Home Emergency Kits: The Basics

If you do any kind of research online you will find you need, or it is suggested you need, a bug-out-bag, an Everyday Carry kit (EDC), a wilderness survival kit, possibly a action bag at the office, and of course a survival kit for your vehicle. To top the list off, you would need an emergency kit for the home as well.

This article is not so much about what you need, because really you are the only one that knows that, but more about how to get started. Getting started is the hardest part, and how to get started can be overwhelming for those new to prepping.

Previous articles have talked extensively about the fact that most supplies are not disaster specific, in other words, you will need the same supplies regardless of the crisis. There are exceptions of course, but before running out and buying specialized equipment, materials, or gear, get started on the basics for survival first.

What Exactly Will You Be Dealing With

Power disruptions, which will mean no electricity and water disruptions if you receive water from a municipality and possible disruptions in natural gas flow and your local propane company, may not be able to get to your home to top off, or fill your tank (s).

There may be damage to the roads and highways, so travel may be limited or you may not be able to get out of your own driveway. Resupplying at the local markets will be impossible. With all this in mind now you can begin building your homes’ basic emergency kit.

Electricity Is So Ingrained In Our Lives

Your new Keurig 2.0 or the latest auto drip coffee maker, which is so high-tech it even fries your bacon for you will not work, so the ole standby camp percolator will have to suffice that is if you even have any ground coffee available.

You really have to look closely. People are so accustomed to using certain things that they forget some, if not most things in the kitchen require electricity. You will have the same basic tasks to complete during the day whether you have electricity or not. Meals will have to be prepared, children tended to, cans of food opened and food cooked or heated.

You have to list the things that will replace the gadgets that require electricity. If you wanted to make bread, for example, how you would do it without electricity is a question for which you need the answer. This is how you begin to figure out what is needed in your emergency kit.

Water and food are the staples and you simply cannot survive without them. You need a comprehensive plan for the storage of both, and in particular water. A few jugs stuck on a shelf here and there is not good enough.

Survival experts usually recommend one gallon per day per person, but that is only enough to prevent dehydration, it does not include cooking needs, bathing/personal hygiene, and so forth. Three to five gallons per person, per day is closer to what your needs will be, but essentially you are the only one that can determine this. Weight is a factor along with space. Water weighs slightly over eight pounds per gallon, so the weight will add up quickly.

It is not that you cannot live without electricity, but the fact is that the majority of people in this country have never had to live without electricity for more than a few days at a time. Many do not know for sure whether they can or not for an extended period. The reality is that many people simply do not know how to live without electricity.

A few hours without it, is an irritation, a few days is a serious inconvenience, but a few weeks without it, is a catastrophe, and can be life threatening in some cases.

It takes extensive planning, far more planning than putting together a bug-out-bag, an EDC kit, or even a wilderness survival kit. “Three hots and a cot” seems simple enough until you start buying extra food, water, emergency blankets, flashlights, lanterns, propane heaters, propane camp stoves and the list goes on.

It takes planning, commitment and financial resources, and this is why most of the people in this country are unprepared for any crisis that last more than 72-hours, and some cannot even make the claim they are prepared for 72-hours.

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Source: prepforshtf.com