How to Choose a Survival Kit

Natural and man-made disasters can happen at any time and any place usually without warning. Natural disasters such as earthquakes , floods , hurricanes , storms and tornados will occur. It is just a matter of when. Take for example the Loma Perita earthquake. This earthquake destroyed x amount of homes and forced thousands of people to survive for several days without food, water and shelter. Another example would be a large hurricane where thousands of people are evacuated on a few hours notice. Did you also know that flooding is the number one cause of property damage in the United States.

Emergency kits can assist you in surviving any kind of natural or man-made disasters like terrorist attacks. Survival kits do not prevent injury from a disaster but help you to survive in the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster. You should be self-sufficient for 72 hours ( 3 days ) or more and realize that you cannot count on anyone to come to your assistance.

OK, You convinced me. I think I need a survival kit and first aid kits, how will it help me?

When your house collapses in an earthquake, is knocked down by a tornado, gets flooded by a storm, destroyed by a hurricane, you will have very little supplies to help you survive. Survival kits contain essential survival supplies ranging from the basics like food, water and shelter to the more advanced kits containing solar powered flashlights and small cooking stoves. Maintaining an emergency kit, and storing it in a proper location provide for your basic essentials of life. You can then focus your attention on more pressing matters.

So what should be included in my kit?

The two best sites I have found for disaster survival planning is from FEMA and the RED CROSS. These sites provide a good reference for creating your own survival kit, disaster preparedness planning and many more related topics. I urge you to look at these two sites for more information.

How many days should I plan for?

It is highly recommended that your survival pack should sustain you and your family for 3 days or 72 hours. There is a lot of press lately that mentions the 72 hour kits. Most kits available these days are rated for 3 days or 72 hours but be sure to check.

How many people should I plan for?

Everybody including the dog. There is no use in planning just for yourself when you know that junior will get the food anyway, so plan for everybody in your family.

What are some of the advantages of buying a kit rather than making my own kit?

Commercial emergency kits and first aid kits contain proven products. These kits should have a very stable emergency food source. These emergency food bars are specially formulated to last for 5 years. Commercial kits also contain packaged water that also has a 5 year shelf life. If you created your own kit, you would have to change the canned foods and water every year or so. So the cost ( in time and money ) of maintaining your own kit must be taken into consideration. Commercial kits also have products you might not have around your house like solar powered flashlights, small emergency radios, water purification tables, toilet chemicals, small emergency blankets and tents to name a few items.

What are some of the disadvantages of commercial kits?

Cost. Yes, it does cost money to buy these kits. You can probably make your own kits for a fraction of the cost. Commercial kits also do not include extra clothing or any special needs items like medicine, entertainment or baby items. ( make sure you plan for junior's needs as well ) I recommend following the guidelines contained in the two links when creating your own kits however.

This sounds great but I do not have the time, patience, material ( enter your own excuse ) to make my own. I want to buy one instead.

Survival kits can be grouped into the following categories.

• Personal survival kits -typically, these kits provide for one person for 1-3 days. If you are only interested in a small, inexpensive kit, this is the type of kit you should look at. These kits also include student kits that are designed for kids to leave at school.
• Auto emergency kit - used in cars, busses and trucks. These kits usually are packed in a hard plastic case that protects that contents from impact
• Home survival kit - these kits can sustain from 1-4 persons for 72 hours. These kits can be packed in backpacks or hard plastic containers. These are the most popular kits for families.
• Office emergency kits - these kits are designed for small offices from 5-100 people for 3 days. Most of these kits are packed in hart plastic containers.
• School survival kits - these are specialized kits for schools and other organizations. These kits contain survival supplies for lock down and other special situations.

Great. I want a Home kit for my family but which one?

There are many kits to choose from. Most of the kits are very similar and contain much of the same products. Some kits contain more "stuff" than others. It depends on how much you want to spend. Here are some guidelines on choosing what "stuff" you need. The list below is a guideline one what to include in your kit.

1. Food, Water
2. Shelter, First Aid products
3. Fire, Lights, other supplies

What types of kits should I buy or make?

If you have the time and money, you should include in your disaster preparedness planning, a kit for hour home, place of work, car and school if applicable. Think of where you might be in case a disaster. You might be in your office in which case your home kit does you no good. You could be driving with your family on a vacation and you get stuck in a snowstorm in the middle of the night with no cell phone service. Or, you could be in your home enjoying a warm cup of coffee. And finally, think about the kids in school. Does the school have any disaster preparedness plans, Does your work have any?

Should I get a backpack or a hard plastic container?

Backpacks are good for carrying the kits around. The drawback of a backpack is that they can get damaged by falling debris, water, cold and other elements. Backpacks are desirable when mobility is required. Let say you move around a lot or want to take the survival kit with you sometimes. A backpack would be a better choice in this example. You must, however, remember to take the backpack with you incase of emergency.

I recommend a hard plastic container that is water and air tight for a family kit and first aid kits. The buckets are also useful as a potty during a time of need. This also allows you to store the kit outside and away from structures. See note below for why.

Where should I store the survival kit?

The kit should be stored away from a structure in case the structure collapses and you cannot get access to the survival kit. If this is not an option ( apartment, condo ) the kit should be stored in a safe place where you can retrieve it quickly.