72 Hour Kits

[Anonymous UserParticipant]

I had the very same concerns as many who commented…how do I help my children/grandchildren become prepared with a 72 hour kit. Something is better than nothing…..but I kept wondering how we were all going to buy 20 kits at $100 a piece. Not everyone has that kind of money…and I for sure didn’t. SO……..this thought/inspiration came to me one day and I began putting them together…gave them to my family for Easter one year.

I put instant oatmeal…several packets
Toast and Peanut Butter Crackers (2-3)
Granola Bars (204)
vienna sausages
fruit cup
pudding cup (helps for the kids…comfort in a stressful situation)
punch packets (a type of treat in their water…but not enough to put in all the water they needed)
A couple cans of chicken noodle soup…could put any type.

My question is this:

how do you seriously carry 2 liters of water for every child in your family..and the adults. I know it says that much…but…the parents couldn’t pack it for them and it would be way too heavy for them to carry…even if they are the boxes of water or foil packets. Any suggestions……??

Thanks!
Tammy

[Jenny SmithParticipant]

I don’t keep 2 liters per person per day in my 72-hour kit myself. That may be the amount of water you need to bathe, etc, but you for sure won’t drink that much in one day. I also use foods that don’t require hot water to prepare.

We put in a travel size bottle of Febreze in lieu of water for bathing. :)

I have heard of people keeping their 72-hour kits in a wagon or rolling trash can. It’s more likely that you will be evacuating in a car, anyway, rather than on foot. You probably won’t get far enough away on foot to save yourself from an regional emergency evacuation. <– that sounded scary, huh? :)

I keep my kits in backpacks, and I let the kids try them on every so often to see how much they can carry. I figure they probably can't drink more than they can carry anyway, but I do keep some water bottles near the 72-hour kits just in case we can take those with us as well.

[Anonymous UserParticipant]

At the Distribution Center, you can buy water purifiers for like $16.00, (that was a year ago and my memory might be a little off,) and they will purify a lot of water – plenty for many families for 72 hours. They are pretty light to carry and definitely a better idea than running with 2 2-Liter bottles in your arms.

[Anonymous UserParticipant]

I found a duffel bag on wheels at a thrift store works great! -any suitcase on wheels will work. I packed a sleeping bag, pillow, canned foods, granola bars, raisins, candy, UNO card deck, first aid kit, can opener, water purification tablets, sterno, handy multi-tool gadget (knife, saw, pliers, etc.), hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes, baby wipes, toilet paper, headlamp, hand crank cellphone charger and handcrank flashlight, matches, extra set of clothes, blanket, transistor radio and extra batteries, and used 2 liter soda bottles for my water supply. You can rinse those out with soapy water and then fill from a chlorinated water tap supply and they will be just fine…After moving to San Diego and counting no less than 14 earthquakes in the first two years, assembling this has eased my mind a bit…I also keep a couple of gallons of water in the car, a blanket, emergency tool kit/flashers/flat tire repair kit and a First Aid kit in the trunk at all times.

A good way to store the water in 2 liter bottles and food needed is in 5 gal. buckets – very stackable but make sure you have someone able to tote them.

Backpacks are great for kids, wheeled ones even better- make sure a ziplock baggie is in each one with full info. on each child and several emergency contact numbers – at least one designated contact person out of the area.

[Anonymous UserParticipant]

What i did was purchased water purifers. They make different sizes at different prices, so they will fit into your backpack and your budget! Seychelle, which the church uses, offers a number of great products. Hope this helps:)

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