72 Hour Kits

The Natural Family Blog ^ | July 28, 2006 | Jenny Hatch

[Jenny Hatch]

Today the children and I re-did our 72 hour kits.

[Jenny Hatch]

Today the children and I re-did our 72 hour kits.

I was going to wait until the fall to put them together. I like to do this every year after camping season is over. With girls camps, scout camp, and our family camping, inevitably the kit is often rummaged through to find various camping tools. So, in the fall I find everything and put it back together and put it in a location in our home where it is easily accesible in case we need to evacuate because of an emergency.

But yesterday a High Priest from church called asking if I would teach priesthood a week from sunday. I taught a food storage class in the elders quorum a few months ago, and everyone is our stake is talking about provident living because our Stake President has requested that the whole stake get 72 hour kits put together, and have a three month supply of food soon.

So, with this class coming up, I thought we would just go ahead and get the supplies and put them together.

Here are a few pictures. I purchased everything at Wal Mart:

Organizing the food

Jeff and Ben packing the food kits

The Home Production and Storage booklet from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Ben, Andy, and Jeff work on the kits

Food packs from Wal Mart

Food purchased from Wal Mart

Jeff with finished packs

Why Wal Mart? It is the most economical store to get everything you need to buy.

Early on I believed that I could only get emergency supplies from stores like Emergency Essentials and American Family and it is true that if you want pre-packaged 72 hour kits and certain supplies like gas masks and potassium iodine, you will need to purchase them from these suppliers.

But the thought of eating MRE's, which I think are gross, or those nasty food bars that have a five year shelf life completely disgusts me, and I know my kids won't want to eat them. I have this image in my head of a mormon meeting house filled with members, and everyone sitting around munching on those stale food bars and after about five hours getting really sick of eating them.

So, instead of buying a pre-packaged kit and letting it sit on the shelf for five years, we instead have a yearly 72 hour kit party where we eat the old food and replace it with new food. Because we eat mostly home made food from cooked from scratch, it is fun for my kids to eat foods like Beef A Roni, Beef Stew, or Chunky soup.

Today I purchased six entree meals for each person in our family (42 individual meals for lunches and suppers - each cost about $1.25). Foods like Cambells chile in a pop top microwave bowl, and a bunch of Hormel entrees. While these foods taste better heated up, they can be eaten cold, and need no refrigeration or can opener to get them open. In the early 90's I bought a family kit from Emergency Essentials of MRE's and let them sit in our basement for a couple years. Then I decided to replace that food and pulled them out for us to eat. No one would eat ANYTHING. The crackers were stale, the meat tasted terrible, the peanut butter was gross. I had to throw it all away. At least if I purchase these ready to eat meals at the grocery store, I know that eventually I can feed them to my family and the money will not be wasted.

I also bought tons of baby wipes, which can double for toilet paper and give a quick sponge bath, as well as anti-bacterial wipes that could be used to cleanse any surface that has been contaminated.

I bought boxed milk and beef jerky, as well as crackers, cheese in a can, peanut butter and jelly, cookies, and power bars for snacks.

I also bought canned fruit for breakfast to be eaten with instant oatmeal and granola bars.

Granted this food will only last a year or so packed away in our kit, but we do this every year, and so minimal waste will happen and most of the food will get eaten.

Once last year I was low on grocery money and was wondering what to do to supplement our food storage. And I remembered! 72 hour kit! Where I keep a stash of cash and some snacks for the kids. I pulled it out and all my worries just slipped away. Not a tragic emergency, just life, but our life was enhanced by having the supplies ready to go. I replaced the used cash and food the next time we had a paycheck.

The purpose of a 72 hour kit is to be a bridge for an individual or a family between an emergency and help arriving. To determine what supplies you will need in your kit, use your imagination to determine how life will be for you if you are out of your home and living in a shelter, perhaps at the local high school gym, or in a church, or just out in the open.

You will want some comforts, the most important of which are water, food, and shelter.

We have a huge kit, with tent, sleeping bags, camping gear, cooking equipment and lantern, as well as our shot gun and ammo. I have one large water bottle for each child, a back pack filled with food, one change of clothing including sweat pants which can double for jammies, toothbrush and other toiletries, scriptures, coloring books and puzzle books for bored children to play with, psychological foods like candy, suckers, and gum. I also have gas masks and chemical masks for the whole family, ponchos, hiking boots, and a few supplies to help in case of chemical or nuclear terrorism.

