Assemble Your Home Emergency Kit Now
Remember when you bought a new can opener because you thought you lost your old one? What are you going to do with this half-used roll of duct tape gathering dust in your garage? The last time you used this flashlight in your kitchen trash bin was to pretend to be a Jedi, right? These are all the items you probably have that you can collect in your home medicine cabinet. It might just save the life of you and your family.
The goal is to create a 72 hour emergency kit that can support you and your loved ones for three days without electricity or any outside help. You do not need to buy new consumables for this. The next time you’re cleaning or tidying up any part of your home, look for helpful essentials. First, chances are good that you will find an empty plastic basket, backpack, or duffel bag that hasn’t been used in a long time. Grab it and start filling it with these items if you bump into them while cleaning:
- 72 hours of non-perishable food (canned or dried food that you kept but was just taking up space in your closet)
- Flashlight
- Batteries (for flashlight)
- Whistle
- Garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal hygiene)
- Basic tools such as pliers and a pair of wrenches.
- Can-opener
- Tweezers
- Scissors
- Scotch
- Matches
- Bleach (can be used as a disinfectant when diluted with nine parts water to one part bleach)
- Optional cell phone charger (make sure it fits your current phone) or solar battery
- 72 hours of essential medications
- Formula and diapers for babies
- Pet food and water
- An extra pair of pins or glasses (old recipes are better than nothing)
- Additional clothes (collect an outfit from the pile of clothes that you are distributing)
- Something personal that makes each family member feel comfortable, such as candy, toys, games, books, coffee or tea.
And here are some other items you should buy to have in your emergency kit that you are unlikely to accidentally find in your home:
- Dust Masks
- Additional first aid kit (this should be separate from your regular home first aid kit)
- Very wet wipes or baby wipes
- Battery operated or manual winding radio
- NOAA Weather Radio
- 72 hours of water (sealed bottles, cans, or boxes of water, but not from the tap)
- Terrain maps (waterproof if possible)
- Thermal Mylar Blankets
It is a good idea to toss a piece of paper with credit and debit card numbers (with security codes) in your kit, as well as some cash. In an emergency, card systems can fail. Once your kit is assembled, find a place where it is easy to access and store it there.
This article was originally published on April 13, 2018, and was updated on April 2, 2021 to reflect the current Lifehacker style guidelines.