Emergency Kits

A couple of days ago I responded to a Twitter request for info about emergency kits with the following.  I hope that it is useful.  Obviously, my way is not the only way.  Develop emergency kits and plans that meet your family's needs.

I have a large plastic box in the back of the van with food for three days (lots of easy to prepare canned food, etc.). The van also caries an ax, hatchet, small shovel, and a camp stove with fuel. We live in a heavily wooded area so wood for fires and shelter is plentiful.

I have prepared a fanny pack for each member of the family. The fanny packs are in the back of the van. Each fanny pack includes the following:

• Small AA flashlight
• Plastic poncho
• Emergency blanket (reflective plastic)
• Whistle
• Pocket knife
• Fire starter (the kind that make goods sparks)
• Box of matches in a zip lock bag
• A $5 roll of quarters
• $20 bill
• 2 protein bars

I have also prepared a large backpack with the following (the backpack stays in the van):

• Two rolls of toilet paper
• Compass 
• GPS with East Coast topo maps
• Hunting knife
• 20 protein bars
• 2 wakie takies
• A 2 meter portable transceiver that runs of 6 AA batteries (I'm a ham radio operator)
• 2 meter, roll-up J-pole antena with 6 meters of coax
• 100 meters of parachute cord
• 20 meters of rope
• Fishing line, hooks, lures, and weights
• Fire starter
• Snow Peak GigaPower Stove with 2 liters of white gas
• Small fry pan
• Small pot for boiling water
• Five metal drinking cups (they nest well inside each other) Can be used to heat water for instant soup or noodles
• Water purification tablets
• MSR Water purification filter
• 1 Liter Nalgene water bottle
• 12 rechargable AA batteries
• Solar battery charger
• Solar/crank AM/FM/SW radio
• Pocket version of the Bhagavad  Gita

Finally I have placed a tent, ground cloth and five sleeping bags in the closet by the front door of the house so that we could load them in the van in a hurry if we had to.  We also have a canoe parked next to the house for quick access.  It takes about five minutes to toss it on top of the van and tie it down.

Pray for the best, plan for the worst.