Emergency kits, survival bag, disaster kit, bug out kit or to go bag, regardless of what you call it, you need to have it. You should sit down with your family and make a plan about what to put in your kit. See my previous article “Emergency Preparedness Evacuation” for a basic list of what you can put in your kit. If you have kids, you can present it like a game and have them guess what should go in your kit. It can be a fun and informative family night.
You can make your own go bag/or kit but several companies sell pre-made emergency kits. You can buy a kit at sporting goods stores like REI https://www.rei.com/ , Ready America Kits can be found at hardware stores such as Lowes Ready america at Lowes.com and Ace Hardware Ready America Emergency Kit – Ace Hardware if you don’t want to put one together yourself. Check your local area stores or check online for specials or holiday sales. Store bought kits come in all sizes. Sold by the person and number of days you think you will need.
If you plan to make your own, start with a few small items. You don’t need to break the bank or spend a lot of money. If you want to purchase specific items for your kit, buy one thing each month or each paycheck. You can even include this as item line in your budget.
There are different types of kits. Home, work, and car. These are going to have different items in them and will not be the same size. Check your local county as another resource regarding what you should have in your kit.
When I was growing up, government recommended you have 3 days’ worth of food and supplies. The idea was if the electricity or gas were shut off, it would be 3 days before the power company could get your gas turned back on or have the power restored. Well, these days it’s taking much longer especially in more populated areas. Most emergency service agencies now suggest that you have a weeks’ worth of food and water, but I think it should be two weeks.
You could be out of your home for an extend amount of time. Your home might be safe to go back into, but Authorities may keep people out of the area or access to get to your home may be blocked. Make sure bug out bag” for evacuation covers all scenarios. Plan for all time periods and you won’t be caught off guard.
