Stay Alive By Preparing An Emergency Preparedness Kit

By Marsha Klein


When disasters strike, the interruption of all water, power and communication feed the chaos and fear those who make it through the initial event. Having a backpack stocked with well selected items can give one a great advantage. With an emergency preparedness kit in your possession, not only will one have the necessary items, one will have much more confidence.

The first thing to consider is what a human being needs most; water. In a survival situation, between two to three liters per day per person is considered essential. Hot, dry climates are the most inhospitable and the adage not to ration your water but ration your sweat is good advice.

Many people consider food nearly as important as water, though one can survive for up to 45 days without eating. But survival without any sustenance results in a slow painful degradation of strength and spirit. The basic ability to recognize that individuals are nearby and to be able to signal for help is diminished the longer one goes without food, decreasing the chance of being rescued.

The next thing one should include when preparing is material to deal with injuries, some serious and some minor. Just about any injury can make the possibility of survival decrease, the more serious the injury, the more problematic. One can only d so much, but being prepared with tourniquets for amputations and severe bleeding and having plastic cards to cover puncture wounds is prudent and takes little space

In the event of widespread destruction as one would experience during an earthquake, very few communication devices will be operable, but in most cases a cellular phone is an ideal tool. A battery powered radio is essential for gaining information about response activities and locations. Another important device is a light emitting diode flashlight for both signaling at night and simply seeing.

Items which can be used for signaling during the day are also essential and there are some inexpensive tools for that purpose. A whistle is always a good idea and can be heard much farther than the human voice and require less energy . Any mirror can be used to flash sunlight towards distant rescuers, a true signal mirror will have a hole in the center for aiming.

Beyond that the selection of items is up to personal preference, anything that would make the situation more comfortable is worth adding. If one is near water, then perhaps fishing sets would be useful. Tools can help one escape as well as eliminate unsafe condition in the immediate area. Shutting off power and gas may require pliers or screwdrivers, though the areas can also simply be avoided.

In most cases, a contingency that places one in a situation requiring personal survival skills will be significant enough that officials will respond. Due to response preparation lead time, one must be able to take care of oneself for a minimum of 72 hours to allow authorities time to begin a search and rescue operation. Getting an emergency preparedness kit ready in advance could be the difference between living or dying in a crisis.




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