EmergencyKit(Home)
Summary
In preparation for a major storm you should have an emergency kit to provision your family for at least 72 hours. AAmpere (amp), SI unit of electrical current basic kit includes food stuffs and water and a few other essential survival items. Be prepared to eat lightly and possibly lose a bit of weight.
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 (stocked for the most common injuries: sprains, fractures, cuts, headaches, and allergic reactions)
- batteries
- flashlight
- whistle to signal for help
- medication
- personal documentation (copies of: passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate, insurance policies, wills)
- battery-operated radio
- blankets (waterproof, emergency, space, thermal)
- personal sanitation (soap, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, 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
Replace food and water once a year. 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. A 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.
Basic First Aid Items
Some items to consider in a first-aid kit:
- 1 small bottle pain relievers
- 2 absorbent compress dressings
- 25 adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
- 1 adhesive cloth tape
- 5 antibiotic ointment packets
- 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets
- 5 antiseptic wipe packets
- 1 blanket, ideally a space blanket
- 1 breathing barrier with one-way valve
- 1 instant cold compress
- 2 pairs of non-latex gloves
- 1 pair scissors
- 1 roller bandage (8 cmCentimetre, or 3 inches wide)
- 1 roller bandage (10 cm, or 4 inches wide)
- 5 sterile gauze pads (8 cm, or 3 inches) x 8 cm, or 3 inches
- 5 sterile gauze pads (10 cm, or 4 inches) x 10 cm or 4 inches
- 1 oral thermometer (non-mercury, non-glass, non-battery)
- 2 triangular bandages
- 1 pair tweezers
- 1 First aid instruction booklet
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
- Powdered eggs
You can spoon the milk powder into a water bottle and shake it up.
Plan Consumption
Some selected caloric examples to help you plan consumption:
| Food Item | Serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | 36.5 ggram/0.25 cup | 207 |
| Peanut butter | 32.0 g/2 tbspTablespoon | 188 |
| Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate | 14.0 g/1 piece | 40 |
| Raisins | 100.0 g | 299 |
| Tuna | 100.0 g | 184 |
| Brown rice | 100.0 g | 111 |
| Kidney beans | 100.0 g | 333 |
| Cheddar cheese | 100.0 g | 402 |
| Powdered milk | 100.0 g | 496 |
Generally powdered milk is prepared with a ratio of 3 units of water to 1 of powder measured as volume or 10:1 by weight, but first check the instructions on the package. For example:
- 1/3 cup powder x 1 cup water
- 100 g powder x 1 kgKilogram, SI unit of mass, 1000 grams water (1 litre) (496 calories)
See CyclonePreparationChecklist
