72 Hour Kits Protect You and Your Family

Bill Montgomery — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:17:08 +0000

Are You Prepared? What if Chicken Little is right and the sky starts falling? Will you be ready? Maybe you'll be running around like a chicken with your … (you know the rest). Either way, you must be prepared. Do you know that a 72 hour kit could save a life and is easily prepared?

What are 72 Hour Kits?

You may have heard 72 hour kits referred to as B.O.B (Bug Out Bag) or G.O.O.D. (Get Out of Dodge) kits. But no matter what name you choose, the primary purpose is to provide you and your family with the items that are deemed essential for your short-term survival. As you might guess, the 72 hours refers to the duration the contents are designed to be used under optimal conditions. This period is the time most consider it could take for first responders to get to people in remote areas.

Many of us feel that we do not live in a remote area and help is just a couple of blocks away. This is normally true, but a natural disaster could quickly change your local neighborhood into a lake or an ice coated wonderland. Living in Texas, I have personally experienced flooding caused by rain. hurricanes, ice storms, snow and tornadoes. Those are all natural disasters and don't take into account situations like a pipeline getting broken due to construction, or other man-made situations.

If you are still unsure about the concept of disaster kits, think of this scenario. It's early December and a winter storm is heading your way. To make a long story short, the freezing precipitation forms ice on trees and power lines. Soon, both are falling down and you are at home with no electricity and possibly no heat. At this point, a kit with disaster supplies might start looking real good.

I know most of us have a flashlight around the house, but what about batteries? How much food could you or your family make if the stove and can opener were both electric? Do you have a radio that runs on batteries or does everything seem to be plugged into the wall?

Basic Contents

Items you might find as you look through a basic kit could include; extra clothing, ready-to-eat food, extra water, a flashlight, extra batteries and related disaster supplies. You might also have some type of communication device, like a radio, to get a weather report. Are you beginning to see how just a few well-thought items could make a big difference? Just a few matches and a candle could provide a much needed glow as night falls.

The First Step

I hope you have a better understanding of the basic concept behind 72 hour kits and how having just a few basic items could really change a situation. Now, take a couple minutes to think about where you would put a kit in your home. To learn more about "preparedness kits" and related items, subscribe to the RSS feed or newsletter for this site. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment below or contact us.

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The Major Components of a Kit

Bill Montgomery — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:20:07 +0000

Last time I asked you to consider a good place to store your 72 Hour Kits. Did you find any good places? If you found a great or unique place, please leave a comment or send it to me.

In my opinion, there are 10 major categories to consider when creating your kit. When I say creating, this would still be true if you purchased parts, a whole kit or created your own from scratch. Although you might purchase what is considered a complete kit, you still have things that will be unique to your situation. These differences can be based on age, gender, geographic region, income, comfort level or experience.

The Top Ten

Water

We have all heard that you can survive days without food, but you need water. In my opinion, this is the most important item you will consume. Since we consume water, the amount we immediately have available is very important. Not only is it heavy to carry, we might not be able to replenish our supply easily.

Shelter

This is a tough category in my opinion. Many of us like the comfort that our home provides. Shelter might just be a place out of the sun or rain. Maybe it needs to be more, protecting us from elements like snow and freezing temperatures. Many people might decide to stay in their home if the power was out, but what if the house was no longer able to provide adequate shelter?

Food

This is one of my favorite items, disaster or not. My house is full of food created to increase the comfort of teenage boys. This food doesn't require cooking, can be eaten without utensils, and was once sealed for freshness. However, it is not very nutritional. Although we might consider some of this as comfort food, we need to think about food that is more sustainable.

Lighting

I don't know about you, but I like to see where I am going and what is happening around me. It's not that I am afraid of the dark, I am afraid of the things I can't see because it's dark. I think all of us are more comfortable when we can see something, not just hear or touch it. This could be especially true in a new environment.

Tools

Most of the items in our 72 Hour Kits will be in a form that we can readily use. However, there are some simple tools that will help us extend, adapt and combine our supplies. The tools don't have to be elaborate, but they do have to work.

Communication

Remember that communication is a two-way process. Not only do we need to be able to get information, we might need a way to transmit information. Communication does not always mean speaking. A paper and pencil can become a great way to communicate just by leaving a note.

Clothing

I expect that most of us are normally dressed in some type of clothing so the basic issue is literally covered. But what happens at night? Does it get cold? Is it wet? We'll talk more about this later, but just remember that things like the weather can really change in three days.

First Aid

I personally don't require any type of disaster to need a first aid kit most of the time. I tend to somehow get my hands against all sharp objects in an area. This need of mine, to come in contact with those things that should be left alone, causes my skin to leak at times. Imagine what I am like when I am out of my element!

Money

This is something that I think most of us could tend to overlook and with good reason. When I think of survival, I think of staying alive. However, if I was evacuating from a potential disaster, like a hurricane, would I be able to get money at an ATM? Could I be in a situation where I could only get gas for my car by paying cash? Having a little extra money might help us in ways we can't imagine.

Packaging

As you can see, we have the potential for many items. How will we carry all of this gear? The best way will be to place it inside some type of container. In fact, one container or type of container might not be enough. Think about where you're located and what the most likely situation would be in your area. Do you need protection from the elements or ease of use? Most people look for something that is a compromise between both requirements.

Summary

I know this got a bit long. I will handle these categories individually in upcoming posts. Did I forget a category? What do you think of the top ten shown above? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

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