My prayer is simply that if something does happen, we will not have to evacuate our home. One tip I heard was that if it was cold and the power was off, you could set up your tent in your living room and have the family sleep in it together for added warmth. In a shelter situation a tent would provide a measure of privacy and safety even if it was pitched indoors.

The first years of our marriage we did our kits in laundry baskets, and gradually moved to back packs found at garage sales and thrift stores. As the years have clicked by, I invested in quality water bottles and food packs that are cold/hot safe as well as lined with hard plastic. This gives a tremendous amount of protection to the food being smashed or crackers broken.

My biggest mistake in regards to 72 hour kits came about eight years ago when I purchased a 55 gallon water barrel on wheels to put everything in. I bought a couple of those 2 and a half gallon water bottles from the grocery store and put the water at the bottom of the garbage can. I then loaded the rest of the supplies on top of the water. I had things like canned tuna and soup, as well as crackers, peanut butter, and some camping supplies. The whole can weighed a ton and was happily sitting in our basement for a year or so when a very noxious scent started wafting from it. The cans had settled on the water, punctured them and the crackers etc...were sitting in a pool of water just rotting.

It was such a huge mess to clean up and just about all of the food was wasted, cans rusted, etc... I decided to dump the whole garbage can idea, and go to backpacks and suitcases on wheels with extremely high quality water bottles.

One of the things we do all the time is keep four cases of water bottles in our car. We also keep the car filled with at least a half tank of gas. I purchase the water bottles at Sam's Club for about five dollars each case and this provides multiple gallons of water in case of emergency. Water which is in small containers which are easier to melt in case of cold, and are constantly being used by everyone in the family, so the water does not go bad. In the fall when the weather gets cooler, I keep some food out in the car, but I have had several food containers explode in hot cars - like the large bottle of peanut butter stashed in our old van that decided to explode on a 100 degree day, or the granola bars that got bugs in them.

As the years go by, and you learn by experience the best foods to buy and the best way to store the supplies, you too will learn what to do and what NOT to do as you make these sorts of preparations.

The main thing is to just have something for your family in case of an emergency.

Finally I would like to mention that the number one thing most families wait in line for after an emergency is in fact plastic diapers and baby formula. Today I purchased three cheap bottles, two pacifiers, and a case of ready to use baby formula. Why? As an ardent breastfeeding mother, I know that stress has a huge impact on my ability to produce breastmilk. In a stressful situation I can think of nothing worse than a screaming baby and me so stressed out and dehydrated that I cannot produce anything for my child to eat.

So I keep baby formula, plastic diapers, and pacifiers in our kit, at all times, even when I do not have a new baby. I remember reading that when hurricane Andrew hit in the south, the lines for plastic diapers and formula were a mile long in certain locations, and the American Military was being used to pass out these supplies to families who had none.

I believe if everyone would put in those crucial supplies wether they have a baby or not, we will be able to help the most needy in our population survive any sort of disaster until help arrives.

I would encourage all breastfeeding mothers to consider these ideas and even if the thought of purchasing some formula is nauseating to you, it could truly help your child in the event you were not able to make breastmilk. Babies can get dehydrated so quickly! Keep your family safe by putting in the needed supplies to help.

Jenny Hatch

[kingu]

First, thank you for not excerpting your own writings like so many do when posting from their blogs. I might have missed some valuable information in there, as I tend to avoid clicking through what looks like a self serving advertisement.

Wow, what a great preparation for the worst case scenario. A few things to remember: virtually no shelters permit the setting up of tents inside - but - if you have a tent, you're far more likely to be invited out of the shelter by local good samaratains who have the ability to host families.

I didn't see it stated, but you should also buy one of those portable fireproof safes to keep critical documents in - birth certificates, marriage certificate, (both abstract and copy), immunization records, etc. Most especially, keep a copy of your home owner's and life insurance in there. You can carry it with you, it's easier to find if you're searching your home after a disaster, and you'll have a vaguely safe place to keep valuables at the shelter. Another thing that I didn't see that you should add is family photos into each 72 hour kit in case you are separated, with contact phone numbers on the back of the photos for parent work numbers, kid's school number, out of state relatives, etc. Those photos can help reunite families (especially kids) faster, as well as being some comfort.

