Takeaways from April 15th 72 hour kit class
- libertyranchandcou
- 19 hours ago
- 6 min read
If you missed the 72 hour kit class, no problem. Everything we went over will be here plus a little more. ·
There are so many 72 hour kit/disaster kit lists online each with different supplies. Where do you start? Find a list even just a basic list and you will soon find there are some things you don’t need. You will also find there are some things you would like to add. Your goal is to have enough to make it through 72 to 96 hours. Food (possible ways to cook it), Water, Sanitary and Hygiene, clothing and so on and so forth.
Each member of the family needs their own kit. In the unfortunate event that family members might get separated each family member needs their own things.
What can be used as a container? Start with that. Use your modified list and add items as you have time and money to do it. Backpack, suitcase, totes, totes with wheels, rolling trash can, so on and so forth.
Update 72 hour kits during General Conference – plan two weeks ahead to make sure you have food and clothing. Have a standard food list so you don’t have to make one up every time.
You need a binder with all of your important information.
This is from Momwithaprep.com
What Should Be In A Family Emergency Binder?
1. Emergency Contacts
Family & Friends’ addresses and phone numbers
Phone contact trees – if you have a contact tree for schools, church, friends, family, etc.
Kids’ schools and daycare centers
Important business associates
Doctors, Dentists, and local hospitals/clinics
Business and work numbers and contacts
Utilities – even if you have left home, you need a list of utilities in case you need to contact them for safe return dates, report a problem, or inquire about your location during an emergency. This would include whoever runs your water, electricity, gas, and propane.
Local non-emergency numbers for police, fire, ambulance, and city
2. Financial Information
Credit card numbers and phone numbers (plus websites and passwords)
Insurance card numbers and phone numbers
Bank Cards, accounts, and phone numbers (plus websites and passwords)
Investments/401K/safety deposit information
Last two statements from all of your financial accounts – checking, savings, 401K, investments
3. Copies of Vital Documents
Driver’s licenses or State Issued ID Cards
Social security cards
Credit cards (front and back)
Military Records
Adoption/foster records
Naturalization/Immigration documents
Church records
4. Medical Information
Advanced Care Directives
Medical Power of Attorney
Immunization Records
Medical history if you have serious illnesses/diseases
Current Prescription lists
Insurance information – copies of your cards (front and back)
Donna had a great idea to help save space – If you are worried about carrying a lot of paper for your medical info, word process the basics, use the smallest size font you can, and print out the information. The space/size will be greatly reduced. In the aftermath of a localized emergency, to “read” it is put on a copy machine and enlarged.
5. Legal Documents
Power of Attorney for you
Power of Attorney for others – if you’ve been given the POA for someone, it is vital to have it with you. While in most cases a copy isn’t a legally binding document, you may gain some leeway over having a copy in an emergency. Plan on keeping your original here.
Deed and titles to your home and/or cars
Birth certificates – you can order duplicate official documents from your state agencies
Wedding licenses
Wills – again, original documents are the only legally binding ones.
Death Certificates – it may be important to keep a death certificate from a recently deceased family member – this is a judgment call for you.
Passports
Car Titles
Lease information
6. Insurance
Insurance Policy with local agent information
Insurance cards, if needed
Home inventory – Keep copies of your home inventory if you have lost your home due to a localized emergency and need to go to a field office for your insurance company. While you should always have a copy of this (including video/photos) that stays with your local insurance agent, keeping a copy for you to hand in during an emergency might get you on your way to recovery money faster.
7. Other Items
List of vital websites and passwords – whether you run a business online, you need to be able to get to an email address used by your family or local network.
Your Emergency Plan – you’ve planned everything out with close family and friends. You’ve got a plan on who to call, options of where to meet, and call signs for radios, but it may be hard to keep everything straight when you’re in a panic. Have a plan printed out to refer to.
Keys to your vehicles, house, and storage spaces, plus keys to locations you’ll be going to in an evacuation if you have a designated spot (key to your parent’s house if you go there to ride out the storm.)
Emergency ID cards in 4×6 cards (click the link to print your own free) that can be handy for emergency bags as well, or full-sized sheets
Evacuation Checklist – your plan of attack for sudden evacuations. Don’t leave trying to remember what to take to your memory, especially if you haven’t drilled the process. In our moments of panic, we tend to lose our focus and our way. Pulling out your checklist will allow you to work with purpose and expediency.
Maps – Local and regional maps with planned escape routes. We’ve printed off maps from Google to include in our binder that has shorted routes around our city to other checkpoints. It saves the bulk of a full map which we keep in our emergency gear. We just duplicate the quick, important info here and laminate it to keep it clean and wrinkle-free.
Photos – Because we’re an all-digital world now, folks are less likely to print off their precious family photos. But even if you did, do you want to haul those boxes full of photos and scrapbooks if you have to evacuate? Better yet, scan them, put them on a thumb drive or two, and save all your photos for a day when you can look again. You can also use photo page protectors to include a section in your binder not only for family memories but for identification, as well. Click here to learn about all of the options for digital storage I shared recently.
8. Don’t Forget The Cash
While I advocate having an emergency bag for each family member that should contain cash, carrying cash on your person at all times, and having cash stashed in your car for emergencies, I feel it’s also important to have cash in your emergency binder.
Because lives are uprooted during localized emergencies, you may only have one or two pieces of any of the important binders, bags, etc., to carry with you, so important things need to be duplicated in all of them.
I don’t advocate keeping your entire life savings in your binder but having a pencil case meant for a school binder full of some coins (for laundromats, vending machines, etc.) and small bills and larger bills (purchasing food, gas, and accommodations on the go).
Make a list of everything you need to grab in an emergency. Break it down into minute increments. What if you had only 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes? Everything that needs to be grabbed if you only have 5 minutes needs to be marked in red. Use luggage tags and business cards to create red tags, use red duct tape, red electrical tape, whatever you have for 5 minutes. Orange for 15 minutes, Yellow for 30 minutes and so on and so forth.
Have an accompanying inventory written down broken down into 5 minutes, 15 minutes and 30 minutes.
Develop a plan on how you are going to make it work. What vehicle are you going to use to put everything in and leave. Does it depend on which vehicle is home at the time? Who is going to grab what?
What is a “Complete” 72 hour kit. You can absolutely buy a pre made 72 hour kit but you need to go through it and know what is in it. You may need to add to it.
Good places to store 72 hour kits. Some place that is easy to get to in a hurry. Ours are stored in a closet right by the front door.
What is your plan for water?? 7 gallon aquatainer, 1 gallon igloo jug, case of water (be aware that this is a short-term solution as the plastic leaches into the water)
Do you have extra medication?
What do you have for hygiene supplies?
Do you have baby supplies if needed?
Do you have pet supplies?
Do you have extra medication?
What do you have for hygiene supplies?
Do you have baby supplies if needed?
Do you have pet supplies?
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