emergency kits

[TooPatient]

Kenny's discussion got me thinking about our emergency kit (and where it is lacking). Emergency situations can come up with or without warning. Weather, earthquake, huricane/tornado, man-made, etc.

Tell me about your emergency kit --

Do you have one? More than one?
What is in it?
How often do you rotate stuff out and replace with new?
Where do you keep it?

 

[TooPatient]

We live in an area that usually has a major earthquake every 250-300 (?) years and we're currently at something like 286 since the last one. After having a power outage that lasted for 8 days, we found that we really weren't prepared for that situation.

Ours is currently sort of scattered between the garage, storage shed, and house so I need to gather stuff into one location and make it easy to grab in a hurry if needed. Our larger emergency supplies (indoor safe natural gas heaters, gas canisters, gas burners, etc) are probably best kept in the same area and boxed into logical groups to quick packing (it would be awful to find that we had a heater but no gas)


What I need to add to our emergency kit:
cat/dog food (they'll have to eat too!)
basic tool kit
can opener!! (anyone remember that cartoon?)
battery powered radio
radio (so FI and I can communicate and coordinate if phones/internet are down)
supplies FI wants to measure radioactive stuff
water purification filter/pump (for ongoing safe drinking water)


Need to gather:
sleeping bags/tent
heaters/gas
burner with camping pot/pan
bandages/first-aid stuff
medications

 

[mayerling]

Don't have one. Never heard of anybody having one.

 

[suchende]

Growing up in tornado alley, we had bottled water, flashlights with extra batteries, canned food, spare can opener and a wind-up radio in the basement. When a tornado did hit (Iowa City, when I was in college) we didn't need anything like that. Things were up and running again pretty quick.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Don't have one. Never heard of anybody having one.

I currently don't have one, but am starting to stock up supplies just in case. The "big one" is suppose to hit Seattle at some point, so gotta be prepared!

My kids' school requires students to bring an emergency kit to school at the beginning of every year. They are given a specific size bag and asked to bring in items from a specific list to put in the specific bag. Like, for example "hard candy" and a snack are on the list. There isn't any mention of water or iodine tablets . So, yeah, last year they brought in Tic Tacs and Doritos (along with socks, a hat, etc.). We opened the grab-size bags of doritos at the end of the last school year and they were stale! Kids didn't care, though...

 

[afreebird]

Poptarts. Before getting married, I used to always "evacuate" to my parents' house during hurricanes. It's probably time to reevaluate my emergency kit now that I've been married off.

 

[afreebird]

When I taught in CA in a very small, migrant farming community, my principal gave us all "emergency buckets" to keep in our classrooms. They were old pickle buckets, so the whole room smelled like dill. The bucket contained several Hefty-esque plastic body bags and an old pair of bullcutters (kind of like huge shears that can cut through metal). I remember thinking WTF?? when I saw the contents.

 

[TravelingGal]

Assuming my house doesn't fall in on me, I'm building an emergency kit which I am putting in our laundry room. The room is in the back of the house, is a newer structure (add on) and has entry from the outside too.

I'm getting a plastic trash can and putting in:

Water
Food/can opener/paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery (although I figure we can use some of the stuff in the house!)
Plastic sheets and duct tape for the windows
Flashlights and batteries
Toilet paper/basic toiletries
Lots of plastic grocery bags we keep. They can be used for waste disposal
First aid
Radio
Rubbing alcohol for our little camp cooker that is good for boiling water
Pair of work gloves for TGuy and myself, to clean up damage
Hand sanitizer
Pocket Knife

The rest we'll have around the house (again, I'm hoping the house doesn't fall in around me), but we have many extra blankets. The wrench is hanging up high by the front door to turn off the gas/water. I'll probably make copies of key documents and put them in ziploc bags. We also have propane for our portable grill.

I'm still working on putting this together (and I'm sure I'm missing stuff), but hope to have it done by early next week. I didn't care so much about stuff like this, but now with a kid and an eldery mother, I think it's time to get my butt in gear.

 

[TooPatient]

Don't have one. Never heard of anybody having one.

I currently don't have one, but am starting to stock up supplies just in case. The "big one" is suppose to hit Seattle at some point, so gotta be prepared!

