ReadinessHub.com Pre-Emergency Readiness Kit Item Checklist Supplies that you should have in place before any emergency strikes: □ 7-day supply of potable water; minimum Generally clean tap water or bottled water will suffice. For longer storage periods, buy distilled water. It is 100% pure H2O without any of the metals or minerals that can ionize or break down, and has an indefinite shelf-life. Regular bottled water, believe it or not, can only be stored for a few years maximum. If you believe your tap water may be in question, or your local water supply for that matter, buy some water purification tabs as a last resort. Survival water filtration devices are highly recommended. □ 7-day supply of food, minimum Canned foods are the best; ideally those that have been pre-cooked such as soups or stews. While some cans may list expiration dates, and it is suggested you follow them, in most instances if the can is not dented or swollen the contents will be edible; sometimes for up to ten years (if thoroughly cooked). Some foods have extremely long, if not indefinite shelf-lives, such as honey, canned tuna in oil, and dry white rice. Jerky, dried or salted nuts as well as dried fruits are also good choices. Pemmican is ideal for the indefinite, long term emergency situations (Pemmican is a concentrated food consisting of dried pulverized meat, dried berries, and rendered fat). For longer periods of disaster situations, it is recommended to maintain nutritional supplements in the form of multi-vitamins. Be certain to check the shelf-life dates of your stored food and to rotate out the food that is nearing expiration with fresh stores. Before the older food expires, it is recommended to eat it so it is not wasted. If your family has pets, it is highly recommended that you store as much of a supply of spare kibble or canned food for them as you store food for yourselves. □ First Aid Kit with the essentials Your First Aide Kit should have the following: □ Antiseptic lotion/hand wipes □ Gauze pads □ Dressing bandages □ Splints/sprain wraps/dressing rolls □ Adhesive bandages of various sizes and shapes □ Burn lotion/silvadene cream □ Eye-washing solution □ Medical tape □ Cotton balls and Cotton swabs □ Rubbing alcohol pads or a small bottle of rubbing alcohol/isopropyl □ Hydrogen peroxide □ Sterile water (distilled water will work if bottled correctly) □ Arm sling (torn shirt or belt used correctly will work as a substitute) □ Chemical ice and heat packs □ Thermometer □ Medical Tools (tweezers, scissors, razor blade, etc.) □ Pain and fever reduction medication (Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen) □ Antihistamine tabs for any potential allergic reactions □ Epinephrine Auto-Injector for sever allergic reaction (prescription may be required) □ Cough suppressant/drops □ Dental floss and eye patches. If you really want to make a consolidated first-aid kit, then add: □ Insect repellent □ Blood coagulant (clotting fluid/spray) for heavy bleeding wounds □ Suture kit/needle and proper medical suture thread □ Surgical Kit with Sterile, Surgical Steel instruments □ Antibiotics to prevent infection. □ Snake-Bite Kit Finally, it is imperative that you have a □ Comprehensive First-Aid Reference Guide Book, so that should any situation require the use of immediate medical care, anyone would be able to administer proper First Aid. □ Spare Change of Clothing In case your current clothing is wet or damaged, at least one full change of clothing per person is recommended. □ Cold Weather Clothing / Warm Blankets Most disaster and emergency scenarios have one thing in common: the power is out. Depending on the time of year and location in the country, a home without power will not stay warm for very long. Have at least a good emergency wool blanket or warm sleeping bag. Additional warm clothing, stored for the very purpose of emergency use is a plus. Remember, it is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it. □ Supportive pair of shoes/hiking boots It is possible that you may wind up walking long distances to reach shelter or to avoid a localized disaster area. Access to vehicles or roadways may be severely limited in many disaster situations. It is highly recommended that the shoes/boots you buy fit you well, are broken in to your feet (worn for at least ten days) and have vulcanized rubber soles. □ Multi-Tool / Utility Knife The idea behind the Swiss-Army lives on in most modernized multi-tools. Companies such as Leatherman, Gerber and S.O.G. (to name a few) all make excellent multi-tools, and in many different configurations. It is recommended to have one that locks each tool and at least has a straight blade, serrated blade, pliers (ideally needle-nose), wire-cutters, file, screw-drivers (both Phillips and Slotted) and can/bottle opener. □ Flashlight There are many types of flashlights out there. Just make sure you have one that is water resistant/proof and that works. Having a hand-crank or hand-shake powered flashlight is a plus; this