How to Make Home Emergency Survival Kits

The past few years have taught us that major disasters can strike us with very little warning. Having home emergency survival kits on hand is very important, but can be expensive to buy. However, it is easy and relatively inexpensive to put together home emergency survival kits. In this article, we will learn the basics of putting together home emergency survival kits.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Sit down and make a list of basic needs. In an emergency situation, you may be forced to leave your home with very little notice, if you can grab a box or two and have your basic needs met with home emergency survival kits, things will be much easier to deal with. You may also be forced to stay in your home without utilities, so there will be a need to compensate for that in your home emergency survival kits. Your basic needs will be food and the ability to prepare it, shelter and warmth, clean water, first aid, sanitation and personal care, and back ups of necessary medicines. Also take into consideration if you have pets or small children that need provided for in your home emergency kit.

2. Get 2 large waterproof boxes for your home emergency survival kits. Let's start with food and water. Each family member will need roughly a gallon of water per day for food prep, hydration, and personal care in a home emergency survival kit. Most people try to plan for 3 days for their home emergency survival kits. A five gallon jug of water, or two, should be good for most situations. Place those in one of your home emergency survival kit boxes. It is important to keep your jugs of water in the bottom of your home emergency survival kits, as it will be the heaviest objects and could crush other items.

3. Next is non perishable foods, such as granola bars, packages of rice or pasta, a few cans of vegetables and fruits, and a few cans of tuna or other canned meats. Don't stray too far from what your family usually eats for your home emergency survival kit, the last thing you want to be dealing with in an emergency situation is digestive upsets. Place your food items in a smaller box, or in gallon sized ziploc bags to keep organized in your home emergency survival kits.

4. Now on to food preparation. Look around your house for a medium sized pot that you can live without on a daily basis. If you don't have any, grab one at the dollar store. A pot can be used not only for food preparation, but can sanitize water if your supply should run out. You only need to bring it to a boil to kill organisms which may be present. You will also need a few basic utensils for cooking and eating in your home emergency survival kit. These can also be picked up at the dollar store relatively cheap. Paper plates, bowls, and cups can reduce the need to use water to clean up, but can also be burned. Don't forget a dishtowel and oven mit in your home emergency survival kits. You can stretch the life of your home emergency kit water by using antibacterial wipes to replace some hand washing.

5. Determine how you will cook your food in an emergency situation. Sterno cans of fuel are fantastic, as they don't leave a mess and keep for extended periods of time. The same makers of Sterno also make a small fold up stove to sit one in and cook right on top. If you have a propane camping cook stove, it might be a good idea to store that with your home emergency survival kits, with a couple bottles of propane. Small portable charcoal grills can do in a pinch, using wood if charcoal is not available.

6. Basic hygiene needs are next. Include two rolls of toilet paper, left in ziploc bags to keep dry and clean in your home emergency survival kit. A travel size of toothpaste and a couple extra toothbrushes are important to add. Don't forget to add a bar of soap, and travel sizes of shampoo to your home emergency survival kit. If you take daily medications, include about a weeks worth of pills, and a list of what you take and the pharmacy it came from. Make sure to rotate those in and out so they don't expire. A small first aid kit, which includes band aids, instant ice packs, gauze and tape, and travel sizes of ibuprofin, digestive aid, tweezers, and an antibiotic cream is definitely needed in your home emergency survival kit. Just like your foods, place all of these products into a large ziploc or a small box to place inside of your home emergency survival kits.

7. Pack all of these items into your home emergency survival kits. Also important to add are blankets, water proof matches, candles or lanterns, a small radio, batteries, a mirror that could be used as a signal to an overhead airplane, a few basic tools, rope, scissors or a knife, duct tape, and a tarp for your home emergency survival kit. You may also want to add a small tent and sleeping bag to store near by your home emergency survival kits. Some backpacking tents may be small enough to fit right inside your boxes.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make waterproof matches by dipping stick matches in wax and letting cool before placing back in box.
• Firestarters can be made by putting dryer lint in a paper egg crate, and coating with wax. They can be broken off into individual firestarters and will usually burn long enough for even wet wood to dry and catch fire.
• Using large waterproof boxes for your emergency survival kits gives you a table top to use, plus keeps your items dry and out of the way.

Resources

• How to make emergency survival kits for a car
• Emergency survival kits on Amazon.com

[HowDragon]

on 12/16/2008 Very detailed article! Thanks for the advice on making emergency survival kits. 5*!

[cadence]

on 12/1/2008 Great and very important tips for home safety.

[MIghtyDreamer]

on 12/1/2008 Good detail

[ccarruthers]

on 12/1/2008 Great article. We could sure stand to be more prepared.

[Glencap]

on 12/1/2008 This is a very well-written article with lots of useful tips. A survival kit for the home is very much a necessity. Thank you!