You've got great ideas on entertaining the kids, but don't forget community games. A deck of Uno cards can help pass the endless hours in a shelter, as well as leaving an opening to meet and comfort other families. I also didn't see anything about chemical light sticks - critical if there's gas leaks in an area. (I try to buy mine around the start of November as markets and the like are clearing them out.)

Great advice, and I'm bookmarking this!

[Jenny Hatch]

Kingu,

Thanks for replying. Your suggestions are fabulous and I am going to add them to my blog entry.

This is one of the main reasons I have taught Provident Living classes for free in my home for the past eight years. I have learned so much from the other preparers who show up to learn about proper food storage. Most of the ideas I have found on 72 hour kits and making things more practical have come from people who attend the class.

Do you have food preferences? MRE's etc??? So many people just buy the prepared kits, I'm not sure they understand how truly disgusting some of that food is.

Jenny

[A knight without armor]

Great article!

What is a stake?

[Jenny Hatch]

A stake is a local group of members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. Generally about 2,000 people in a given location. Our local stake - the Boulder Stake is comprised of Mormons from Boulder, Louisville, Broomfield, Superiour, and Lafayette. Geographically it is larger than a stake in Utah that could simply be a small portion of a city depending on how many members live there.

The word is based on a biblical term in Isaiah. http://scriptures.lds.org/en/isa/54/2#2

Here is a more detailed description:

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/in/s/283

[kingu]

In an emergency situation, for a family, I'm totally against MRE's. They're just not built for them. There are some companies that specially produce meals fit for families, but the costs involved vs. the shelf life (and the flavor) make them prohibitive for most families.

Easy to prepare meals that take a single dutch oven or similar container on a single or double burner dual fuel Coleman stove works out best. Your required 'extras' outside the kit are water and fuel - gasoline or white gas, a small can of either will serve for the hump that most people will be on their own.

Let's see.. In mine, we have Mac&Cheese, ramen, some big cans of stew, the new packaged chilies (the squares work far better for us than the cans - they stack right with the mac&cheese...), salted crackers, cheese, pretzel sticks (repackaged into an airtight square container), Kool Aid packets, 5 pounds of sugar, instant coffee, small pepper/salt shakers, etc.

Not the best of foods, but they're our family's comfort food - easy to eat on autopilot, and simplistic to fix. I like your idea of 72 Hour Kit Parties - we've always taught our daughter how to fix just about everything in our kit, but a yearly party to do it with (and refresh the kits) is a great idea. It's also a great opportunity to pick out (and replace with better alternatives) those items that don't go over well.

My neighbor's kit is a disaster area, but it doesn't mean I don't look at what they're doing for ideas. They've got quite a few children, and birthdays are spread out throughout the year, so they added some packets of supplies just in case there's a birthday during the emergency.

What we did this year when we went back through it was add a couple things we've discovered that are horribly handy - a sewing kit with sturdy thread for patching ripped clothes and a light thread for fixing tears in tents or sleeping bags, an inflatable air mattress (battery or cigarette lighter powered), a butane stove with cans of butane (mostly for the hot water kettle), a package of sanitary napkins, and a box cutter with a box of spare single edged blades. Oh, and atop the kit is an old copy of the Boyscout Handbook.

[Klutz Dohanger]

Living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we have to do much the same, in preparations for Hurricane Season. Especially after Katrina, although the response from the Goverment and other agencies was superb, many folks were still on their own for 96+ hrs, and even when aid was available, had no gas, or no way to get to where the supplies were.

MRE's ----- Our whole family loves them, and we keep 10 cases in the garage. Once a year, we buy two replacement boxes, and open up the two oldest. That way we don't exceed the 5 year shelf-life The kid takes one to school with him, for late night snacks, and the other, we have a family MRE picnic weekend. (except for the veggie burger, which gets fed to the dog).

Much depends on the MRE's that you purchase. The commercially available ones I've found are *dreck*. I pay extra, and get the real Military issue. Stay as far away as possible from the so-called "heater meals". They are worse than *dreck*.

