Making It Do: Thoughts and Reminder

With all the natural disasters occuring lately, I thought it would be a great week to remind you that if you haven't put together a 72 hour kit, then you should definitely get on that!
If you have put together a 72 hour kit, it would be a good time to make sure it still matches your needs and that nothing is expired!

Need help with putting together a 72 hour kit? Check out my FAQ!

In other news, I'm going to take a few weeks off of the "How Do I Use It?" segment, while I do some more research on the next few items. In the mean time, I'll be covering some more emergency prep subjects.

Emergency Prep

Ok, so I know that this week was supposed to be more on water storage, but I went to this really great Emergency Prep Activity at my church, and I wanted to share what I learned! The people there were Fire Fighters, Emergency Management Center workers, and a worker for the Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida (their office oversees insurance and banks). So here is what I learned:

• Have a 72 hour kit! I did learn about these nifty meals called Heater Meals. They aren't terribly expensive ($17 on Amazon for three, if you are doing swagbucks you could use some of those Amazon gift cards you earned on them), and they are an option for those who like to think less about how to come up with a meal for your kit.
• Have a document toolkit. Basically a box of all important documents for you. Birth Certificates, marriage licenses, deeds, etc. One thing they mentioned that I thought was pretty smart is your child's most recent report card. The reason for this is that if you become displaced by a disaster (Katrina is a good example) and your kid needs to go to school somewhere else, they may not have access to your child's old school records to determine what classes (or grade!) they need to be in.
• Have appropriate insurance. Remember you need to have insurance for the rebuild value of your home, not it's current value. Also, flood insurance is a very wise idea anywhere you live. As we've seen in the devastation of the flooding in Tennessee, you don't just need to live on the coast to have flood insurance. Also, be advised there is a 30 day waiting period on flood insurance and they won't write new policies with a named storm that could effect your area. If you rent, you should consider renter's insurance to cover your belongings.
• Check insurance values. Make sure you know whether you have contents coverage and whether it covers the actual value or the depreciated value. See if you have law and ordinance coverage (a coverage to bring your house up to code, should you have to rebuild). 
• Make a written home inventory which lists items, date of purchase, and value. It is also wise to take a picture or video inventory of items so that you can be sure you can prove you actually had those items and their previous condition. (You don't need to show every piece of clothing, book, etc. show that there is a closet full of clothing or a bookshelf full of books and show anything worth some money)
• Have a weather radio. How will you know a tornado is headed your way at 3am? A weather radio is a great way to know. Also, emergency service centers can use them to relay any emergency information you need to know.
• Evacuate when they tell you to! Don't delay, you should be ready to go when they say go (hence the need for document toolkits and 72 hour kits). Their advice for where to go? First a relative, then a hotel, and last a shelter.
• Make plans for your pet! Don't leave them home! Be aware that most shelters do not house animals, so have a plan in place for what you will do. Speaking of pets, also make sure you have their immunization/vet records in your document tool-kits.
• Have maps. You may know how to get someplace, but in a disaster situation you have no idea what roads may be destroyed or inaccessible, and you may not have phone signal to look it up.
• If disaster strikes you, be sure to check out anyone offering to "help" you rebuild or repair. A lot of people like to take advantage of those who have suffered great loss. Make sure they are licensed and insured, and check with your state to be sure the info they have given you is valid.
• If you are having trouble with your insurance, find out what state office governs insurance in your state and contact them, they can be a wonderful advocate for you!
• Have a good medical history. If you are forced to relocate because of disaster, there is a chance that you will be unable to obtain medical records from your doctor, so have a personal medical history with you.
• If you have a small business, make a document toolkit and an emergency plan for your business. Approximately 50% of small businesses do not reopen after a disaster because they do not have what they need to re-open. 

I hope you've found some of this as interesting as I found it to be.
If you'd like to see some of my other post on emergency preparedness, click here. I'll be back next week to continue the series on water storage.

