72 hour kit: Think outside of box

[gunbunny76]

I highly recommend that if you don't have a 72 hour kit, buy one or put one together. If possible, expand it to have essentials for 120 hours instead of the usual 72. 48-72 hours can be the minimum time frame it takes for emergency responders to get to your area.

Keep the following in mind:

Disasters really do happen.

Don't confuse disaster preparedness with food storage.

Don't believe that provisions will be readily provided by a Church or Government.

Don't allow a lack of funds to prevent you from building a kit. I know someone whose food portion of their kit is all stuff they grew or raised and dried, smoked or bottled. The rest of the stuff they repurposed from other things and they didn't have to buy very much at all.

Keep in mind family food allergies and diet restrictions.

Water: one gallon per person per day. If possible store more.

Remember you need 72 hour kits for pets, the elderly and infants as well.


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This link takes you to a list of the best online stores for purchasing food storage and other preparedness items. They have a breakdown of price, features on the site, how helpfull the staff is and what is available at the 10 sites listed. Even if you don't buy from any of them, the information on the sites is valuable.

 

[Bigdaddy]

Yes, I agree that we have to have a plan in place, I know here in the NW we are overdue for a big earthquake I have some cases of mre and a little water but I do want to expand that.

 

[hotrodpc]

I'm from Moore, OK? What do you mean disasters really happen? :shrug: We just get a new city every 10 years from a Mother Nature Spring Cleaning. My house is almost back together from the May 20, 2013 tornado. Missed severe damage by 2 streets, and being leveled by 3 streets.

I've been here in Moore for all the 3 of the big ones.

May 3, 1999 F5+ (Highest Wind Speed Ever recorded on earth, over 300mph)
May 8, 2003 EF4
May 20, 2013 EF5

That's just the big ones.

 

[ViperJeff]

I'm from Moore, OK? What do you mean disasters really happen? :shrug: We just get a new city every 10 years from a Mother Nature Spring Cleaning. My house is almost back together from the May 20, 2013 tornado. Missed severe damage by 2 streets, and being leveled by 3 streets.

I've been here in Moore for all the 3 of the big ones.

May 3, 1999 F5+ (Highest Wind Speed Ever recorded on earth, over 300mph)
May 8, 2003 EF4
May 20, 2013 EF5

That's just the big ones.

Not to make lite of what happened in Moore, however, folks that live in tornado alley put together 72 hr kits for their neighbors... as their kits are gobbled up by the storm an relocated a mile away

 

[hotrodpc]

Not to make lite of what happened in Moore, however, folks that live in tornado alley put together 72 hr kits for their neighbors... as their kits are gobbled up by the storm an relocated a mile away

A 72 hr kit relocated only a mile away??? Cars are relocated a mile away. 72 hour kits could be 5-20 miles away.

In the May 3rd 99 tornado, the tornado started near Chickasha, OK about 45-50 miles SW of Moore, hitting the Chichasha airport, which is a small airport for private planes. There was an airplane wing with the NTSB # on it found in Moore. The N # identified the demoilished plane scattered about the airport, but the wing made it all the way to Moore 45+ miles away. Never know what a tornado will pick up and when it decides to put it back down. I had my daughter put her 2 kits in 5 gallon buckets with sealed lids together. Then I put some hook anchors in the concrete ceiling of her underground shelter and the buckets are hanging on those hooks.

 

[kwo51]

Oklahoma in Florida.

 

[Bluez]

The thing about a kit is it works only if you ahve it on you.

Any "kit" will be a compromise between reasonable ease of transportation and completness.

A 120 hr kit will be larger/heavier.

Agility matters too.
I think I can stretch a 72 hour kit longer anyway. Most Americans are overfed and have lots of caloric reserve so food isnt much of an issue anyway and thats the main thing I can think of that would expand a 3 day bag to a 5 day bag.