With all the high profile disasters recently, you may have heard talk about 72-hour kits, Emergency Backpacks, or Emergency Preparedness Kits. These are all names for the same thing, which I will call Emergency Preparedness Kits. The idea is, in an emergency, to have a backpack or suitcase full of essential supplies that you can simply grab and walk out the door. Sounds simple, right? In concept it certainly is, but without proper planning, care and maintenance, you can easily end up without the items you need most in an emergency, or worse, with damaged or expired items that are no longer any good.
I’d like to talk a little first on just why you might need such an emergency preparedness kit. There has been a big push by governments lately to encourage everyone to have 72 hours of emergency supplies available on hand, as it is estimated to take an average of 72 hours for emergency crews to be able to find and locate those in need of help after a disaster. We have seen with recent events, such as Katrina and Haiti, that it can often take much longer for aid to arrive.
Fortunately, most of us will never be involved in such large scale disasters. That doesn’t mean we are out of danger though. Disaster can strike anyone, anywhere, no matter where you live. Those living in the mountains may not have to worry about hurricanes, but forest fires and blizzards are a strong possibility. In the desert, you may have flash floods to deal with. On the prairies, tornadoes and grassfires. Coastal areas are often hit with severe storms. Those living near train tracks or industrial plants could be forced to evacuate from their homes due to chemical spills. If you live near an airport, you may be forced to leave because of a plane crash.
I’m not trying to scare you into worrying to death, but simply trying to get you thinking of what types of potential disasters could happen in your area so that you can plan accordingly. There is no need to live your life in fear, but with a little preparation and planning, you can be prepared to act in the face of disaster. Think of it like insurance. You set up your plan, get your supplies together, and then forget about it and go about your life.
In this blog I am going to go over how you can make your very own Emergency Preparedness Kit, or if you prefer to buy one, what you should look for. It is inexpensive and takes very little time, but it could save your life.
