Monday, September 26, 2011

72 Hour Kits

Early on in our marriage we heard advise to update our 72 hour kits every 6 months around the time of General Conference, which would be in the spring and in the fall.  Twice a year would allow for us to make sure we really had what we need in them and around Conference time is a good reminder.  We have tried to stick to that guideline, although there has been years that have gone by with out us even touching them.  This year we were on the ball and got them done before General Conference.  We had a little bit of time to tackle them together before school started so that’s what we did.  I don’t think we had opened any of them since Ady was born.  She still had formula and baby food in hers along with a size 2 diaper.  Those items would not be helpful now if we had to evacuate quickly.  

We store our 72 hour kits in the hall closet upstairs.  There was room in that closet and they should be easy enough to get to.  Here was our process of spreading things all over the floor and replacing the old food with the new food.  

Lightroom Edits111

Those are all of the pictures I have.  We were doing it so fast and it was a little crazy tackling a project like this with all of the kids home, but it is DONE (for the next 6 months) and we are very happy about that.  It can be so overwhelming sometimes wondering where to start and what exactly to put in your kits, so I thought I would share what we did and the resources we used to help us. 

The first one is a list we got from church. 

SAMPLE 72-HOUR FOOD KIT

6 (8 oz.) boxes juice
3 (8 oz.) boxes milk
2 granola bars
1/3 lb. graham crackers
5 (1.4 oz.) pkg. sandwich crackers
6 (.5 oz.) fruit roll-ups
4 (2 oz.) pkg. trail mix
5 (1.5 oz.) pkg. raisins
6 to 7-1/2 oz. peanut butter

3 ounce can tuna
7 beef jerky
1 package gum
fork
spoon
knife
18 wet wipes

Pack in an air and moisture-proof container or bag.

Then it tells you how to use the food.  I thought that was helpful.  We made copies of these and put them in each kit.

EMERGENCY MENU

DAY 1
1 milk
2 juice
1 granola bar
2 fruit roll-ups
1 pkg. trail mix
2 pkgs. raisins
3 oz. peanut butter
2 pkgs. sandwich crackers
3 jerky

DAY 2
1 milk
2 juice
1 granola bar
2 fruit roll-ups
2 pkgs. trail mix
1 pkg. raisins
3 oz. peanut butter
2 pkgs. sandwich crackers
3 jerky

DAY 3
1 milk
2 juice
2 fruit roll-ups
1 pkg. trail mix
2 pkgs. raisins
1/3 lb. graham crackers
1-1/2 oz. peanut butter
1 pkg. sandwich crackers
3 oz. can tuna
1 jerky

Emergency Supplies
Prepare these items for each family member and make sure each has an I.D. tag. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work, considering what you would need for your immediate safety.

  • Flashlight

  • Radio – battery operated

  • Batteries

  • Whistle

  • Dust mask

  • Pocket knife

  • Emergency cash in small denominations

  • Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat

  • Local map

  • Some water and food

  • Permanent marker, paper and tape

  • Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes

  • List of emergency point-of -contact phone numbers

  • List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food

  • Copy of health insurance and identification cards

  • Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items

  • Prescription medications and first aid supplies

  • Toothbrush and toothpaste

  • Extra keys to your house and vehicle

  • Any special-needs items for children,seniors or people with disabilities.  Don’t forget to add items for your pets.

Those two lists were very helpful to us.  We also referred to How Does She post about the subject.  She focuses on 72 hour kits for kids.  We really liked her idea of putting everything in different zip lock bags.  It would make it much easier to rotate things and find what you need if you have to use your kits.  Definitely a great reference.   The closest we have ever come to using ours was during Hurricane Ike.  Although we DID NOT have to use them (thankfully) it was nice to feel prepared. 

I read back through my Hurricane Ike posts.  It was kind of fun to read them again and I am so glad I recorded all of that.

Here is my post on being prepared.

Here is my post on the devastation after Ike.

28 comments:

Lindsey Jensen said...

I really need to do this but I feel overwhelmed every time I think about it!! Same with food storage!! Grrr, we are going to be in trouble if something happens and I'm not prepared!!

Tam said...

I think u did this post just for me. Heaven knows I need it. Perfect timing w general conference coming up!

Prudently Painted Vintage said...

Ok you are just showing off now. you are way too prepared! Just teasing you of course. Seriously though I now feel the need to do something like this. We are so unprepared for any kind of emergency. We might have to come take your supplies ;)

Kari said...

Great post. It seems like I just put our 8 kits together. It's already been a year and I need to check them as well. Where does the time go? Ugh!

Beth Curtis said...

guess how many hours I have in my backpack? 0. Atleast I have a backpack, and a SIL like you who will give me lists of everything I need.

Andrea said...

You always inspire me to get going. We started digging in and reworking our packs a few months bag, but we stopped in the middle. We went ahead and order a bucket of food that will feed our family for 5 days. It is freeze dried, and will last for 30 years. I am thrilled I don't have to switch out food anymore. Just water, and a few snacks. I love the new lists that you have thought. Thanks for sharing.

Letti said...

I love that you broke these down. We need to replace ours too.

torri said...

Thank you so much for this post! I have been wanting to do this but figuring it out on my own wasn't working. And I wanted to find things that didn't need cooking at all. This is perfect! I am curious though, I noticed things in your pictures that weren't in the list--like MnMs? Did you differ yours from the list?

