EmergencyKit(Home)
Prepare a Home Emergency Kit
Prepare an emergency 72-hour kit and leave it by the door in case you need to “grab it and go”. Use a backpack to carry and distribute the weight.
- 72-Hour Emergency Preparedness Kit Checklist, St. John Ambulance
- Hurricane Preparedness - Be Ready, National Hurricane Center
- Surviving Cyclones: Preparation and Safety Procedures, Australian Government, Bureau of Meteorology
- Are you Cyclone Ready?, Harle'sSecond Electrical
- Hurricane Preparation Checklist, BoatSafe.com
Basic Emergency Kit
An essential emergency kit should include:
- water
- canned goods
- can opener (2)
- First Aid kit
- batteries
- flashlight
- whistle to signal for help
- medication
- personal documentation
- battery-operated radio
- blankets (waterproof, emergency, space, thermal)
- personal sanitation (toilet paper, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties)
- cash in small bills and coins
- spare house and car keys
- cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
- lightweight plastic rain gear
And take two can openers — it's a single point of failure if you have only one and lose it.
Water
You need at least 1 gallon (3.5 litres) of water per person per day for 3 days. AAmpere (amp), SI unit of electrical current normally active person needs to drink at least one half gallon of water each day (~2 litres). You will also need water to clean yourself and to cook. (This means a family of four needs 12 gallons of water in their emergency supply.) — Center for Disease Control[1]
Water is heavy, a gallon weighs 8.4 pounds. One litre weighs one kilogram. Put the water in several containers or plastic bottles to distribute the weight and make it easier to carry; and also to reduce the risk of losing it all if a container leaks.
Additional Items
Some additional items to consider:
- cooking gear (matches, fuel lamp, portable stove)
- eating utensils (mess kit)
- local maps
- shelter (ponchos, tarps, tent)
Basic Foodstuffs
Some basic survival foods available at the local supermarket or bulk food store are:
- Nuts (peanuts)
- Trail mix
- Peanut butter
- Canned fish (tuna, salmon)
- Chocolate (Baker's semi-sweet squares)
- Wholewheat crackers
- Dried fruit (raisins)
- Cheese brick
Depending on the availability of water and cooking facilities you could also consider:
- Brown rice
- Dried beans (kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, lima beans, pinto beans)
- Tea, instant coffee
- Powdered milk
You can spoon the milk powder into a water bottle and shake it up.
Caloric Examples
Some selected caloric examples to help you plan consumption:
Food Item | Serving | Calories |
---|---|---|
Peanuts | 36.5 ggram/0.25 cup | 207 |
Peanut butter | 32 g/2 tbspTablespoon | 188 |
Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate | 14 g/1 piece | 40 |
Raisins | 100 g | 299 |
Tuna | 100 g | 184 |
Brown rice | 100 g | 111 |
Kidney beans | 100 g | 333 |
Cheddar cheese | 100 g | 402 |