We keep a box of condiments with each case of MRE's. In it, is a bottle of Tabasco, a grinder jar (12oz) of pepper, and a jar of Jane's crazy mixed up salt. These three, in various combinations, do wonders for MRE entrees.

Water - I keep 10 cases of 12oz bottles in a stand up freezer in the garage, and 10 more cases at room temperature in the store-room. Right before a storm, I cram as many individual bottles as I can, to fill in space, both in the garage freezer, and the kitchen freezer.

In the event of prolonged power outage, these bottles will stay frozen for upwards of 5 days, and provide plenty of ice for the perishables that we place in a large ice-chest. When they melt, you have cold drinking water, and you don't have a soggy mess in your ice-chest.

Once a year, we rotate a few of the cases, but I've never seen frozen water go bad....

Cooking - MRE's are fine, but not as a steady diet. Hot cooked food after a storm is necessary to keep morale up. Make sure that you have plenty of cooking supplies. Me, I like to grill over wood, so I keep plenty of wood chips and charcoal around, with plenty of charcoal lighter (about 12 cans). As I use one, I replace it. For making coffee and hot tea, I have one of those little sterno stoves, with plenty of canisters. Oh, and I have a gas stove/oven, instead of Electric. Cooks better, and it still works when the lights go out.

Lights - Those hand cranked lights are the greatest thing since chipped beef on toast. I keep a lantern and a flashlight model of both in the cars, and two more sets at home. Never have to worry about batteries.

Phones - Cell phones are the only way to go. Just make sure that all your models use the same charger fitting, and make SURE that you get a car charger for each vehicle. We've also invested in a set(4) of hand-held radios. 1 each for us, and 1 for my parents. With an antenna on the roof, and a booster unit powered by a car battery, range is good for 15+ miles.

Gas - probably the most vital item after a storm or a disaster. I've invested in some high quality 20gallon gas cans, and keep 5 of them filled up, and in the garage, under a ventilator. Once a year, use them to fill up your car, and refill them. I also put saddle tanks on my pickup, which will hold an extra 60 gallons. Before a storm, fill up early, and often. I also keep 10 more 10gallon cans on hand, empty, and fill them up right before it hits.

Generators - Don't have one, and don't want one. You become too dependent upon them, and one problem after Katrina, is you had to stay awake, and guard them at night. My neighbor had two stolen from him, and my dad caught a pair of thieves, getting ready to boost his. I've got a pair of battery packs, that are rechargeable from your car's electrical system .... charge them up during the day, as you're making your necessary trips.. and they'll run a low voltage lamp, and a small fan, and a portable TV/Radio for about 10hrs on a single charge..

Things you don't think about. Besides the spare tire on each vehicle --- both mine use the same size, I keep another spare in the garage, as well as a battery powered air pump, cans of Fix-a-flat, and a patching kit. Storm Debris is hard on tires, and when the roofers arrive, there are roofing nails EVERYWHERE...

Somebody mentioned valuables. A large sized ice chest. Put all your important papers inside waterproof containers, put them in the chest, and wrap it up tight with Duct Tape. Tie it to something sturdy, so it won't float away.

Duct tape - rolls and rolls of it. Best stuff known to man.

A basic tool kit - Shovel(s), Hoe, Rake, Hacksaw, small tree saw, small ax, hammer, nails, screwdrivers, plumber's wrench, prybar, etc. Even if you're not handy with tools, they're nice to have around. (ie, shutting off the gas if there is a leak)

A simple cheap voltage tester. If my power is out for more than a few minutes, I kill all my breakers, and when power is restored, turn on the one for the garage, and stick the tester in an outlet. You'd be surprised at how wildly the voltage varies, after power is restored. Rather than burn up everything you own, with under or over voltages, be patient, and wait a few minutes for the load to settle.

Guns -- I exercise my 2nd amendment rights

Emergency signalling equipment. Even if you're not a boater, invest in some emergency flares, and one of those airhorns that run on a can of Co2.

First aid kit -- Buy a good one, and add to it. I've got mine in an old waterproof suitcase, along with a couple of good sheets and towels (a little ragged, but clean), Lots of Baby Wipes, Water purification pills, and a host of off-the-shelf stuff like tylenol, midol, ibuprofen, neosporin, ace bandages, wrist and knee braces, etc.