Natty by Design said...

Great ideas!

The Johnson's said...

We rotate ours twice a year, the first weekend in October and the first weekend in April :)

mdynamo said...

The best way I find to remember when to rotate my stockpile is do it when I change my clocks. There's a campaign that reminds people, called "Check Your Clocks: Check Your Stocks." It's from the public health people:

http://www.getreadyforflu.org/clocksstocks/index.htm

Jen said...

Thanks so much for posting this! I really need somewhere to start for our 72 hour kits. So far we just have the book bags. Thanks for all the ideas!

heather said...

Just a thought about the tuna! I found tuna in the pouches on sale last year and thought that would be a better option for 72 hour kits because a) they are light to carry and b) can be opened without a can opener. or do the 3 oz cans have pull tops? either way this is a great resource for ideas! Thanks for sharing. I found you through pinterest!

Diana said...

That for the great reminder and posting! I needed it. I have 72 hour kits.....but I lol when I think about how old they are...... I love the idea of changing them around conference time - that is a really helpful reminder.

Anonymous said...

I like all details that you provide in your articles.
dried food

Yogi said...

First I have to say that this a great post! Thank you for posting it. One thing I often wonder is if anyone ever tries to actually take a 3 day weekend and go camping (best done in your backyard) and use only what's in your kits. That way you can notate what works and what doesn't. Or what you may have forgotten to add... etc.. The house is right there just incase you find you definately need something.

Twinmomwv said...

I just found you through pinterest and love how you broke this down! 72-hour kits have always intimidated me. One question: what information do you have on everyone's ID tags? Name, birthdate,parents names, parents cell phone numbers, out-of-state contact. Did I miss anything?

Cyndy said...

Thought this was a great list, esp. like how you gave menu to break down using the food. Only 2 thoughts, first I am surprised you said quarters for phone calls. I don't know of anywhere anymore that has payphones that take quarters. Also I think a backpack in case you have to evacuate...My nephew lives in Tokyo and was there for the Tsunami, and said he slept with a knapsack and shoes next to his bed so he was ready to evacuate.

Anonymous said...

Excellent post! Yours is the first I've seen that recommends adding a dust mask to each person's supplies. My family is full of asthmatics so it's more in the forefront of my mind than most, but I always remember the situation during 9/11. No one could get around the whole area without a mask for weeks and some have long-term health problems from all the ash, smoke, and debris particles they inhaled. God forbid anything like that should happen again, but it's something to be prepared for in case there's any sort of fire or explosion.

Blog Author said...

For my EDC (every day carry) I keep my passport, 2 pistols, folding knife, multi-tool, a dust mask, tiny flashlight and a lighter.

I keep my big BOB in the car and it has practically everything to go camping in the cold, and cook, eat and drink for 3 days.

I also keep a change of clothes, basic toiletries, and some small bills in a messenger bag in case I just need to get a hotel somewhere or pay cash for gas, like I did this weekend when someone frauded my card and the bank turned it off.

I also have a "SERE" kit in the front of the car which is a little survival kit I can grab if I had to leave the car in a hurry and didn't have time to gather the big stuff. I would like to add to it my army poncho and maybe if I can find them, some collapsible tent poles that would fit the poncho, and put all that in a stuff sack. Instant tent.

Have you ever eaten the "osmotic" raisins from an MRE? YECCH. If you do MRE's, replace the raisins with normal ones and use the osmotic ones for fish bait or something. You'll need the fiber, because one other name for an MRE is Meal Refusing to Exit, but not having to choke down those osmotic raisins would be a blessing.

flowerchildgranny said...

Thank you so much for your post on th 72 hour kits. I have been trying to figure out what to put in an emergency pack for my sister and I. We are disabled, in power chairs and after reading this, we realized we could easily throw a filled back-pack on the back of our chairs and bug out in an emergency. The list gave us a good starting point. We would use more tuna and some spam because we don't have the teeth for jerky. Some Fruit gummies, M&M's, Cinnamon Graham cracker, Ritz type cracker.... Yep, we can do this. Thanks again.

Krysta said...

Thanks for your comment! I'm glad it could help you and that you are making it work for you by adding your own food choices.

Lyssa Beth said...

Thanks for sharing! I have a question. Do you remember how much this cost you per kit? I know it's a long shot since you wrote this years ago! thanks!

Krysta said...

Hi Lyssa!

Good question...With the cost of a back pack, we probably spent about $50.00 (give or take) initially per kit. To maintain/update food is about$15-$20 a year per pack. We try to update our kits every 6 months. Hope that helps!

Unknown said...

This is great, something my husband has been trying to get me to do for some time. And although I don't like to focus on the paranoia side, I love the 72 hour idea, just in case. Thanks so much for all the info, am going to start working on this next week! One question, you use an actual backpack for each person?

Krysta said...

Yes, an acutal backpack for each person. Glad this post could help you!

Sara Mitchell said...

We actually did that and on an actual camping trip not just our backyard. it was a good learning experience and a great way to use the food that was ready to rotate out.

Sara Mitchell said...

We actually did that and on an actual camping trip not just our backyard. it was a good learning experience and a great way to use the food that was ready to rotate out.

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