Making it do or doing without

 72-hour kits

What is a 72-hour kit?
A 72-hour kit is everything you and your family would need to survive in an emergency.
I live in Florida so for me it is also known as my hurricane kit. In other parts of the country they could be an earthquake kit, a tornado kit, a winter storm kit, or any other kind of disaster you can think of. However, it is a wise idea to have a 72 hour kit year round for any unexpected emergency or disaster.

What should it include?
Well that depends a lot on your family and their needs. But here is what I would recommend at the very minimum.

• 3 days worth of food and snacks for each family member
• 3 days worth of water for each family member (the recommendation is generally 1 gallon per person per day, more if there are special needs such as pregnant or nursing mothers and more if you plan to use it for hygeine purposes)
• First aid supplies(first aid kit, flares, whistles, gloves, etc.)
• Clothing and bedding. One change of clothing, for both warm and cold temperatures. Blankets, rain coats, etc.
• Fuel and light. (Flashlights, batteries, lighter, matches, a camp stove if you have one)
• 3 days of medication (anything you take daily or regularly you will want to have in there)
• Toiletries (toilet paper, feminine hygiene, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo)
• Cash (in small bills)
• Important paper work in a waterproof container (insurance policies, birth certificates, passports, marriage license, wills, deeds, titles, contracts, etc.)
• Tools (can opener, weather radio, pocket knife, duct tape, pen and paper, axe, shovel, rope)
• Entertainment (books, crossword puzzles, puzzles, scriptures, etc.)
• Paper products or mess kits (if you choose mess kits remember dish soap to clean your dishes)
• Maps (in case you need to evacuate)

So what kind of food should I pack?
  I would only pack things you will know you will eat, but make sure you pack enough to have a balanced diet (and keep in mind that salty foods will make you thirsty). I think the best way to decide what to bring is to plan a menu for your family. Here's a list of good meal ideas to get you thinking.

• Breakfast- Instant breakfast (shelf stable milk and instant breakfast), oatmeal, granola bars, cereal (dry or with shelf stable milk)
• Lunch- crackers with peanut butter and jelly, crackers and canned tuna or chicken (find some mayo packets or relish packets and you could have tuna or chicken salad), beef jerky, spam
• Dinner- Canned soup, Spaghetti-o's, vienna sausage, beenie weenie, baked beans, canned beans, spaghetti and sauce
• Vegetables and Fruit- Canned veggies and fruit throughout the day with meals. Dried fruit is also an idea.
• Snacks- protein bars, granola bars, fruit leather, raisins, trail mix, nuts
• Drinks- water, juice boxes, cider, hot cocoa, tang, shelf stable milk (I would recommend the single serve boxes unless you have enough family members to drink the larger boxes), sports drinks, anything that you won't need to refrigerate

What if I have a baby or pets?
This is where it varies greatly depending on your needs, but again I'll give you some basics to get you going. I'll start with younger babies.

• Diapers, wipes, creams (make sure you have more than enough)
• If breastfeeding, anything you need to breastfeed. Pillows, supplements,etc.
• If formula feeding, 1-2 cans of formula, water, bottles, and supplies to clean bottles.
• Clothes and blankets (sleepers, receiving blankets, onesies, socks, jackets, etc.)
• If baby has started solids, baby cereal, jarred foods (based on their typical eating habits)
• Toys and/or comfort objects
• Baby Carrier
• Baby toiletries

For older babies and/or toddlers add the following:

•  Finger foods, snacks, and meals
•  Sippy cups
• Shelf stable milk (if they have started milk), juices
• Toddler utensils
• Bibs

If you have pets consider the following:

• Food for three days
• Litter for cats
• Collars, leashes, ids, cages, etc.
• Vet Records 
• Any medications (heartworm, flea and tick, special needs)
• Treats
• Toys

I hope that helps you get started. One final note is to make sure to check your kit on a regular basis for expired goods or update when the family changes (for example, when kids get older, or when you add a family member or pet). I'll give you a reminder on here every so often to remind you. Next week we will talk start a series on building up food storage.