Hurricane related stuff, Plenty of large orange tarps, rope, wire ties, bungee cords, tent stakes, etc. Why orange? Because everyone else uses blue, and I wanted to be different. It actually worked, when I had to call 911 for my wife, and since street addresses are pretty well gone, just told the paramedics to look for the big orange tarp tent in the front yard.

Sorry for the length, but after reading the OP, and just having gone through my checklist... decided to share.

[Klutz Dohanger]

Note to self ---- purchase sewing kit. :)

Lol --- Ramen noodles and Beef Jerky. My son and wife could happily live on nothing but, with an occasional candy bar for a sweet.

Just remembered, must get a new 5lb bag of kibbles and bits. Time to rotate. She's a little dog, and that 5lb sack will last her for a month. That's another thing people generally don't think about, when prepping for a potential disaster. What to feed the pets.

[processing please hold]

Me, I like to grill over wood, so I keep plenty of wood chips and charcoal around, with plenty of charcoal lighter (about 12 cans). As I use one, I replace it. For making coffee and hot tea, I have one of those little sterno stoves, with plenty of canisters. Oh, and I have a gas stove/oven, instead of Electric. Cooks better, and it still works when the lights go out.

We purchased us a wood-burning cook stove a month or so ago. We're surrounded by trees so firewood is not a problem. You would not believe the amount of food and water we have. We also have plenty of medical supplies. We won't have to start rotating our food stock until Feb.

[backhoe]

Excellent- crosslinking to:

Hurricane Preparedness ( and general "bad times" links )
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507830/posts?page=41#41

[chaosagent]

Great Article! Thanks.

[Jenny Hatch]

WOW! That was such a great post!

Here is an update that I just posted on my blog:

UPDATE:

Paul took the boys camping last night and taught me the folly of my ways in setting up the kit before the summer camping season is over. A wholesale raiding took place as they packed the car for the trip to Carter Lake.

Here are some photos:

Jeff cooking supper

Ben swimming at Carter Lake

When he arrived home with our three boys, Paul helped re-pack the supplies. Right before I took this picture he said to me, "you know how I feel about having my picture on your blog".... with a twinkle in his eye, of course...

Paul was happy to stack all of the food packs high up in our front hall closet where I cannot reach after the campout.

Here is a picture of my kit with a gallon size water bottle. I love these bottles because they can go in the dish washer for sterilization purposes, and they have a strap on them. We have a gallon size bottle for both Paul and I, and the children have the half gallon size. Water is VERY heavy to carry and so it is nice to have the shoulder strap.

Here is a picture of the food in my kit. I bought six entrees to serve as lunch and supper for three days. I also have some other snack foods. I NEVER buy this sort of food for everyday use. It is simply too expensive for our large family to eat this way. But it is perfect for our kits, and when august comes and Mom pulls out the kits for everyone to eat, it is party time at the Hatch house!

Here is a picture of the Israeli Gas Masks I purchased in 2001

Jeff with his whole kit on his body. The point of the system we use is to make it so a twelve year old like Jeff can carry all of his food, water, gas mask, and supplies without an adult helping. This is crucial if a child gets separated from his parents. Jeff has all of his own important identifying information on him, with his own water, food, clothing, and supplies. If for some reason we are not able to be together, I know that if he has his kit, he will be just fine until we are reunited. We also have a designated place where our family is to gather in case some sort of an emergency happens and we cannot be home.

Jeff's whole kit sitting on the back of our Piano

One spring I bought these snow suits at Wal Mart for the whole family. They were having some crazy sale and I bought them for ten bucks each. The suits are great, they can be used as a sleeping bag and act as extra insulation over coats. One of the things I have done over the years as we have accumulated equipment is to look for sales at the end of the season - winter stuff in spring and camping gear at the end of the summer. We have bought most of our stuff really cheap, and much of it is second hand. We go to Savers thrift store every couple months and I am always on the lookout for used hiking boots, back packs, sweatshirts, and bedding that is designated as just for the kit.

It is important with growing children to pack clothing that is too big for them, as they will certainly grow throughout the year. Pack clothing that is two sizes too big. I always pack extra underwear and socks and lots of mittens, hats, and scarves.

Jenny Hatch

[Nailbiter]

PING TO SELF