Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Emergency Kits

So, I took advantage of waking up in the early dawn hours on Sunday to sketch out what I thought should go into the emergency kits I plan on making (see my 101/1001 list to the left). Yes, this may be crazy and paranoid and rank me somewhere near Ted Kaczynski in your mind, but I've seen one too many disaster stories and the September 11th anniversary got me all riled up.

Tell me what you think and if I should add anything else.

Emergency Car Kit
Scenario: All hell breaks loose and we're not at home

Jumper cablesRoad triangle or FlaresFlashlight
Road atlas + important addresses and phone numbersBlanketWater
Food in cans or packetsDog food (dry)First Aid kit + Tums, Pepto, A&D, meds we're on, Sunscreen
Cell phone chargerSwiss Army knife with can openerMatches
Duct tapeAnti-bacterial wipes or lotionSpare set of clothes, including hat and gloves


Emergency House Kit
Scenario: All hell breaks loose; we're at home, we have to stay there

Crank-operated radioFlashlightBlanketWaterFood in cans or packetsDog food (dry)
First Aid kit + Tums, Pepto, A&D, SunscreenCell phone chargerMatches & lighterDuct tapeAnti-bacterial wipes or lotion


Jump Kit/Go Bag
Scenario: all hell breaks loose; we're at home and have to leave NOW

PassportsMarriage LicenseWedding album
Photo albumsInfo on bank accountsAddress book
MoneyChange of clothes, including hat and glovesMeds we're on

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think you're crazy at all. I think what keeps us from GOING crazy is the fact that we can plan and control parts of our environment. When everything is going down the tubes, it's good to know you've got enough stuff to get you through. The hurricane in TX is what lit a fire under me to try to become more prepared for disasters. As soon as I'm done being broke from this move, I intend to build my own disaster kit. It helps that Mark has that anxiety disorder - always have to be ready for the pending apocalypse, right?

HereWeGoAJen said...

Looks great to me! That's lots more than I have. I'd add money to all three kits too, just in case. Or diamonds for trading. :)

luna said...

very impressive.

Antigone said...

I remember reading a 1950's cold-war-era book, Alas Babylon. It was an amazing story of survival after nuclear war. What I found really fascinating were the essential items they realized they needed: salt, bleach, etc.

I Believe in Miracles said...

I like that dry dog food makes it on the first two lists but not the jump kit bag. Any reason?
Very good lists!!

seussgirl said...

What about a blanket for the car kit? And batteries and/or candles for the house kit?
Good lists though!

DrSpouse said...

Watch that your meds don't need to be kept at a certain temperature - you might find that the temperature in the car regularly gets quite high, even if it's not that warm out, and low ditto.