Emergency preparedness seems to be a hot topic right now. With everything that’s been happening it’s a smart idea to have at least your 72 hour bags packed and ready to go. But what’s most important to put inside you might ask? Here’s a simple guide I’ve put together to get you started on the right foot.
- Really the most important is your food. You want to make sure you have enough food and water in each bag (or dedicate one bag for the whole family) to live on for 72 hours. I love the buckets I see with everything you need inside. Or you can easily put together each person’s kit with what you have in your home. They have awesome ideas on Pinterest of what you can put inside. Just be sure you write the date on the bag so you know when they expire and when you need to change them out. We’ve also included a water bottle with a purifier in our bags.
- Clothing is next. I just finished gathering together items from each of our closets to put in your 72 hour bags. I got 2 sets of underwear for each person, a set of warm jammies for the kids as well as pants and 2 long sleeve shirts. These were all things we had on hand, it didn’t cost us a dime. We still need to add shoes to our bags and I’d like to get wool socks but that will come when we have the funds. Make this plan work for you and your family, don’t go into debt trying to get your family prepared for a natural disaster.
- In both my husband’s and my bag (and now that my kids are a little older I want to get them their own as well) we have a Personal Hygiene bag in which we keep travel sizes of:
- 1 Shampoo 2 oz.
- 1 Liquid Soap 2 oz.
- 1 Lotion 2 oz.
- 1 Razor
- 1 Toothbrush
- 1 Tooth Paste
- 1 Comb
- 1 Sunscreen Towelette
- 1 Bug Repellant Towelette
- 1 Emery Board
- 1 Bar Soap
- 1 Lip Balm
- 1 Sewing Kit
- 1 Dust Mask
- 3 Wet Wipes
- 1 Rolled Tissue
- 1 Facial Tissue
- 1 Hand Sanitizer
- 1 Handy Wipe Towel
- 5 Female Hygiene pads (You’ll see I have female hygiene pads in this kit, my goal is actually to get a diva cup since you’re able to clean and reuse those.)
- Also in the adults’ bags you’ll find a First Aid Kit. You could easily go through what you have on hand and put together your own kit but inside ours is:
- 1 8″X10″ Dressing
- 1 5″x9″ Compress
- 1 4″x4″ Gauze Pad (2 pack)
- 1 3″x4″ Non Stick Pad
- 1 2″x3″ Non Stick Pad
- 1 2″x2″ Gauze Pad (2 pack)
- 1 Knuckle Bandage
- 1 Fingertip Bandage
- 2 Butterfly Bandages
- 5 3/4″x3″ Band Aids
- 5 1″x3″ Band Aids
- 1 1/2″ Paper Tape Roll
- 2 Vinyl Gloves
- 1 2″ Stretch Gauze Roll
- 2 Alcohol Prep Pads
- 2 Antibiotic Towelettes
- 2 Triple Antibiotic
- 1 Hydrocortisone
- 2 Ibuprofen (2 pack)
- 1 Burn Cream
- 1 First Aid Information Sheet
- 2 Safety Pins
- 1 Scissors
- 1 Tweezers
- Please don’t forget any prescription medication you might be taking. Many meds you can get filled a week (give or take) before you actually run out. If you do this consistently, over time you’ll have enough to keep in your 72 hour kits. (Please note you aren’t able to do this with all medication so talk to your health care provider about alternatives you can during an emergency.)
- Inside the next kit is your basics. There’s a few items I’ve bought and put in my kids bags but most of these items are for adults. Here’s what’s inside:
- 1 LED Flashlight and 3 AAA Batteries
- 1 Sierra Cup 8 oz
- 1 2.25 oz Gel Fuel
- 1 Emergency Poncho
- 1 Emergency Blanket
- 1 Hand Warmers (2 pack)
- 1 Multifunction Pocket Knife
- 1 5-in-1 Survival Whistle/Compass/Mirror/Match Container/Striker
- 1 Box Waterproof Matches
- 1 Water Purification Tablets 10 pack
- 2 Baggies
- 1 Garbage Bag
- 1 Pencil
- 1 Pocket Notebook
- My kids actually have a few extra things inside their bag. They have an ID card that has all their information on it with their picture. Then they picked a small stuffed animal and put it inside for comfort if there is ever a natural disaster. They also have a child combo kit which is a combination of both the first aid kit and basic kit but kid friendly. Inside they’ll have:
- 1 Emergency Poncho
- 1 Emergency Blanket
- 1 Hand Warmer (2 pack)
- 1 Whistle
- 1 Camp Cup
- 1 Light Stick (12 Hour)
- 1 Color Book
- 3 Crayons
- 1 Comb
- 1 Tooth Brush
- 1 Tooth Paste
- 3 Wash Ups
- 1 Rolled Tissue
- 5 3/4″ x 3″ Band Aids
- 2 Extra Large Band Aids
- 1 Triple Antibiotic
- 1 Hydrocortisone
- 2 Antiseptic Towelettes
- 2 Vinyl Gloves
I hope this isn’t overwhelming for you. The point of this post is to give you an idea of where to start and what you want inside your 72 hour kits for each person. Just start with the most important items and make your way down the list. A lot of these items you’ll probably find in your home but if you don’t have something just make a note of it and when you have a little extra money in your grocery budget snag your items. Keep it simple and stress free!
Next week I’ll type up important documents you should have in a to go binder. It will become your everything binder that can give you some piece of mind when you have to leave your house quickly!