Emergency Preparedness: Make A Car Kit

A couple of years ago Costco sold some 72 hour kits. I bought 2, along with a first aid kit, that we always keep in the trunk. The first aid kit has come in handy more than once. We weren't on the road per se: the first time we were at the beach and the second time was at one of Chance's softball games.

Here is a picture of the contents of the survival kit.

I also assembled a kit for emergency car repairs.  We have jumper cables, a ratchet set, fuses, a couple of tools, a tire repair kit, and a flash light. (Not pictured: a delightful fleece blanket.)

Here is the little, out of the way, pocket where the kits normally reside.

Emergency Preparedness: Making an Office Kit

Having an emergency supply kit is essential to making it through a disaster safely. You can either buy pre-assembled kits or create them for yourself.

According to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management you should have these essential items in your kit.

Today I spent over an hour at Wal-Mart assembling the items for Chance's office bag. I also took a couple of minutes and got some pictures of the kits in our car (that will be in the next post).


I used the contents of this kit, plus this list, and a conversation with my man to help me decide what should go in the bag.

I took pictures of the items in groups.
Here we have a first aid kit $4.97
Rain poncho $2.88
Hand warmer $1.97
Ice pack. The ice pack was purchased as a two pack to replace the one from our car ice pack.  I estimate that it cost me about $1 each.
So these four items total: $10.82.  

I went crazy in the camping department and found:
a four pack of waterproof matches $1.88
a two pack of luminescent sticks $2.26
reflective stickers $2.88
Water purification tablets $5.88
and a sweet wind-up flashlight that is also an AM/FM radio and it has a siren! It came in at $19.88.
These five items total: $32.78. The matches were a four pack so the rest are going into our home kit.

Next, Chance wanted his to be in a small backpack, but it also needed to be small enough to fin unobtrusively under his desk.
The backpack in an easy to spot red color was $7.00,
a small sewing kit $1.47,
a five pack of dust masks (the other four are going in the home kit) $1.00,
Powder, in case his feet get drenched or something, $.97
an emergency whistle that is also, get this: a compass, magnifier, and thermometer $3.88
Last but not least, I found a Hobo Tool. It has a fork, knife, spoon, cork screw, an awl, a bottle opener, and can opener for $3.88!!
Total cost: $18.20

Food! All of the food and drink except the jerky and trail mix had left overs.
Boxed juice: $2.78
Water: $2.00
Trail mix: $1.94
Cheese and Crackers: $2.68
Beef Jerky: $2.98
Sweet and Salty Granola Bars: $2.98
Total: $15.36

 In this photo you'll see Chance's spare glasses, hand sanitizer, lip balm, lotion, and sunglasses. We already owned all of this. Free!

Finally, Chance wanted a change of clothes and a spare pair of tennis shoes. We discussed retiring his current pair of shoes but they're still too new. Yada yada yada, I bought him an inexpensive new outfit and tennis shoes specifically for the pack.

The Braves beanie was already ours.
The gloves are $7.00
The shoes were $14.97
I bought him a red t shirt for $3.25
Jeans for $9.96
I bought a six pack of socks and put one into the pack. At $5.50 for a six pack it means we spent $.91.
Total: $36.09

Grand total: $113.25

You may not have noticed but I deliberately bought a red shirt, red rain poncho, and red backpack. I want my man to be easy to spot. :)

So here's the thing. The pre-made kit I wanted to buy was only $45. However, it didn't have any of the clothing items, the food cannot have possible been as delicious, and there was no Hobo Tool set!! It's a HOBO TOOL set. Sounds awesome.

Anyway, I realize that this is a lot of money to spend on something you hope you'll never use. I hope my little kit making journey helps you figure out if you should compile your own kit or buy one. Either way, having a kit will give you peace of mind and may end up  making all the difference some day.

Emergency Preparedness: Getting Started

Step 1: Find out what disaster risks are in your area
Go here for a list of state/local FEMA offices.

• Learn what types of disasters are likely to happen and how to prepare for each.
• Identify what your community’s warning signals sound like and what to do if you hear them.

Step 2: Create a Family Emergency Plan
I found a great plan generator here.
Virginia also has an online form to help you generate a plan. Check it out here.
Basically, you need to consider what you would do in the event of an emergency. 

• Discuss with your family the types of hazards and threats in your area and what to do in each case.
• Make a list of important contact information and keep it with you at all times.
• Decide on a meeting place in case you cannot return to your home, and know where you would go if you had to evacuate your area.
• Collect information about the locations where your family members spend the most time (work, school, etc).
• Record any medications your family members take on a daily basis.
• Collect information for others you might need to contact in an emergency. ( For example, doctor, pharmacist, insurance.)

Step 3: Assemble an Emergency Supply Kit
Chance and I are creating one for the car, one for our home, and one for him to take to the office.
Virginia has a list of recommended items for such a kit here.
The third post in this series will focus on creating your kits. Stay tuned.

Links:
*I started my research using my local church's website BlessFamily.com
*This pdf helped me get the ball rolling. I also used a lot of the information from it in this post.

Emergency Preparedness: Why?

Since living in Virginia Chance and I have had some serious adventures.

1. Snowmageddon (aka Snowpocalypse)

My honey trudging through the snow

We were blissfully trapped in our apartment for a week. Thankfully, we had plenty of food and water. We have multiple friends in our apartment complex so we were all able to get out of the house for a while and share supplies if necessary. 

2. The Earthquake of 2011
I don't have any pictures because our apartment was unharmed by the quake. I was driving to Wal-Mart and didn't even feel it, but in the District it was a pretty big pain. Allow me to soap box for a moment.

Westerners (especially Californians) have given us some flack about our reaction to the quake. After having lived in California, Washington, Idaho, Kansas, Georgia, and Virginia I have had occasion to experience most of the types of extreme weather. I lived through earthquakes and flash floods in California. I survived a tornado in Kansas that destroyed most of the town I lived in. In Idaho we know how to drive in the snow; in Georgia they don't, and they shouldn't be expected to. Roads in Idaho are straight and flat. Makes snow removal a ton easier. In Georgia roads are hilly and windy. That makes driving in it way more dangerous and snow removal heinous. Earthquakes are so common in California that they build roads and buildings to handle it. After experiencing extreme weather, however minor, people learn how to prepare and behave. If we were to have a tornado drill right now I would know exactly what to do. Would you?

I guess my point is, let's be nice to each other. The earthquake was a big deal here. The National Cathedral, LDS Temple, and Washington Monument all sustained damage. The Monument is still closed. Buildings, roads, and people out here just aren't built to weather earthquakes the way they are out west.

End soap box. Thank you.

3. Hurricane Irene
Again, we didn't personally have any problems due to Irene (except our flight to St. Thomas getting delayed.)
We did, however, have friends who were without power. Also, people went nuts at the grocery store in preparation for the weather. You couldn't find anything, bread, milk, water. It was crazy.

So, during two of these instances Chance and I had time to prepare. We were at home during the worst of the weather and we didn't have any real problems. During the earthquake I was in the car and Chance was at work. We had no warning. When it initially hit one of Chance's colleagues pondered aloud, "I wonder which building was bombed." That possibility is frighteningly real for us. Because of all these experiences I have decided to start researching Emergency Preparedness.