Emergency Supplies Blog

For many years, hurricanes have been a cause for concern in the Southeast United States. When storm season hits, people tune into local news services and other information sources in an attempt to figure out the best course of action. More recently, wild fires have decimated huge swaths of the California landscape. Residents there have had increased cause to pay attention to warnings and advisories.

Calls for evacuation are transmitted in many ways, including via radio. It’s especially helpful for concerned homeowners to keep an emergency radio at hand just in case the worst happens. By staying connected to the authorities, you can ensure the safety and security of your family during an evacuation.

If you were forced to rough it in an emergency situation or evacuate from your home how portable are your emergency supplies?   If the emergency shelters are full, you will quickly discover that you will need to provide a shelter for your family.  You can pack a tent or pack several tarps and a rope to rig up a temporary shelter.  Your shelter should be able to withstand the wind and rain.   Also, make sure that you have portable cooking equipment and a good lighter or matches. 

You should store your emergency gear and supplies in buckets, sealed bags and/or backpacks.  For many families this would mean hiking backpacks are best.  If you are evacuating by car you will want to be sure your emergency gear and your families emergency kits fit nicely in your car and don’t forget to consider the special needs of your family members.   Pre-planning is the key to your emergency plan and gear.

 Buying or acquiring Emergency Kits from various online portals is easy if you can invest at least a small amount. However, choosing the ideal one while trying to prepare yourself for an impending disaster is the trickiest part pf the procedure. There are several types of emergency kits available, and making the right choice can often draw the line between survival and death.  Listed below are some types of emergency preparedness supply kits:

Pocket Survival Kit – A pocket survival kit is small enough to be fit into the pocket of an individual. It is extensively used by people who spend their time outdoors, either pursuing adventure sports or camping. Hikers, campers, hunters, cyclists on a cross-country race, etc are best suited to use such a kit. It contains all the basic tools required to survive and nothing more – rescue whistles, flashlights, fishing cords, duct tape, knife, compass, etc.

 NOTE:  While different types of medical emergency kits or disaster supplies may vary from a vendor to vendor, the basic contents and equipment are almost alike.

We are often meet with such emergency situations which are beyond our control. While some of these are natural disasters others are man-inflicted. We can’t always control the occurrence of such disasters but can surely control the severity of the disaster. This obviously depends on how well prepared we are in handling a crisis situation. That is why it is always a wise to keep your emergency survival kit close. It depends on your unique needs to select the proper emergency kits and supplies. Once a disaster has already occurred you won’t have the time or the be calm to think out your plan and get emergency supplies. Hence being proactive and prepared is always the first step.

By being well prepared you can not only save your skin but also provide a helping hand to others when the help of local officials or rescue operators is yet to arrive. Most emergency survival kits are designed to contain the most vital of emergency supplies such as food, water, shelter, lighting, sanitation and other survival equipment. There are specialty emergency kits especially designed to meet disastrous situations like earthquakes, hurricane, and a pandemic or flu.

Some of the specialty emergency kits are listed below:

Child Care Safety Kit: This is an accessory kit with supplementary emergency supplies. These kits are specifically designed for the safety of young children. These tailor made disaster kits are designed to protect children from common dangers. The pack’s contents may contain Child ID & Records Kit (help in identifying the missing or lost). Child sized water, food, child games, and a light stick. Also, I have seem some kits contain safety corner bumpers (helps in preventing most common household accidents), Child safety cabinet latches (ideal to be used in kitchens and bathrooms), a all purpose safety strap (keeps kids away from dangerous areas), automatic night light (provides light during a power shortage).

Earthquake Kit: Special survival pack with supplementary emergency supplies designed to lessen the severity of the disaster caused by earthquake. This custom kit is especially helpful in protecting you and your home against any kind of damage or injury caused by earthquake. No doubt the supplies in the pack are especially designed to provide immunity from earthquakes. The kit could include comprises a package of picture hooks (prevents the damage of picture frames), Jar of Museum/Quake Wax (a non toxic formula), Furniture Fastening Straps (the furniture can easily shift or block the exit), Power Failure Lights (automatic lights used in power cut), Set of Safety Adhesive Fasteners and Survival Guide (an easy and comprehensive guide with tips on surviving an earthquake). Also, tools like a crow bar, shovel, and gloves.

Hurricane Kit: Specifically designed kit with additional emergency supplies. All the supplies in the pack are specifically designed to protect the occupants from a hurricane and its aftermath. The pack includes a large duct tape, polythene tarp (can be used as a quick spot shelter), survival candle (usable during power cut), waterproof matches (burns even if completely drenched in water, also non toxic), axe (with a flattened head), safety goggles (protects eyes from harmful dust and debris), a folding shovel and a survival guide. It is not possible to keep all the emergency supplies therefore go for only those specialty kits that cater to your regional demands or your unique situation.

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.