My kids' school requires students to bring an emergency kit to school at the beginning of every year. They are given a specific size bag and asked to bring in items from a specific list to put in the specific bag. Like, for example "hard candy" and a snack are on the list. There isn't any mention of water or iodine tablets . So, yeah, last year they brought in Tic Tacs and Doritos (along with socks, a hat, etc.). We opened the grab-size bags of doritos at the end of the last school year and they were stale! Kids didn't care, though...

I'm in the Seattle area too so "the big one" is one of the reasons I'm trying to be ready. An earthquake similar in size to what Japan just had would leave things a mess here. There have been different things I've seen that predict that when the earthquake does happen there will be a tsunami (80 ft high according to one estimate) as well.

MC -- you aren't still up the the San Juan's are you? I think I remember you saying that you'd moved back off the island?
I remember having to make one of those "kits" in school. I think I had to bring in a little box of wet-naps and a little snack, no socks or anything like that even.

Another consideration for the Seattle area is that it is a likely spot for a major terrorist attack. (we know someone on a joint terrorism team)

 

[Jennifer W]

Assuming my house doesn't fall in on me, I'm building an emergency kit which I am putting in our laundry room. The room is in the back of the house, is a newer structure (add on) and has entry from the outside too.

I'm getting a plastic trash can and putting in:

Water
Food/can opener/paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery (although I figure we can use some of the stuff in the house!)
Plastic sheets and duct tape for the windows
Flashlights and batteries
Toilet paper/basic toiletries
Lots of plastic grocery bags we keep. They can be used for waste disposal
First aid
Radio
Rubbing alcohol for our little camp cooker that is good for boiling water
Pair of work gloves for TGuy and myself, to clean up damage
Hand sanitizer
Pocket Knife

The rest we'll have around the house (again, I'm hoping the house doesn't fall in around me), but we have many extra blankets. The wrench is hanging up high by the front door to turn off the gas/water. I'll probably make copies of key documents and put them in ziploc bags. We also have propane for our portable grill.

I'm still working on putting this together (and I'm sure I'm missing stuff), but hope to have it done by early next week. I didn't care so much about stuff like this, but now with a kid and an eldery mother, I think it's time to get my butt in gear.

Can I just say that I live in an area without a high risk of natural disaster, and I'm thankful for that. However, I do lie in bed and list what I'd pack in an emergency survival kit when I can't sleep. You have my list!

I'd add - matches for your camp cooker, water purification tablets just in case and some multi vitamins and supplements just in case there's no access to fresh food for a while. Oh, and thermal blankets and some warm clothes, for shock / cold night temps. Really stout footwear for everyone - you can't be climbing over rubble if you get caught wearing flip flops. I can't think what else is in my hypothetical emergency box, I think that's about it. I have no experience of this, it's just the result of some recent insomnia..

Oh, I remembered a couple of other things - sturdy gloves / thick work gloves, to move rubble if necessary. Some cash - you never know, and a whistle or alarm that could help rescue services locate you if need be.

 

[TravelingGal]

Can I just say that I live in an area without a high risk of natural disaster, and I'm thankful for that. However, I do lie in bed and list what I'd pack in an emergency survival kit when I can't sleep. You have my list!

I'd add - matches for your camp cooker, water purification tablets just in case and some multi vitamins and supplements just in case there's no access to fresh food for a while. Oh, and thermal blankets and some warm clothes, for shock / cold night temps. Really stout footwear for everyone - you can't be climbing over rubble if you get caught wearing flip flops. I can't think what else is in my hypothetical emergency box, I think that's about it. I have no experience of this, it's just the result of some recent insomnia..

Oh, I remembered a couple of other things - sturdy gloves / thick work gloves, to move rubble if necessary. Some cash - you never know, and a whistle or alarm that could help rescue services locate you if need be.

Yes, matches, in a waterproof bag, I have that also. I was thinking bleach for water purification, but might look into that. I'm hoping if the house doesn't collapse on we'll have some access to footwear, but both TGuy and I have workboots in our shed, which is free standing (we have to figure out if we can get to it if the power goes out though).

Re: Whistle...I saw that on a list somewhere and wondered about it. I mean, if I got trapped because the roof fell on me, I wouldn't have access to the whistle, right?

