70+ Emergency Essentials You Should Have In Your 72-Hour Kit

Thank you so much for this list! You are always timely and have the perfect information. Maybe in another post you could explain some of the items listed. I don’t know how you come up with something new every single day, and every time you do, I am amazed!

One thing I didn’t see on the list was pet food. We have always had cats and I worried about them in the event of an emergency. About 20 years ago we bought large bags of dry cat food from Costco. We canned it in the one gallon metal cans and stashed it away. Recently we wondered if it was still good. We opened a can and it seemed fine. The cats didn’t like it as well as the fresher food, but they ate it. The canned dry food stayed good for many years, and no bugs to worry about either.

Sigh. Another thing to worry about. I do have a stock of water and some “go bags” at the ready. I’ve never quite felt I’ve finished getting ready, as it is impossible to be totally prepared for every emergency. Seems, though, that 95% of what’s on the list is what you’d have in the house anyway. You do need to think about having to evacuate your house in a hurry, but you can only take what you could possibly carry in a backpack. Water needs to be refreshed periodically, as well as the food in your go bag. I keep quite a bit of water on hand. It came in handy when we had a plumbing emergency that lasted a few days. Sure is nice to be able to flush your toilet, if you had to shelter in place. I also keep old squeeze ketchup bottles filled with water to use by the sinks for handwashing. It’s a lot easier to use than trying to pour water from a big jug, and a more economical way to dispense it.
One thing I heard when listening to the horror stories following Katrina was about a couple who were totally prepared for the hurricane. They had their bags packed and were ready to move to another city. In their bags they had copies of the licenses they needed to practice their jobs. That way they were each able to get a job in their new home city. I thought that was brilliant planning. What I didn’t see in skimming your list was Information. All sorts, from bank account numbers, to phone numbers, passwords, identification, a resume, prescriptions. And money. Lots of it. I also read of a recommendation for sturdy shoes/boots, in case the emergency requires you to walk through difficult terrain or debris to escape. We can’t always assume we’ll be able to hop in a car, or on a bus, to get out of harm’s way. I’m skipping the gun. If it gets that bad, just shoot me.

A full tank of gasoline in all your vehicles!

Thank you so much for this list! You are always timely and have the perfect information. Maybe in another post you could explain some of the items listed. I don’t know how you come up with something new every single day, and every time you do, I am amazed!

One thing I didn’t see on the list was pet food. We have always had cats and I worried about them in the event of an emergency. About 20 years ago we bought large bags of dry cat food from Costco. We canned it in the one gallon metal cans and stashed it away. Recently we wondered if it was still good. We opened a can and it seemed fine. The cats didn’t like it as well as the fresher food, but they ate it. The canned dry food stayed good for many years, and no bugs to worry about either.

Sigh. Another thing to worry about. I do have a stock of water and some “go bags” at the ready. I’ve never quite felt I’ve finished getting ready, as it is impossible to be totally prepared for every emergency. Seems, though, that 95% of what’s on the list is what you’d have in the house anyway. You do need to think about having to evacuate your house in a hurry, but you can only take what you could possibly carry in a backpack. Water needs to be refreshed periodically, as well as the food in your go bag. I keep quite a bit of water on hand. It came in handy when we had a plumbing emergency that lasted a few days. Sure is nice to be able to flush your toilet, if you had to shelter in place. I also keep old squeeze ketchup bottles filled with water to use by the sinks for handwashing. It’s a lot easier to use than trying to pour water from a big jug, and a more economical way to dispense it.
One thing I heard when listening to the horror stories following Katrina was about a couple who were totally prepared for the hurricane. They had their bags packed and were ready to move to another city. In their bags they had copies of the licenses they needed to practice their jobs. That way they were each able to get a job in their new home city. I thought that was brilliant planning. What I didn’t see in skimming your list was Information. All sorts, from bank account numbers, to phone numbers, passwords, identification, a resume, prescriptions. And money. Lots of it. I also read of a recommendation for sturdy shoes/boots, in case the emergency requires you to walk through difficult terrain or debris to escape. We can’t always assume we’ll be able to hop in a car, or on a bus, to get out of harm’s way. I’m skipping the gun. If it gets that bad, just shoot me.

A full tank of gasoline in all your vehicles!