My Own Central Planning

I just got an interesting newsletter from the local Superintendent of Schools. It reminded me that I should be making or updating our 72-hour emergency kit. I waffle between being bitter that I would need such a thing (for no reason other than I don't remember thinking I needed to have one as a child) and thinking, now there's a really good idea.

Of course it is a good idea. What's the downside to it?

We've gone through the exercise in the past, though incompletely, and have now let our emergency kits get old. I downloaded the lists and suggestions (I've included the links below for you), and am determined to get it started this weekend.

Here are some links to help build your Family Emergency Plan and Kit:

Overall Family Preparedness
Family Emergency Plan
Tri-fold personal plans to carry
Check list for Emergency Supply Kit
Building Your Family's 72 Hour Kit

That last link is good because it suggests 20 weekly activities to build your kit over time.

And of course I recommend keeping these helpful documents in a clearly labeled 3 Ring Binder.

Update: If you'd rather buy than build, Rebecca left a comment for the vendor, shelfreliance. The site has lots of storage systems, food information and recommendations, and pre-made kits, not to mention a clever name.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I have a pretty simple emergency kit. I created it right after 9.11 when we lived in a big city. I manage to keep it current by putting a task on my to do list 6 months from the last time I checked it. Even when I'm 3 months behind it's a valuable thing to have.
November 13, 2008 at 5:10 PM
Lynne said…
I have questions about potability and portability. If water is a part of your kit, is there a container you prefer to keep water in? The second question, which ties into the first, is about weight. Do you have a preferred lightweight container you keep all of the stuff in? These are two of the issues we ran into the last time we looked into updating it.
November 13, 2008 at 8:47 PM
Unknown said…
Also, www.shelfreliance.com has some great resources as well as ready made kits to purchase. Good luck!
November 14, 2008 at 11:48 AM
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