72 Hour Kits

Last night my Mom had everyone pack up a 72 hour food kit for every member of the family. Since Katrina everyone should be a little more aware of their own mortality.

Included in the 72 hour kit is the bare minimum of food you’ll need to survive, things that have a long shelf life: granola bars, packages of oatmeal, soup mixes, fruit leather, beef jerky, cans of fruit, bottled water, etc. Other non-perishable items are batteries, radios, flashlights, blankets, changes of clothes, medication, bandages, etc.

You also need contact numbers for people you will need to call. The Red Cross suggests choosing a contact person outside your area as the local lines will probably be tied up. Having all members of an extended family from one geographical area call the same person will allow you to arrange a meeting place.

Knock on wood, the 72 hour kit is also the place you should keep up-to-date photographs of members of your family in case you get separated.

The Red Cross has a plan the family should fill out together. They recommend agreeing to two meeting places. The first should be close to the home in case of something like a fire. The other should be further away in case the whole neighborhood gets wiped out by a flood, earthquake or tornado. If everyone knows where to meet there is less chance of needing those identification photos.

Obviously, Katrina could be construed as a warning from the Universe – perhaps no one will come swooping by to save you if a disaster strikes. At least not for a couple of days while the government gets its ducks in a row. The lesson I learned from being in NYC during 9-11 is that having cash on hand is a good idea. Keeping a couple hundred dollars in a lock box in case no one is cashing checks or the ATM is “out of order” for a couple of days could be the only way you get out of town.

For complete instructions for making a disaster plan and packing a 72 hour kit visit RedCross.org