Do you have a disaster relief/emergency kit?

Question

Please tell us:
A. Where you live
B. What type of emergency/natural disaster you are most worried about
C. What is in your kit?
Thanks! I've been thinking about putting one together. I've always heard about other people having them, but now that I have two small children, I guess it's time =)

Answer 1

I live in Utah
In Utah they're always saying that there is going to a huge earthquake, so I think that's probably what I'm most worried about.
I have two 72 hour kits (one for me and one for my husband) that have water, food (i.e. MRE's, dry pack food), glowsticks, waterproof matches, granola, a blanket, candles, toothpaste, toothbrush, a flashlight, batteries, and snacks that we both will actually want to eat. We also have a fire in a can. You can visit beprepared.com. They have a bunch of emergency preparedness stuff for pretty good prices.

Answer 2

With every day pass, our country is getting into more and more trouble. The inflation, unemployment and falling value of dollar are the main concern for our Government but authorities are just sleeping, they don’t want to face the fact. Media is also involve in it, they are force to stop showing the real economic situation to the people. I start getting more concern about my future as well as my family after watching the response of our Government for the people that affected by hurricane Katrina.

According to recent studies made by World Bank, the coming crisis will be far worse than initially predicted. So if you're already preparing for the crisis (or haven't started yet) make sure you watch this video at http://www.familysurvival.tv and discover the 4 BIG issues you'll have to deal with when the crisis hits, and how to solve them fast (before the disaster strikes your town!) without spending $1,000s on overrated items and useless survival books.

Answer 3

Toronto

Major storm producing tornadoes.

I don't have an emergency kit per se but I do have a lot of camping gear that will suffice and I have bottled water and toilet paper as well as spare clothes in plasticbags, my bike will get me out of the area, probably faster than snarled traffic. What is most needed after a natural disaster is a strong back and a weak mind; I'm well prepared ;-)

Answer 4

When we lived in Arkansas we kept a safety/emergency kit with medical supplies, wind-up flashlights, and bandages, but we also kept several 2-liter bottles filled with clean water (enough for three days for the family). Tornadoes were the most likely disaster there. In the car when the weather starts to cool I keep at least one blanket and a camp shovel. If I know I'm going into snow country, I take a cable and a come-along in the trunk, too. I toss the sleeping bags in for most overnight trips. I take water on all road trips that leave the city limits, and if I think we'll be out of town more than a few hours, I take snacks like packaged fruit. I've been doing it for so many years that I've been called to use the supplies during winter storms, auto break-downs, and one auto accident we came across. We were stranded at a motel for three days last winter due to a winter storm, and had food with us. Many did not. I also carry any prescription medications with me in my purse.

We normally have a three to five week supply of food on hand at home, but that's simply because we often buy in bulk.

Since we moved to the Southwest, we haven't re-established the water supply. The problem here is usually just a loss of electricity during a storm, though there have been tornadoes in the area. Thanks for the reminder. I can do that today.

EDIT--Some GREAT Answers here - I've been relying on myself in power-outages and snow storms and road trips for years, and I still picked up some tips here. An idea for reestablishing identity - photocopy the contents of your wallet in advance of an emergency. Keep it secure, of course. I also have a little card I keep with blood type, age, allergies, etc for all members of my family. I laminated the paper and folded it to the size of a credit card. It stays in my wallet. I am going to toss a sharpie into my pack today, too! Thanks!

Answer 5

Water is the thing that you will miss the most and need most urgently if you don't have it. You cannot store enough water. The rest of the emergency kit is largely dependent on taste, your particular environment, and individual needs.

I was preparing for a trek into the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada Mountains recently. I was going to travel light and I had planned to forage for many of my needs. My brother asked me how much toilet paper I would be taking. I know he would have at least twenty rolls of the stuff in his backpack if he were doing a similar trip. Not exactly roughing it, and I was howling with laughter at the thought of it.

Answer 6

We live in Mich . US
Water is the first thing we all need and, a safe way to get rid of body waste.
We have been four days without power and no water or flushing toilets .The emergency kit came in very handy.
I keep plenty of bottled water for drinking and large container for hygiene- I rotate these on a regular bases, so that bacteria doesn't have a chance to grow .
I have Clorox bleach with instructions for sanitizing water and hydrogen peroxide and alcohol.
Ready to eat type canned goods with openers
Candles , oil lamps and flashlights with extra batteries.
Cash
first aid kit
Five gallon pail with strong plastic bags to line it ( for use as a toilet)
Plastic tarps and Duct tape.
There are on line places to buy kits and advice on what to put in them. You can really go nuts buying expensive supplies, they can spoil get old and be misplaced -
Think about the things that realistically happen in your area,your basic needs and your children's health comfort and safety.
Usually help and or relief is available within a relatively short time .
You are one smart cookie to be thinking ahead !
We have had to use ours several times --fortunately four days was the longest !

Answer 7

I have one but I'm awful about keeping it up to date and it tends to get buried in the garage.

Earthquakes are a huge concern in California. One of the problems with an emergency box is it may become inaccessible due to fallen debris if not placed appropriately. We keep water, easy to prepare food for ourselves and the cats (Ohmigod I just realized there's no rabbit chow in there!), some spare clothing, blankets, a first aid kit in the box. You might even write yourself or your kids a letter and include copies of some special pictures or other mementos, because if you're breaking out the supplies you might need a bit of moral support.

We go camping alot so have white gas and propane and try to keep our camp stoves handy at all times.

Thanks for reminding us of an important but oft neglected task.

Answer 8

YES, YES and we all should have one! I live in N. AL. We were out of power for up to 21 days after big hurricanes and we also get BAD tornados, a lot ! We go through approx. 6 power outages a yr. We live in a forrest so with this drought going on now, we have a healthy fear of fire. I have a heavy duty piece of luggage that we keep in my car trunk. I keep it there because when you see pictures of an aftermath, the cars may be upside down, but usually in tact. We also keep a pack in our storm shelter (A big hole in the ground, w/cement walls) The one thing we don't have to fear, so far, is a flood. But then Noah probably didn't either! :-) I keep a change of clothes,matches and lighters, a can opener, canned foods, meds, first aid kit, utensils to cook, blankets, garbage bags (for garb. and many other uses, flash lights (store batteries in a seperate container), personal items T-tissue & such, Baking soda (for teeth, cleaning a wound etc.) Medical major info, if needed. non-perishables, water etc....
In my storm house (big hole), WE have a t.v. (battery operated), water, non-perishables snacks, light source etc. Hope this helps. Maybe everyone will catch on to this VERY important issue! Personalize your kit. Just try to think of everything you might need to survive for 3 to 7 days. Remember to change out yor batteries, matches, and items that may go out of date. It's a lot, but mine has been a life saver twice !!!!! My Husband doesn't tease me about it anymore!!! Good luck and God Bless You!

Answer 9

No i live in Detroit Michigan and there really isn't any disasters that happens hear at least i don't know of any not even terrorist they don't even want to come to Detroit . Oh yeah i keep a pocket full of change for the homeless and crack heads keeps them from robbing me

Answer 10

Minnesota, we have food, (Canned, frozen, dried) water for drinking and personal use, plastic bags for waste, blankets, sleeping bags and area, emergency generator, first aid kit, a wood stove and hand saws. (I'll cut up my deck if I need too.) And last but not least a 12 ga. shotgun with many shells.