In my time writing this newsletter I have not covered 72-hour kits, despite many people expressing an interest. There are two reasons for this. One is that I see from the surveys that many of you already have kits—the only other area that even comes close is first aid training. Many of us received first aid training in association with girls’ camp, scouting, or jobs and school, so without a similar framework in place the amount of 72-hour kits that have been accumulated is pretty impressive.
The other reason is that one time I heard someone quote someone else saying that there are no 72-hour kits in the church—just food storage. That would be a very weak reason on its own, especially since I cannot remember either of the people involved, but it did set me thinking. Our leaders have simplified their focus greatly in terms of emergency preparedness with the Family Home Storage and Family Finances pamphlets, available at http://providentliving.org/. It does not mean that other preparedness steps are not good, but the 72-hour kit is not prioritized.
Also, back one time when a devastating earthquake happened in one part of the world shortly after a devastating hurricane and flood had occurred in another part of the world, I began to see that if you have enough concurrent disasters happening there is no guarantee that emergency responders will make it to you in three days. This has been seen in government and social agencies as well, where you can still find materials on preparing 72-hour kits, but staff members are starting to recommend being prepared for a longer time period, commonly from 7-10 days.
That being said, there is still something valuable about having a portable supply of food, water, and clothing, and in going over the materials I used to use for 72-hour kits there are many good principles that can be applied to general preparedness. We can work with that.
The basics of a good kit were always food, water, clothing, light, and heat—but it was not unusual to find hygiene items, communication items (like a battery-operated AM radio for listening to news), a first aid kit, and maybe even something for fighting boredom or mental fatigue. Also, it was not uncommon to see a recommendation that you include some cash. Finally, there would be an emphasis on portability, and a decision on where to put it. Let’s review key areas.
Location: Common choices were at home, at work, or in the car, with valid reasons for each of those choices. Why not all three? After all, if we free our selves from the confines of one specific 72-hour kit, then we can accommodate needs for specific locations. If you are at home, you probably have more than three days worth of clothes and food. Having a pack with items ready to go is still valuable if you need to leave, and the traditional kit may work best for the car. Theoretically you would then have your kit handy whether you are at home or at work, but not everyone drives to work. If you have a desk, locker, or cubby, you may want to consider keeping some small supplies there as well.
Food: This is an obvious need. Even though you can go several days without food, you will not be functioning at your best if you need to do so. Ideally you will build up at least a three month supply of food in your home, but it may be worthwhile to have a two-week supply of foods that do not require cooking as part of that, and it would not hurt if some of those items were canned fruits and vegetables that could add to your water supply with their juices.
Think about food for work and the car too. While it is practical to think of something that has a long shelf life and provides balanced nutrition, it will help relieve stress if this can also be food you enjoy and are used to. I have used protein bars as the basis of our family kits, but then augmented them with things like nuts or beef jerky, fruit cups, and pudding cups, thus covering all the food groups and making it more fun. A small stash in your office may help on a day when you have no time to grab lunch, or have to work late. A small stash in your car can be helpful when you have road trouble.
Water: You need water even more than you need food, and you only get partial credit for other liquids like soda. You should have some water storage in your home, but water storage takes up a lot of space, so having some options for water purification is also not a bad idea. You are less likely to run out of water in the office, but having an emergency water bottle there could come in handy under really bad situations. It is a great idea to have an emergency water stash in your car. Not only can it serve you if you end up stranded, but sometimes cars need water too.
Water for storage can be purchased in Mylar pouches or juice box-style cartons. If you are looking at bottles and jugs, either for purchasing full or filling from your tap, make sure to use the pop bottle type plastic, not the milk jug plastic. With the first type (polyethylene terephthalate, or PETE) there are concerns about chemical leaching related to storage temperature and duration. That may be a reason to use different types of containers, but not to use the milk jug plastic (high density polyethylene, of HDPE), which is prone to contamination and leakage.
Light: A good strong flashlight can provide welcome relief in the darkness, allowing you to read or locate the correct item, and to feel safer. It can be valuable to store a small flashlight at work and a larger one in the car. You will probably want to have a few flashlights in the house. Remember that any flashlight is only as good as its batteries, and also that in the event of a gas leak a flashlight can throw of a small spark and ignite the gas. Therefore, it is also valuable to keep some light sticks on hand, which can light without any sparks.
Obviously if sparks are a concern then a match is even worse than a flashlight, but in other circumstances candles can also help with the light situation. This would probably only be beneficial at home, and only if you can follow basic fire safety procedures.
Heat: Consider keeping an extra jacket and maybe a solar blanket in the car. The weather can change very quickly, especially in Oregon, and having the option of adding a layer will be a great source of protection. Indeed, one value of the standard change of clothes in a typical 72-hour kit is not just the ability to freshen up, but also the ability to layer or to change out of wet clothes.
Getting wet will cause your body temperature to fall quickly, so planning to stay warm includes planning to stay dry. Perhaps you should throw a poncho in with that solar blanket. For home, consider what you would do if the heat went out. Are there extra blankets? Could you build a fire?
Hygiene: For the home, it makes sense to be well supplied on toiletries as well as food. Soap is not as vital as bread, but it is still nice to have, and since you are planning ahead it should be possible to have. For the office or car, imagine yourself stranded, and think about what you would miss most. For me it’s dental floss, so that is in all of our kits.
Cash: ATMs provide cash quickly, and with credit and debit cards many people forego cash completely. There can be times when these systems fail, be it due to a power outage or the magnetic strip wearing out on your card. It is handy to have a small reserve of cash available that is set aside for these circumstances. This can also be handy if you are ever stuck dining out of vending machines.
Portability: In the past I have advised asking three questions regarding kit supplies: How likely am I to need it? How bad will it be not to have it? How heavy is it? These three questions allow you to plan with a practical eye. You may also want to add questions of convenience or expense—yes, it might be nice to have a backup wardrobe at work, especially if you are a messy person, but would it be worth the trouble? Individual answers may vary, but you can come up with good answers for yourself if you will commit to asking the questions.
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