Your Home Emergency/Disaster Survival Kit

DO YOU REALLY WISH TO BE NUMBERED AMONG THE SURVIVORS?

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SURVIVE A MAJOR DISASTER? THEN GO BACK TO THE WAYS OF YOUR GREAT GRANDPARENTS.

The methods and skills as used by your grandfather, grand mother, and great grandparents, in helping to ensure their everyday survival are still the very best bet, if you wish to survive a major disaster in today's modern  technically advanced but none too health or survival savvy world. 

Major disasters still happen and will continue to happen, on an ever increasing scale, somewhere in the world. Are you, if one hit your neighbourhood, next month, next week, tomorrow, in the very next minute?

As is true of any disaster, when an earth quake, flood, forest fire, hurricane, landslide/mudslide, tornado etch strikes, many of the necessities of life are suddenly-instantly gone. Electricity is almost always the first to go—natural gas the first to be turned off for safety reasons, if the lines didn't already break. Water lines break and those that don’t may soon be filled with water that is not safe to drink. Streets are suddenly not passable or at least not safe for vehicles. Vehicles are trapped by garage doors that can’t open. If your vehicle is assessable and you can or dare venture out, the street lights and traffic signals won't be working—there will be general panic-- leaving you in great danger at every intersection. When, and if, you do reach a store, they can only accept cash (modern cash registers run only on electricity). You dare not start driving any distance, since you will not be able to get gas-the pumps run on electricity. Your home will get colder and colder, because there isn’t any heat and of course, there will be no light.

YOUR FROZEN AND/OR REFRIGERATED FOODS WILL ALL BEGIN TO SPOIL; YOUR CANNED OR OTHERWISE PRESERVED PRODUCTS WILL NOT. ALSO ALWAYS REMEMBER,THAT WHILE DRIED PACKAGED FOODS FOODS DO OFFER MANY ADVANTAGES IN A SURVIVAL SITUATION; THEY ALSO PRESENT ONE SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THAT THEY REQUIRE THE ADDITION OF LIQUID (WATER) EITHER WHEN COOKING OR WHEN EATING--IF YOU ARE ALREADY LIVING ON SHORT WATER RATION, THEY WILL CAUSE FURTHER DEHYDRATION.

None of this is easy to cope with, especially if you are unprepared but you’ll still want to SURVIVE and survive with as few ill effects and as little inconvenience as possible. For the long term effects, you need to prepare like you would if you were leaving home to explore, or pioneer a new and remote area far from the conveniences, amenities support systems, and supply lines you are used to relying on. For the short-term effects, you need to think:

FIRST AID—WHAT IS NEEDED? WHAT IS NEEDED FIRST?

THE HOME SURVIVAL KIT/SURVIVAL ESSENTIALS.

WATERand/or OTHER LIQUID

Some of the first things to consider are: water (at least three gallons-12 litres), food (minimum 1 month’s supply), heat, light, safety, health, sanitation, pet care, protection, and FINANCE.

Most of us now live an almost cashless lifestyle. We use debit cards, cheques, and credit cards. But, when we lose power in a disaster, so do the stores. True, if the stores were not damaged too badly, and their goods were not damaged or swept away, the owner MIGHT open the store for business and you MIGHT be able to buy the things you need. Well some people might be able to. You see, the owner can’t run credit card or debit card through any machine. You might have cheques but he isn’t prepared to deal with them either without electricity and of course, because his cash register won’t open, he is probably unable to make change.

Those who didn’t believe it necessary to prepare are always the first to try to reach the stores. That includes an awful lot of people. There is a run on water, milk, bread, baby food, batteries, matches, candles, and clothing. To prevent a riot, the store owner has to put a per-person limit on all items—there might easily be two hundred people wanting to buy water—at the very least.

While survival might be “Canada’s True National Game” it is not one of amusement or entertainment—it is—DEADLY SERIOUS. Please start stocking up on essential items now, and stock up for at least a month—three months would be better.

You can’t balk at the cost, for two reasons:

1.       Buying for such a long period can be done in bulk, resulting in a lower price per item than buying one or two items at a time, with repeated trips to and from the store.

2.       All of these items will be needed and used anyway. You can use them all now, if you simply replace them right away. In fact, this replacement method will most likely be necessary, in order to insure that everything will be safe and usable; when the disaster, you know is coming, strikes.

HOME SURVIVAL KIT LIST—

SOME SUGGESTIONS

DRINKS

Water

Canned or bottled orange juice

Other mixed juices

Instant hot chocolate

Instant skim milk powder

Evaporated milk

Ground/Instant coffee

Tea bags

FOOD-canned or non-perishable

Canned fish, Sardines

Canned luncheon meats

Other canned meats

Canned corn beef

Boxed macaroni and cheese

Canned or packaged soups canned vegetables

Rice

Cereal

Oatmeal

Jam

Peanut butter

Almonds and other nuts

Hard candy

Candy/Energy/Granola bars

Cookies

Bottled lemon juice

Olive oil

Condiments

Salt

Pepper

Baking powder

Baking soda

 Honey

Corn starch

 Flour

Margarine

Jar Cheese

Any and all the food items you would normally buy.

FIRSTAID EQUIPMENT-MEDICINES

ALL NECESSARY PERSCRIPTIONS

INDUSTRIAL, FIRSTAID KIT

Advil

Motrin

Benadryl

Pepto Bismal

Kaopectate

Allergy medicine

Hydrogen peroxide

Alcohol

Hydrocortisone

Neosporin

Sunscreen

Vaseline

Hand lotion

Bandaids (mixed sizes, including butterfly)

Extra triangular bandages (can be used for slings)

LIGHTING

Batteries

Candles

Flashlights/lanterns

Matches, Butane cigarette lighters/mini-torches

BABY NEEDS

PET SUPPLIES

COOKING UTENSILS

TOILETRIES/CLEANERS/STORAGE

BLEACH (water purification-many other uses)

Plain soap

Dish and laundry soap

Antibacterial gel

Waterless soap

Waterless shampoo

Shampoo

Conditioner

Baby wipes

Toothpaste

Razor

Razor blades

Shaving soap

Disinfectant spray/liquid

Paper towels

Scrubber and other sponges

Steel wool (can be used to start fires)

Borax

Vinegar

Rubber gloves

Disposable gloves

Freezer bags (all sizes)

Toilet paper

Metal buckets and pails

Starage boxes with fitted lids

Wash tubs

WD40

Charcoal

Kerosene

Propane

Firewood (depending on your normal home location)

Kindling (depending on your normal home location

©Al (Alex, Alexander) D Girvan, 2012