10 Steps to Getting Prepared for an Emergency
This list is a simple way for our family to prepare for an emergency and start our 72 hr. kits. I have thought about it many times and keep putting it off due to cost, space, or the fact that relatives nearby had extra clothes for my kids. Since the kids have grown and the relatives no longer have those extra sets of clothes I thought it best to really get prepared for our selves. We live in the Midwest so power outages, gas leaks, or being snowbound would be most likely the type of emergency we would encounter.
We homeschool and we were taking this week to work on crafts instead of traditional schoolwork. Now we will add work on survival, fire safety, and emergency prep as part of our school this week and probably part of next week. We will continue to work on getting our 72 hr. kits ready until we feel they will meet our needs.
- Research Emergency Preparedness
- Decide How much Prep you really need to do
- Create a List of Supplies Your have vs. List of Supplies you NEED
- Family Photo and Contact info for everyone- create a simple luggage tag or laminated card with family photo and parents’ cell numbers. Add numbers of close by relatives as well.
- Emergency Info onto Jump Drive- scan and save social security cards, drivers licenses, birth certificates, and shot records (awesome idea found on pinterest).
- Try your hand at homemade firestarters, camp stoves, alternative power source or instructables survival items. Practice fire safety. Talk about matches, candles, etc. Gather candles and matches for kits.
- Pack your 72 hr. kits or at least start them with what you have on hand. Think about kids current sizes and layering for the next 2 seasons. Remember hats and gloves for winter.
- Prep your food- create simple menu with the items you have on hand. Brainstorm of other foods that do not need cooked and that will replenish your energy. Think of a couple of comfort snack foods that can “weather” a storm and bring a smile to your kids’ face.
- Prep your car- make sure you have first aid kit, emergency roadside kit, and a useable spare tire along with extra warm blankets !
- Prep your kids- keep it light-hearted and fun! Think of it as an adventure or preparing for camp. Practice fire escape plan and evacuation/contact procedures.
I came up with these ideas while searching out ideas on pinterest. I have a whole board dedicated to Emergency Preparedness which includes 72 hr. kits/24 hr. kits/first aid kits and another to Camping.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO GET PREPARED? Please leave a comment, tweet, or facebook post about this post. Thanks for stopping by!
Looks like a great list of ideas for being prepared for an emergency. Especially #5!!
Great list! I’ve been putting emergency preparedness lists together as well. For us, the most likely scenario is power outage, and since we run everything on electricity, that means we need to store water (anytime the weather gets bad), have an alternative heat source (propane or kerosene), and light. those are the big things.
Excellent starter kit list! I’m huge on being prepared for all kinds of emergencies. Living in tornado country has me prepping a slightly different way and we also prep BIG time for winter survival since our power here isn’t very reliable.
This is a great list! I live in a relatively safe region of the US… where natural catastrophes are rare, so I would really be in trouble if anythign happened. I need to create an emergency kit!
This is a great list! We rarely see anything but an occasional blizzard, or tiny tornado where I live but I have had family members in major emergencies.. My mom lives in Joplin and had just left a graduation party that had been in the path of the storm a few minutes before it was hit. Two months before that DH had been on a business trip to Japan and was in the earthquake part of the huge earthquake/tsunami. You never know when something is going to happen, so it is good to be prepared.
Things are so crazy in the world right now, that you never know when an emergency will come. I am so glad that you shared this great list.