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Just because it's not been specifically mentioned, it's a good idea to toss in a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap, and a change of underwear in your evac. kit.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Don't have one. Never heard of anybody having one.

I currently don't have one, but am starting to stock up supplies just in case. The "big one" is suppose to hit Seattle at some point, so gotta be prepared!

My kids' school requires students to bring an emergency kit to school at the beginning of every year. They are given a specific size bag and asked to bring in items from a specific list to put in the specific bag. Like, for example "hard candy" and a snack are on the list. There isn't any mention of water or iodine tablets . So, yeah, last year they brought in Tic Tacs and Doritos (along with socks, a hat, etc.). We opened the grab-size bags of doritos at the end of the last school year and they were stale! Kids didn't care, though...

I'm in the Seattle area too so "the big one" is one of the reasons I'm trying to be ready. An earthquake similar in size to what Japan just had would leave things a mess here. There have been different things I've seen that predict that when the earthquake does happen there will be a tsunami (80 ft high according to one estimate) as well.

MC -- you aren't still up the the San Juan's are you? I think I remember you saying that you'd moved back off the island?
I remember having to make one of those "kits" in school. I think I had to bring in a little box of wet-naps and a little snack, no socks or anything like that even.

Another consideration for the Seattle area is that it is a likely spot for a major terrorist attack. (we know someone on a joint terrorism team)

TooPatient - we lived on an island south of the San Juan's and we did move back inland closer into the city Sept 1st so no more ferrys and all that! I can't imagine being up in the San Juan's with the limited ferry schedule and having some sort of disaster occur and being stuck. Where we lived (island closer to Seattle), the ferrys ran on a regular basis, but surely all the ferrys would be canceled out of fear if something did happen. We've had situations where the coast guard will close in and check out the ferry we're on (circle around and all that)! (There are the "rules," like do not leave any empty bag on ferry and everyone must 'disembark upon arrival,' in an attempt to prevent who knows what.)

One of my concerns is Boeing being a target! Not sure if anyone outside WA state knows Everett exists, though... ! ETA - we don't live in Everett, but I do know some people who work at Boeing. We lovingly call it Ever-rott. lol

 

[dragonfly411]

I would assume that you'd keep the whistle handy enough that you could grab it as things begin to happen.


We'll be building up an emergency stash of things this year. We generally do keep some things b/c of hurricanes, but hurricanes give a lot of forewarning.

 

[TooPatient]

I would assume that you'd keep the whistle handy enough that you could grab it as things begin to happen.


We'll be building up an emergency stash of things this year. We generally do keep some things b/c of hurricanes, but hurricanes give a lot of forewarning.

I wonder if you can get a little pocket sized whistle to attach to your keys? That might be useful in an office building, grocery store, etc.

 

[TooPatient]

MC -- Yeah.. Boeing with the military contracts seems like a pretty high profile target. The port of Seattle is a big concern too since there is so much shipping that goes through there.
I'd never really considered the down-side to living over on the island. I'm sure you are thrilled to be back over on this side of things!


FDL -- Great stuff to include! A little bit of comfort (not to mention avoiding infection!) would be welcome after any emergency.

JenniferW -- Since you don't always get warning about bad stuff, you can't always dress for the occassion. With my luck, we'd have an earthquake and I'd stumble out of the crumbling house completely naked! I like your idea of keeping warm clothes/shoes in an emergency kit.

 

[TooPatient]

After reading islander's hurricane story, I've thought of something else:

Have carriers/kennels/crates/boxes for all cats & dogs (or other furry/scaly/feathery family) AND practice loading the car so you are sure everyone will fit! Islander's town was well-prepared and handled the situation well, but I live in an area that is too large for even the city-government to be able to get in to every house and care for animals.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

MC -- Yeah.. Boeing with the military contracts seems like a pretty high profile target. The port of Seattle is a big concern too since there is so much shipping that goes through there.
I'd never really considered the down-side to living over on the island. I'm sure you are thrilled to be back over on this side of things!
FDL -- Great stuff to include! A little bit of comfort (not to mention avoiding infection!) would be welcome after any emergency.