allows the flashlight to be stored without batteries, and when it is needed the user can generate power at that time. Check the operation of your flashlight every three months, and make sure that you have at least three full changes of batteries for it (example: if the flashlight takes two AA batteries, make sure you have at least six fresh AA batteries stored with the flashlight). Generally it is recommended to buy flashlights not prone to burning out. Luxeon LED Bulb flashlights generate minimal heat and will never burn out. They are bright and energy efficient. There are several companies out there who make Luxeon LED bulb flashlights, as well as replacement bulbs for Mag-Lite and equivalent. □ NOAA Capable AM/FM Emergency Radio AM/FM radio with the NOAA frequencies (National Oceagraphic and Atmospheric Administration) allow you to hear alerts, conditions, or situations in your surrounding area. It is recommended to get one which uses batteries but also has a hand-crank as backup power. □ Candles It is recommended to have at least a dozen eight-hour candles. They are best stored in wax paper. □ Weatherproof Matches The long phosphorus-head matches, burn several seconds longer than regular kitchen matches. Will ignite even when wet. It is recommended to have at least twenty matches. □ Spare Eye Protection, Prescription Eyeglasses (if needed) and Sunglasses ANSI Certified Eye protection in the form of safety glasses or goggles are a must. For those requiring corrected vision, certain Contact lenses are not desirable for disaster situations due to their fragility and high maintenance. Your spare prescription eyeglasses should have thick, durable frames. It never hurts to have spare sunglasses as well. □ OSHA and NIOSH Certified Respirator; one per person in household While this is probably one of the most expensive purchases, it is one of the most important. A disaster involving a chemical spill (derailed train, truck spill, etc.) means that anyone leaving the cordon of contamination should properly wear bio-vapor and particulate filtering respirators. Make certain that each person to have a mask tests for fit pressure seal once it’s worn, and make certain each person is fully educated on the correct donning and doffing procedures with the respirator/mask. Once each mask has been confidently tested, it should be labeled with a small sticker or piece of tape on the eyepiece[s] so during a disaster there is no confusion on which respirator goes to whom. □ Road Flares They can be used to signal for help or to start a fire. □ Trioxane Fuel Bar Burns hot and leaves little to be wasted; excellent for pre-packed Kits. One of the better things to have when fuel for a fire are not very abundant. □ Lensatic Compass In case you lose your way. □ Map of your state and surrounding states In case you must evacuate your state, this will give you the reference that you will require. □ Duct Tape Keep at least two rolls kept with your preparedness kit. For every reason I can think you should have duct tape, I’m sure there are a hundred more I cannot think of. □ Magnesium Striker or spare means of lighting a fire Used by most campers to start a fire, a magnesium striker can turn a pile if kindling into an open flame in mere seconds, with the right mixture of air and fuel. Disposable lighters can leak after a few years of storage, so if you cannot find a magnesium striker for sale, keep some spare steel wool in your kit along with some new 9V batteries. Place the steel wool roll in with some kindling; stick the contacts of the 9V battery to the steel wool and you will have fire. Make sure the battery is fresh, and use caution not to drop the battery in the fire; it may explode. □ Spare Batteries For every electronic device you maintain in your Readiness Kit, keep at least two extra sets of fresh batteries, on top of the ones kept in the devices. Alternately, store the batteries separate from the devices and keep three sets of batteries per device. Make sure you match the right size for each device. □ Emergency Whistle and Signal Mirror If you are stranded somewhere that may be hard to see, one of these items, if not both will increase your chances of being noticed. □ Emergency Mylar Blanket In case your regular wool blanket is wet, this will come into play. They barely take up any space and do a great job of reflecting body-heat back to the source: the body. □ Books, Board Games, Cards, etc. Sometimes in a disaster situation all you and your loved ones will wind up doing is sitting around, waiting for one thing or another to “blow over”. Not only do these things help pass the time, they bring levity to the situation and improve morale. □ Nylon Duffle Bag or Plastic Crate, Chest or Barrel Once you have all of your items to go in your Readiness Kit, you need something, ideally that is waterproof, to protect and contain it all. Make sure you keep it in a safe location that can be easily accessed in the time of need. 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