Emergency Survival Kits Can Save Lives

Can Save Lives

Emergency survival kits should be found in every home. In addition, you should have one in your vehicle as well, especially if you are planning any extended driving trips. Having one of these kits in your home or automobile will give you piece of mind knowing that you have prepared for any emergency you and your family may encounter.

We have provided a list of many of the things that you should have in your emergency survival kits. There are likely items that you may want to add to your own personal list and kit. That is fine if you want something added.

Here is a list of things required in most emergency survival kits:

• Water
• First aid kit
• Prescription medication for anyone requiring it
• Portable radio – solar powered, windup or battery operated
• Extra batteries
• Canned food and dry goods
• Matches
• Flashlight or candles
• Camp stove and fuel
• Activities, such as games to pass the time
• Whistle
• Large storage container or duffle bag to contain all the items

Standard emergency survival kit should contain enough survival provisions to help a person survive for at least three days. The food contained should not be something that spoils. Besides including water, the kit should include water purification tablets or iodine tablets.

In addition, depending on your location or destination, emergency survival kits should contain emergency blankets, gloves and anything else designed for extreme weather conditions. Do not forget to include basic toiletry items as well.

Since a disaster can strike at any time, it is important that you be prepared for anything. Besides your home and automobile, keep a kit in your office and cottage as well. If you happen to have a boat then it is very important to keep a kit on board at all times.

If you have pets, keep in mind that you should have emergency survival kits on hand that include items necessary for their survival as well. This will include any special medication that they may need to take.

Where to Store Your Survival Kit?

Probably not something you would think needs to be commented on but one of the concerns in our earthquake situation was that with the amount of damage, people were unable to access certain areas or rooms in their homes. So with this in mind, an idea is to split your kit into 3 or 4 smaller kits and store them in various places around your house and property. This is a really good idea especially for water and food items.

What about the Shelf-Life of Water and Food?

One of New Zealand’s largest manufacturers of canned foods was interviewed on TV last night and he stated that providing there is no damage, canned food is perfectly fine for at least 5 years. But you need to be aware of foods with high acidity like tomatoes or apples as they may cause the can to corrode.

Water, if stored in clean containers away from direct sunlight will last a lifetime so-to-speak. But no matter the shelf-life of your food or water it’s a good idea to use it and replace it on a relatively regular basis, say every 6 – 12 months, and then you are always assured that it is fresh. Decide now to have your own survival kit and even if you don’t make up your entire kit in one day you can start by gathering items together one at a time. Tick them off the list until you have everything you need. It’s great to know what goes in a survival kit but it’s even better to put one together. I sincerely hope you will never need to use one.

Many people do not bother to prepare emergency survival kits, do not be one of these people who takes things for granted because you never know what disaster you could be confronted with, make sure you have your family prepared as best as possible.