72-hour kit essentials

Recently we had the rare opportunity to utilize our 72-hour kit (well, some of it). Now, I don’t claim to be the most prepared when it comes to emergencies, but thanks to my wife, I feel that we have a pretty smashing 72-hour kit. That aside, let me tell you about our experience breaking open the kit.




The power went out after the first big quake hit. With that, of course, went almost everything we take for granted everyday – internet, TV, lights, oven, stove, microwave (ahhhh!), refrigerator, cordless phones, dishwasher, laundry machines, and so forth. You get the idea. Obviously, some things are more important than others. Luckily, water and sewer lines were working, so we didn’t have to get creative on that front. Anyway, let’s talk survival.



You never know what situation you will be in when you need to use your 72-hour kit, so preparedness is key. Our kit was set up so that we could grab it on a moment’s notice on our way out the door (worst-case scenario). This time, luckily, we busted it out in the comfort of our own dark living room.



Our kit is divided into two large military backpacks, with smaller backpacks inside for each child. Each of the older kids’ backpacks consists of:



change of clothes – one year up in size

you can always roll up or cut if too long. Even though we were still at home, the kids were excited to wear the “new” clothes from their backpacks

basic hygiene kit

2 bottles of water

some granola bars or other snacks

hand warmers

stickers and crayons

tissues

extra pair of glasses and lens cleaner in Alex’s bag

Mark’s bag:



wipes

diapers – keep size updated

diaper rash cream

clothes – again, one size too big

The rest of the kit, split up between the two big bags:



Vital documents

copies of passports, marriage and birth certificates

household inventory

copies of stuff in your wallet

contact information of friends and relatives

Extra cash – $100 in small bills

change of clothes for me and Lyana – long-sleeve shirt and pants can be used in any weather

a WORKING radio – tape batteries to outside of radio

test the radio beforehand (just a hint)

flashlight – battery powered ones are less stressful

wall-charger flashlights are fine, but rather difficult to recharge when electricity is out. I don’t recommend them.

I don’t like the crank-charge ones either. Who wants to be turning a crank just for a few minutes of light.

LED lights – even brighter than regular flashlights

we had two LED headlamps and three LED circular lights that we could put on the table or hang on the wall. I definitely recommend these.

Lots of spare batteries.

The LED lights were nice because they are light (ie not heavy) AND they run on AAA batteries which are also fairly light.

Candles – portable, but really only practical when all your batteries are dead

Fire starter sticks

inflatable pillow – who knows?

pocket knife

cooking fuel

ponchos

alcohol hand sanitizer

antibacterial wipes

whistle

spool of twine

duct tape – some would argue that’s all you really need

folding shovel

a little bit of rope

compass

matches

a good book – to pass the time away

a good first aid kit – not just a few band-aids

more hand and body warmers

sewing kit

doctor’s masks – easy to find in Japan

permanent markers – gotta label stuff

trash bags

scissors

aluminum foil

paper towels

can opener

toilet paper

paper plates and cups

plastic utensils

water purification tablets

vaseline or chapstick

plastic grocery bags

wool blankets – we have 2

almonds, cashews or other nuts

MREs

emergency food rations – like energy bars or those big bricks of barely palatable bricks (we have both)

peanut butter – high protein and yum too

freeze dried food – some random stuff

Tums – guess why

Since we were still at home, we obviously didn’t use everything, but the experience certainly gave us a chance to re-evaluate the practicality of certain items. (the bags are still in the living room being re-evaluated)



Food – unless they were starving, I doubt the kids would eat much of what we had in the bags, especially the freeze-dried stuff. Now I recommend food that you know the kids will eat and food that requires little or no preparation (who wants to be heating up water and pouring it carefully in a bag just so they can have a meal of reconstituted spaghetti?) A special treat for the kids can be especially comforting during disasters or evacuations. I also recommend a little bit of chocolate for the wife (Lyana told me to say that).

Water – fill up your containers before you need them. I didn’t “get around to it,” but thankfully the water never stopped working here. I filled up the bathtub as soon as I could . . . just in case.

Corded phone – wish I had one. It doesn’t need to be in the kit, but when the power’s out, cordless phones are worthless.

Car keys – I never thought about this before, but why not put a spare key in the 72-hour kit. That way, if you have to grab it and run, you don’t have to waste time looking for your keys.

Gas – I mean, fuel. Both our cars were near empty when the earthquake hit. Gas stations were closed so we were stuck with what we had. I recommend keeping tanks no less than 1/4 tank and also have a full gas can in storage.

Cooking – I was very happy we had a BBQ with a full propane tank. Many people, I heard, spent those two days eating cheese and crackers. We had a full fridge and freezer full of food to use up, so we ate like royalty. Had to invite the neighbors over to help us. It also helped that we had some coolers, which I filled with food and buried in the ice and snow outside.

Okay, I think that’s good enough for now. I’m exhausted just thinking about all of this. But who wants to be thinking about this when they’re running out the door or just even when the power’s out? Stocked and easily accessible is the key.



I’m off now. If you have any questions, just ask . . . then I’ll refer them all to my well-prepared wife.



Rob