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.  

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.