https://www.waterbob.com/index.html

We all use a LOT of water daily – please consider the above as well as small containers for water.

Because the Mormon church asks its members to always be ready for at least 1 year of self-sufficiency, it has created some incredible resources for those looking at getting prepared.

http://www.providentliving.org is the website, and you can go to the “Family Home Storage” section. The entire Provident Living website is dedicated to the same topic of this blog. Disclaimer – I’m a Mormon, but it’s not a proselytizing website.

Keep up the great work, Trent! I love the blog.

Another indispensable, speaking of fires, is something to light a fire with, such as a box of kitchen matches. Actually, a butane fireplace lighter is probably better–you can get them in packages of two at Costco. Neither damp weather nor time seems to affect them, and they’re very handy around the house. In times of emergency: perfect for lighting the camp stove and candles, for a fireplace if you can use it, or for campfires if you’re forced to it.

About how long stuff will last: Our Mormon friends keep a year’s worth of food on hand. Dad built a set of slightly slanted shelves in the pantry, so that cans can be laid on their sides to roll toward the front. They buy (and put up themselves) a lot of canned food, but they don’t just leave it sitting there–they use it. As one can is removed from the front of the row of cans, the others roll forward. Then they replace the foodstuff with a new can placed at the back of the row. So, the food is always circulating and nothing is extremely old. They also buy dried beans in 50-pound bags. Combined, beans & rice make a complete protein, and they keep almost indefinitely. You could live for quite a while on a stash of beans, rice, and canned goods. Frugal, too.

I remind people that these should be stored in a waterproof container.

i dont endorse this site, i was just using it as an example of what i’m talking about, you can order these types of things many places on the web. As a ham radio operator involved in emergency communications, i keep a 2 week supply of these in my car, “just in case” i have other more tasty things such as mre’s and such in a 3 day supply, but if your talking true emergency this is what i would fall back on.

We might also consider having some cash on hand, too. If the power is out for a long time, you won’t be able to get $$ from the ATM.

We probably also ought to consider a solar-powered cell phone charger.

You also might want to add a decent cooler to your emergency kit, since things can go fubar in the summer, too. I have the Igloo MaxCold, and it is phenomenal. I’ve kept cold soda in it for five days, and still had ice cubes floating around inside. If nothing else, it’s a great place to store some of your other emergency supplies.

And I’m surprised no one included them, but candles have been great for me at night when the power went out and I didn’t want to drain some batteries. You can stock up pretty well at a dollar store….just remember to avoid any really stinky ones.

I hear honey doesn’t go bad too quickly either.

Also, if your power goes out, and you need to cook some salmon before it goes bad, I saw survivorman ‘cook’ some by immersing it in lemon juice for 24 hours.

Trent, I have (and would recommend everyone else have) a lot more than the items you mentioned. Water is the most important. You didn’t specify a quantity. You need 1 gallon of potable water per person per day. If you use freeze-dried foods or are relying on things like dried pasta you may even need more water to rehydrate them. If I knew ahead of time that a disruption was likely I would also fill every bathtub and sink in the house and hope to be able to use that water for washing, not drinking.

If you have canned food make sure you have a hand operated can opener!

In addition to regular blankets I would suggest an emergency blanket per person (the ones that look like thin foil).

Make sure you always have an adequate supply of any medications you take on a regular basis on hand (i.e. don’t get down to the last day or two before you refill). If you normally wear contacts you should have a pair of glasses.

If there are women of childbearing age in your home, make sure you have an extra pack of tampons &/or pads. If you have children in diapers, keep an extra box of Pampers or even a dozen cloth diapers. (You can wash & reuse the cloth ones if the emergency stretches on.) If you have an infant and aren’t nursing, have an extra can of powdered formula (another item that will run through your water at a faster rate).

Keep antibacterial hand soap around and wash your hands often. Be aware that the toilet may not work. There may be problems with the sewers in addition to the fact that you can’t flush if you don’t have water!

I like the flashlights you shake (just make sure you keep it/them somewhere easy to locate in the dark!) and I have a radio that runs either on solar power or by cranking. I also have a 2 burner propane camp stove so can prepare any food as an earlier poster mentioned.

As for food, I buy extra of the foods we like and eat on a regular basis when items are on sale. Then I use and constantly rebuy as if I didn’t have the extras, rotating the food. Canned food should probably be used within 6 months, I feel comfortable going somewhat longer on pasta, oatmeal, tea, instant coffee, etc.

While a lot of folks store freeze-dried or MREs an emergency is a stressful time and not always the best one to make big changes in what you’re eating (especially if you have little kids).

If you have pets, have extra of whatever they eat, plus more water.

That covers off the most important points, I think. How to prepare for an evacuation is another topic.