Storing emergency supplies at home for your home is an essential part of keeping you and your family safe in times of emergency. Following a catastrophic disaster in your area, you could find yourself without many of the modern day luxuries you likely take for granted everyday. Electricity may be out for weeks leaving you in the dark and causing water treatment plants to stop working. Your home may suffer structural damage and be unsafe to occupy. You may need to take up shelter outdoors while possibly enduring extreme weather conditions. You or loved ones may suffer injuries and need immediate medical treatment at a time when there might not be medical attention available.
Below is a summary of the different categories of emergency preparedness supplies that you should have at home for your family.
Emergency Food
After a large disaster, stores may be closed for several weeks in your area and roads may be unsafe to drive out of your area. That is why you must have a supply of emergency food in your 72 Hour Kit. You should have a minimum of a three-day supply per person but a supply of at least a week is recommended. Many people try making their own home survival kit but they often don’t realize that store bought food such as canned food only has a 6 month shelf-life. That is why each of our survival kits come with ER Bars – US Coast Guard Approved, 5-year shelf-life, 3-day supply of survival food bars. With a non-thirst provoking formula and a perfect balance of quality ingredients, it is specifically designed for disaster victims. Vacuum sealed and specially packaged, the ER Bar has surpassed rigorous testing procedures and quality standards in order to be a US Coast Guard Approved 5-Year Shelf-Life Emergency Food Ration.
Emergency Water
Second to air, water is the most primary element to human survival. You must consider the fact that running water may be either unsafe to drink or simply unavailable after an emergency. Just keeping bottled water at home is not enough. Despite popular myth, bottled water only has a 6 month shelf-life; even less if stored in extreme temperatures. It is recommended that at a minimum you have a 3 day supply of drinking water per person in your emergency preparedness kit. However, a survival rule of thumb is that you have a gallon of emergency water per person because you will also need it for sanitation purposes. Each of our survival kits come with US Coast Guard Approved, 5-year shelf-life, 3-day supply of emergency water rations. Since water remains the most important survival item to have, each home survival kit also comes with water purification tablets which can be used along with the 5 gallon container to purify extra water. The additional purchase of extra emergency water for inclusion within your survival kit is recommended as our survival kits include only a minimum survival supply. The best and cheapest way to store a sufficient amount of emergency water for an entire family is to purchase one of our 55 gallon water storage barrel and accessories.
Emergency Lights
As electricity may be out for several weeks after a disaster, you will need emergency lights to navigate through the dark and safely get out of your home in order to travel to a safe location. Each of our Home Survival Kits come with a variety of essential emergency lights. Many people store a regular flashlight and batteries in their emergency preparedness kit but don’t realize that batteries have a shelf-life of 6 months. Our deluxe home survival kits come equipped with a solar and hand crank radio with lantern light which never needs batteries and 12 hour emergency lightsticks which have a 5-year shelf-life. All home kits also come with slow-burning emergency candles and waterproof matches for extra long-lasting light. We also recommend the inclusion of a fluorescent lantern for additional lighting capabilities.
Emergency Radios
In the event of an emergency while you are at home, you will need to know where to go in order to get to a safe location. That is why each of our emergency preparedness kits come with an emergency radio for listening to emergency broadcasts following a disaster. Our deluxe home survival kits come equipped with a solar radio with lantern light which never needs batteries. This emergency radio is highly recommended because regular battery operated emergency radios have many limitations such as the facts that batteries only last for hours and have an extremely limited shelf-life of around 6 months.
Emergency First Aid Kits
In the event of a disaster or just everyday accidents, emergency first aid kits are always a must. You probably already have a first aid kit in your home, but individual items likely get taken out of it for occasional injuries. That is why it is important to have a comprehensive first aid kits set aside for emergency preparedness. Each of our home emergency preparedness kits come with a comprehensive 68 piece first aid kit. In addition to the assortment of compresses, antiseptics, bandages, gauze pads and rolls, etc. in our the first aid kit, we also recommend the expansion of your first aid supplies with the inclusion of a CPR mask.
Emergency Shelter Supplies
In your emergency preparedness planning, you must consider the fact that your home may be unsafe to occupy. Therefore, you may be forced to stay outdoors for several days if not weeks. That is why you need emergency shelter supplies in your emergency preparedness kit. Each of our survival kits come with the proper shelter supplies including space blankets for warmth, ponchos to protect you from the weather, and a tube tent for easy emergency shelter from the elements. Additional recommended emergency home shelter supplies include a canopy shelter and body warmer pads.
Emergency Search & Rescue Supplies
There will likely be broken glass and dangerous items that you will have to deal with when evacuating your home or helping others evacuate. Collapsed structures could trap families in their homes. That is why your home emergency preparedness kit must include the proper emergency search and rescue supplies for your home. One very important item, especially for earthquake preparedness, which can save your home and neighborhood is an emergency gas shut-off wrench. An emergency gas shut-off wrench is included in each of our home preparedness kits along with a swiss army style knife which serves as twelve valuable tools. For setting up camp or shelter, each kit also includes nylon cord and duct tape. Each home preparedness kit also comes with leather-palmed work gloves, vinyl gloves, and dust masks for protection from dangerous debris.
Emergency Sanitation Supplies
It’s not a pleasant thought, but plumbing will likely be unavailable after a major disaster. You also must remember that you may have to stay outdoors with several other people and neighbors in close proximity. For proper health and sanitation conditions, your emergency preparedness kit should include emergency sanitation supplies. The 5 gallon container of our home survival kits is designed to be used as a portable toilet. Each home survival kit comes with toilet bags, toilet chemicals, and tissue packs. The additional toilet seat cover and lid is an optional upgrade to the kit but is recommended.