Five Items to Rotate in Your Emergency Kit

It is important to remember to rotate the supplies in your emergency kit. You should also make sure that you have enough food for your family, since children tend to eat more the older they are. Here is a list of five things to check when rotating the supplies in your emergency kit. 1) Check your food to see if it has expired. If it is going to expire within the next six months, you need to replace it. You may need to add supplies if your children are now teenagers, or if you recently had a baby. 2) Check … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Prepare Your Emergency Kits for Cold Weather

It is the time of year to transition your emergency kits from summer to winter kits. This is important since there are different survival requirements for cold weather. It is also a great opportunity to rotate out your supplies and make sure that you keep your food fresh and ready to eat. 1) You should switch out your clothes from summer clothes to winter clothes. Be sure to include several pairs of heavy socks, a heavy sweatshirt, warm pants and a coat. It is easier to stay warm if you dress in several layers of clothing, so you may want … Continue reading →

Five Things to Consider Before Adding a Gun to Your Emergency Kit

One item that people may consider including in their preparedness kits is a gun of some sort. Most people would consider a rife or shotgun for hunting. This is a personal choice that needs to be made each family. Here are five things that you need to take into consideration when thinking about purchasing a gun. 1) You should think about why you want the gun. Do you want the gun for protection or to go hunting in times of need? If you want it for hunting do you know how to hunt? Do you have a place that is … Continue reading →

Store a Two Week Supply of Food and Water

Once you have your basic emergency kit in hand you should begin to expand your supplies so that you have enough food and water on hand to last you two weeks. This is the next step in emergency preparedness. This is an important step because it can take that long to have your power restored. The relief supplies may be slow in reaching you or you may require certain items that they will not provide. The first step you should complete in expanding your supplies is to have two weeks of water on hand for each person in your family. … Continue reading →

Five Tips for Water Emergencies

One of the most important things you can store is water. The water system can easily become contaminated in an emergency situation. The water system is fragile and can be contaminated in a non-emergency situation as well. Today my town of about 100,000 was informed that our water is no longer safe to drink without boiling it first. Here is a list of other considerations to take into account for a water emergency. 1) When you do decide to boil water instead of buying bottled water to drink you will need to make sure that you do not cross contaminate … Continue reading →

Small Emergency Kits for School and Work

What happens if there is an emergency and you cannot return to your home, but must immediately evacuate or report to a shelter? Your carefully prepared emergency kit will be at home and you will be wishing that you had access to it. This is the reason that I suggest that children have a small emergency kit that they take to school with them. I also recommend an emergency kit in each of your vehicles and a small kit that you keep in your desk at the office. If you plan carefully and combine these together you may have enough … Continue reading →

Personal Supplies in Emergency Kits

One area that has not been covered in preparing your emergency kits is personal supplies. These items can help you to be more comfortable in a shelter or during an emergency. They can also help promote better hygiene and sanitation practices. You will want to pack personal hygiene supplies for yourself and your family. These items will include toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and pony tail holders. You will also want to include soap, shampoo, and deodorant. You may want to include the daily facial clothes, which you can purchase, because they are an easy way to clean your face. Wet wipes … Continue reading →

How to Store Your Emergency Kit

You have several options when considering how to store your emergency kit. The size and age of the people in your family will determine what method you decide to use in storing your emergency kits. No matter what your choice, you will want to make sure that it is easily portable, and that you will have the ability to move it over long distances if necessary. 1) Backpacks are the most common place to store emergency kits. These are nice because they are easy to move and leave your hands free. If buy hiking backpacks your will be able to … Continue reading →

Planning for your Baby’s Needs During an Emergency

If you have a baby in your family or are expecting one soon, you will need to make sure that you include their special needs in your emergency plans. The food and formula, which a baby requires, may be difficult to find in a shelter. They may not be included on the first relief trucks and so you will want to make sure that you have plenty of these supplies available to you. You will want to provide for the feeding needs of your infant. If your baby is breastfed, then you will not have as much to worry about. … Continue reading →

Alternate Heating Sources

Although alternate heating sources may be the last thing on your mind, it is a good time to be preparing for possible power outages in the winter. You can often find alternate heating sources on sale during the summer in the stores or in classified ads in your local paper. Here is a list of possible sources to consider: 1) The most common alternate heating source is your fireplace. This is a great source of heat for your family. You will need to store fuel to burn in your fireplace. You can purchase wood on sale during the summer in … Continue reading →