JenniferW -- Since you don't always get warning about bad stuff, you can't always dress for the occassion. With my luck, we'd have an earthquake and I'd stumble out of the crumbling house completely naked! I like your idea of keeping warm clothes/shoes in an emergency kit.

Yeah, cost of living was really high. Every ferry ride for car/driver/kids during the summer was $25! So basically going to a movie would run us, with snacks, gas, etc., over $60!

A friend told me about a quake predictor guy who's been warning everyone here on the internet that the big one is suppose to hit this week so after going out and buying more than 811 oz (2 flats of 24 bottles) of Aquafina I find out it's a hoax. Then after getting home I looked in my cupboard and realized that since the only non-parishables we have include Rice a Roni and Cambell's soup (water necessary products), that water will last us probably 2 days. lol In fact, aside from our dairy products and fresh meat, there isn't a single edible item in the house that is sodium free except for the cat lol

 

[Jennifer W]

Can I just say that I live in an area without a high risk of natural disaster, and I'm thankful for that. However, I do lie in bed and list what I'd pack in an emergency survival kit when I can't sleep. You have my list!

I'd add - matches for your camp cooker, water purification tablets just in case and some multi vitamins and supplements just in case there's no access to fresh food for a while. Oh, and thermal blankets and some warm clothes, for shock / cold night temps. Really stout footwear for everyone - you can't be climbing over rubble if you get caught wearing flip flops. I can't think what else is in my hypothetical emergency box, I think that's about it. I have no experience of this, it's just the result of some recent insomnia..

Oh, I remembered a couple of other things - sturdy gloves / thick work gloves, to move rubble if necessary. Some cash - you never know, and a whistle or alarm that could help rescue services locate you if need be.

Yes, matches, in a waterproof bag, I have that also. I was thinking bleach for water purification, but might look into that. I'm hoping if the house doesn't collapse on we'll have some access to footwear, but both TGuy and I have workboots in our shed, which is free standing (we have to figure out if we can get to it if the power goes out though).

Re: Whistle...I saw that on a list somewhere and wondered about it. I mean, if I got trapped because the roof fell on me, I wouldn't have access to the whistle, right?

Well, at least you'd know where to go to get it - maybe keep it with the wrench? I don't know. It's one of these things - if you need it, it will be inaccessible. If you don't, it will be hanging on a cord round your neck, most likely.

 

[Tuckins1]

Yes, but it's for zombie apocalypse.

 

[bee*]

I'd never heard of one of these before. I'm in Ireland so no risk of earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes etc so I don't think I'll be making one up anytime soon. It must be scary having to have provisions for such emergencies.

 

[zoebartlett]

We don't have an emergency kit, although I kind of wish we had one for our cars. At home, we keep our batteries and flashlights in a certain spot, but we don't have an actual kit or anything. It's a good idea but it's something I haven't gotten around to putting together.

ETA: I forgot to mention that we don't live in an area of the country that gets earthquakes or tornadoes, which is why I haven't been in a hurry to get an emergency kit. We do get snowstorms and the occasional bad ice storm, but that's about it.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

TG-you should have more than one whistle, ideally one for each person in your family (though the idea of a child with a whistle and nothing to do is almost as big a disaster as an 8.5 earthquake!). And you should each put them on when you go to your "safe" place.

Zoe-in our area there is a slight risk from earthquakes. There's a large fault (Ramapo) that runs along the Appalachian Mtns and would affect NY, NJ and PA on a major scale, but we're close enough that if they had a huge quake we'd feel it as well. Additionally, the eastern edge of the plate is in the middle of the N. Atlantic so if a major quake happened there there is a slight Tsunami risk for us and the northeastern coast of Canada. Of course those faults are largely inactive compared to the SA fault, but the risk is still there.

Also, we're at risk for major hurricanes, floods and as you pointed out, ice storms. So we definitely need emergency kits on the EC as well.

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks HH for the whistle tips...and I agree that a kid with a whistle with nothing to do...well....

It's raining cats and dogs here in LA today and the power has flickered on and off a few times. Nothing big, but it makes me feel better that even in a storm, we have blankets, batteries and lights ready to go. I still have to buy the bin and plastic tarps for the windows, but I am almost pretty much set. It does give you a little bit more peace of mind.