as family records, medical records, wills, deeds, social security number, charge and bank accounts information and tax records, including copies of other important documents.

• Have copies of your medical insurance and Medicare cards readily available.
• Keep a list of the style and serial number of medical devices or other life-sustaining devices. Include operating information and instructions.
• Make sure that a friend or family member has copies of these documents.
• Include the names and contact information of your support network, as well as your medical providers.
• If you have a communication disability, make sure your emergency information notes the best way to communicate with you.
• Keep these documents in a water proof container for quick and easy access.

Every home and building owner should have a gas and water shut off tool and know how to use it.  Also, others in your home should be trained on how to shut off the gas and water.  In an emergency, like an earthquake, fire, flood, or evacuation, you’ll need to shut off your gas and water service to your building.  I work in a real estate office and these emergency gas and water shut off tools make great gifts for our new home owners.

It is important to remember to rotate the following items in your emergency kit.

#1.  Check your food and water to see if it has expired.  If your food and water is going to expire within 6 months just use it up and replace it.  Be sure to check your iodine tablets or other methods of water purification to make sure thy have not expired as well.

#3.  Check any medications that you keep in stock.

#4.  Check your batteries and make sure all the things that use batteries are in working order, like flashlights and radios.

#5.  Also, check your activities bag and the activities bag of your children to make sure thy are up to date.

#6.  Make sure you check your emergency contact list and also revise your emergency plans if need be.

#7. Finally, go through all items in your emergency kit adding additional items like solar blankets, etc… as you become better prepared.

If you have a baby or very young children in your family you will need to make sure you include your childs special needs items in your emergency kits.  Food for children may be difficult to find in stores or shelters, so you will want to make sure that you have plenty of these supplies available to you.  If you need bottles and nipples the ones with the liner are especially nice to use.  If your baby has just started on baby food you will want to include a variety of foods and snacks too. 

Also, you will need to include a good supply of diapers and some garbage bags.  You should also consider using a Wag Bag to help decompose these waste products.  Don’t forget to include any medications that your baby might need.  These include infant Tylenol, etc… that have not expired.  If you have properly prepared for your baby it will make the emergency that much easier to deal with.  It should be fairly simple to gather these supplies and a few toys as well and put them in a seperate bag.  If you kids are older consider getting them their own child emergency kit  or adult emergency kit that they can customize.

When you have toddlers and young children and they are in the walking stage, it can be very easy for them to get into things that they should not be getting into.  However, in spite of that, there are ways that parents can prevent their children from getting in harm’s way.

Toddlers and young children are naturally curious.  Something would be wrong with them if they weren’t.  One thing that they like to do is open cabinet doors and look inside.  They will go so far as to take things out, not knowing the dangers that await them.

Since they are only of a certain size, they will try to open the cabinets that are closest to the floor.  For this reason, child safety cabinet latches are needed to keep them out of harm’s way.

Since children like to get to things that are within their height and reach, another thing that should be covered up are electrical outlets.  It’s easy for them to stick their tiny fingers in the holes and possibly get injured or even worse, electrocuted.

The wires and other items inside those outlets are live and if they are tampered with, it can cause some serious consequences.  Using outlet safety plugs can help keep your child’s sticky and curious fingers away from danger.

Since a child’s body is still delicate, when they bump into things, such as sharp corners, it can hurt them.  Just think about how much pain adults feel when they bump into a sharp corner.  For toddlers and small children, it can be twice as painful.  Using safety corner bumpers can help them not to feel that excruciating pain as they cut around the corner and hit that pointed area.

Using doorknob grips can prevent your toddler or young child from going into rooms that they should not be in.  Rooms such as entry to a basement or a bedroom should be off limits.  Those are rooms that should be kept under lock and key.

Using doorknob grips can help to keep them from entering.  This will prevent them from going into dangerous territory or experiencing serious injury.

It’s important that you child-proof your home as much as possible.  The more you set up barriers and precautions, the better chance you have of your child being safe and the less concerned you’ll be about your child getting hurt or seriously injured.  Get an emergency kit or child safety kit today.

An emergency kit in a 5 gallon bucket that can serve as an emergency toilet is a great idea.  We were able to put additional emergency supplies in our bucket and we use a backpack were we could add additional supplies.  The toilet lid keeps everything covered, clean and dry.  The kit is ready to go, portable, and everything is nicely assembled should the need arise to fully evacuate.

Whether for natural disasters like earthquake, hurricane, tornado or El Nino, every family should invest and keep disaster medical kits on hand. Being prepared for an emergency will make a big difference in how you react and act in the event. Having a proper emergency kit will help you have the tools you need and you will find that you are much calmer knowing that you are prepared to handle the event.

Medical kits are very important during any unexpected emergencies. Having one allows you to administer necessary medical attention, while professional medical help is on the way. That is why it is recommended that you know how to use your medical kit. It is more than just putting iodine on a scraped knee. If you purchase a medical kit, you will also receive a manual on how to use the products in it.