72 Hour Kit and Bug Out Kits

A 72 hour kit usually entails a couple days of supplies. Small easy to eat foods, MRE's, and a few bottles of water. A bag of hygiene products such as a roll of toilet paper, a small towel, washcloth, and some kind of soap or hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant. Packed, also, is a change of clothes with a couple of pairs of socks and under garments, a warm jacket to double as a pillow. A space blanket or a microfiber blanket is a nice item to have. Even if it isn't cold you can have it for comfort.

My kit includes a whistle, a flashlight, meal bars that supply a high calorie count for energy. Small water packages are tucked in there. It has a tube tent and hand warmers, though here in the desert where I live I don't think the hand warmers are going to be used, but you never know. I added a camp dish set and the utensil set to it to make sure I had something to eat out of and cook with. I grab this kit and my handbag and I can go anywhere in a moments notice.

These things are extremely important to anyone living in an earthquake zone, coastal areas that experience hurricanes or strong storms, and the tornado prone states. Civil unrest and natural disasters can occur anywhere.

For More information:
Survival and Emergency Management at Home

H2O - Vital to Our Survival

Image Credit: MorgueFile

Storing Water


H2O is vital to human survival. It is the one thing we can not do with out. We use it for health, meals, and hygiene. Consider keeping a good supply on hand for emergencies. Storing enough water to take a full bath probably isn't practical. We each need enough to drink: 8 - 8oz servings and probably about another gallon per person for clean-up purposes.


Learn how to do water purification properly and how to store it. You never know when you might need it. I keep at least 2 cases of bottled water because my city's water is not something I care to drink. Keep a minimum of 4 - 1 gallon containers on hand for cooking and hot drinks. If I had more room than I have here at my apartment I would keep the larger 5 gallon bottles designed for water coolers.


In areas that have frightening weather conditions such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or strong storms, keeping water on hand is a necessity. Make sure you rotate you supply at least every 90 days. If you use your stored supply on a daily basis your rotation is automatic. 


There are many great water filter systems available on the market as well as small tools and chemicals you can use to make water safe for drinking. I prefer the small stuff for my needs as I don't have a lot of room in my home. 


In what ways do you use water?

Related Articles:
h2O Just Good Water

H2O Posts on Survival Recovery (wordpress blog)
http://survivalrecovery.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/using-hydrogen-peroxide-h2o2-to-purify-water/
http://survivalrecovery.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/h2o-bsf-biosand-water-filters/





                                       

Inventory and Storage Planning

Setting Up Your Food Storage?

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Inventory and Storage Planning

When you decide finally that you want to set up a food storage where should your begin? Storing your favorite foods and household items can be as easy as checking your grocery receipts and inventorying them into a structured list. 


It's tedious but it can be done. 


Put into regular practice, you have a basic storage plan. 


Multiply use x family members vs a set time goal and here is a simple version of a long term home preparedness storage system.


By adding the foods that can be stored long term and keeping in mind what your family REALLY eats, a food storage pantry can be a source of good nutritional support and foods your family WILL consume. There is nothing worse than stocking up on items your family won't use. You might as well throw that money down the trash chute!


Our survival foods may not come in the forms found in the grocery store. We can can items in mason jars or purchase dehydrated and freeze-dried foods already packed for use. Simply re-hydrate and use in a recipe. Make sure you are drinking PLENTY of water if you use these foods. They will cause gastric distress if you don't. Be warned! 


Use these foods in your meal planning. Here you may have to get a little creative. Make a survival food menu night about every 2 weeks to help your rotate your stock and prepare the routines you'll need to know for accessing this food when you need to. Let the family help you do this. Maybe assign something to each of them and make it a pot luck kind of night. This helps give you some idea of how to use these foods. And what you will need to get your family used to eating them if needs be.


Keeping your survival foods stock fresh and acclimate your family for the event you have to rely on your emergency stash.


When the foods we store are in basic forms such as grains, add them to mealtime favorites a little at a time to get the family used to the textures and digesting them. Wheat, if it can be tolerated (no gluten allergies!) , can be used in baking as flour and in cereals, as cracked wheat. Substitute it a bit at a time in creative recipes so that you know how you may use it when the time comes you have to cook with it.



Emergencies aren't always those major disasters we originally think food storage is for. Somethings to plan ahead for are crazy work schedules, medical leave, or situations with employment lapses. Think ahead. Plan well. Be Prepared

Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com




For Related Information:


Article: Preparedness Keys


Site: Survival Recovery


Additional Blog by this author: Survival Recovery on Wordpress