Preparing something is better than preparing nothing!
This goes for preparing for
There are so many emergency kits out there, there must be one out there that is PERFECT for you, right? Not really. Let me explain.
Store bought emergency kits are great - they can account for the type of emergency, the number of people in your household, you can get a pet add-on if you need it, and are good starting points. But many times they are too heavy for people to carry, good ones can be expensive, and often we buy them and forget them.
First off - do you have a kit? If not then buy a 72 hour emergency kit if that is easier, or start one yourself by downloading my DIY 72hr Emergency Kit List HERE. A 72 hour kit is one that you take with you in case you need to evacuate your home, for example in the case of a fire or an earthquake. It should have enough in there to get you through the first three days while you figure out a more permanent situation. The 72 hour kit is much smaller than a shelter in place kit, those are often for 2 weeks, but may be for as much as 3 months.
Secondly, since the 72 hour kit is an EVACUATION kit, you must be able to carry it, pull it, move it yourself. Many folks (myself included) have gotten top of the line kits that have everything we could possibly need, only to realize we couldn’t carry them because they were so heavy and/or awkward. Meaning that in an emergency we may or may not be able to take it with us. If you have a car, keeping it in your trunk might be a great way to get around this. Or if you have a wagon and can wheel it out of your house. But preferably you can grab it and go.
That is why I recommend people building their own kits.
You can individualize them for your own needs (ie: diet, mobility, medication, etc.)
You are more familiar with the contents because you hand picked each item (ie: you might include some items from your camping kit, items you find at garage sales, etc.)
You can start with no budget, (ie start with a reusable shopping bag, and toss in the items you already have from the DIY 72hr Emergency Kit).
You can decide what you need and what you can do without in order to be able to carry it with you. A bag with only partial supplies that you can take with you is better than a bag that has everything you need but that you can’t lift.
You can personalize items so that they are not only practical but also comforting (ie: I packed beans in mine rather than freeze dried food, beans are an ancestral comfort food for me whereas freeze dried food would probably make me feel crappier about having had an emergency that forced me to evacuate).
Finally - Preparing something is better than preparing nothing! Start preparing today, you never know when an emergency will occur, but you can rest assured you will be glad you prepared for it!
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