Grab 'n Go Bags, Part One

Posted on 20-Sep-2006 at 11:07

By the way, here's a link to part one of the emergency preparedness series!  I posted the first portion way back in June of this year, when I first started this blog. 

Check it out here:

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/GoingGreen/18571/Grab+%26%2339%3Bn+go+Bags%2C+Part+1%3A+On+the+Road.html

Many thanks to morningsunshine for letting me know that it was buried in the archives and hard to find! 

Grab 'n Go Bags, Part Two (72-Hour Kits)

Posted on 19-Sep-2006 at 22:05

Previously, I touched on the importance of having an emergency bag in one’s vehicle.  Not only does this allow you to be prepared in moments of true crisis, it also comes in handy on road trips when you just can’t listen to “I’m hunnnngry!” any longer. 

Grab ‘n Go bags also come in handy in the home.  A 72-Hour Kit (so called because it should contain the basics to help you survive the vital first 72 hours in an emergency situation) is something that can be pulled together in just a few hours’ time and on even the most limited of budgets.  I like to plan for a review of our grab ‘n go bags each quarter, in time with the seasons, because it allows me to rotate out food and make adjustments for seasonal clothing needs and growth spurts of little ones (or weight changes for Mom and Dad).

Starting your 72-hour kit is simple and it’s an excellent opportunity for the entire family to participate and learn about emergency preparedness.  While several emergency prep companies offer entire kits, complete with hygiene products, rations, and a carrying case, it’s much more educational (and cost-effective) to create your own.

Start out by doing a Google search for “items needed in 72-hour kit”.  This search phrase will give you dozens of lists and articles with great suggestions for products and supplies for your kit.  Next, get a backpack or other carrying case for each member of the family.  While babies certainly can’t carry their own kit bags, you should pack one for them.  This allows you to quickly access and update the items you’ll need for them when the time comes.  School-age children can be given a tote or suitcase on wheels that they are able to carry or pull themselves.  Don’t forget that in the instance of a natural disaster you may be limited to foot travel, and you parents won’t be able to bear the brunt of all the carrying at every moment.  Teaching our children from the onset to be self-reliant will help the whole family survive, and thrive, together during times of need.

Here’s a short list of ideas to get you thinking about what to put in the bags for various individuals, starting with the smallest of the crew:

For babies and toddlers, use a good-sized diaper bag to corral the following necessities:

• Extra clothing, such as onesies, leggings, long-sleeved shirts, and other items that can be layered for extra warmth or to replace wet or soiled clothes.
• A rugged blanket or small quilt that can be used for warmth, swaddling, playing on at a campsite, or comfort and shade in a backpack carrier.
• Diapers and wipes, along with other hygiene items regularly used (this isn’t the time to find out about an allergy to a new baby lotion!)
• Baby food and water.  Even if your baby is breastfed, consider packing some instant formula.  Should a disaster lead to your family living on rations less than you are accustomed to for an extended period, a mother’s milk supply may be less than adequate to keep baby well-fed.
• Don’t forget extra “loveys”, such as binkies, teether toys, or a small stuffed toy.  A bored baby is an unhappy baby, and an unhappy baby will add to the stress in an uncomfortable, disastrous situation.
• If affordable, keep an extra stroller on hand where your grab ‘n go bags are stored.  An all-terrain stroller with a roomy basket below will come in handy not just for toting Junior, but also his gear or that of a tired sibling.  Again, this is perfect if you end up on foot!  Put your little one in a backpack or front carrier for warmth and security and use the stroller to haul gear instead.

For school-age children, consider a backpack or duffel bag that is child-sized and has wheels on it.  Kids can tote their own items for a while, taking some of the strain off your back, and adding a feeling of responsibility and pride for helping out during an emergency.  Just make sure they can pull it without hurting themselves!

• As with tots, place extra clothing, accurately sized and seasonally appropriate, in each child’s bag or tote.
• A blanket or even a compact sleeping bag, along with a tube tent, for shelter.
• Rations, including water and snacks, along with eating utensils.  Don’t forget that water is heavy; don’t expect your preschooler to be able to haul a half dozen bottles of water on an hour-long hike through a neighborhood hit by a tornado and strewn with objects to be avoided.  Don’t hesitate, however, to challenge your child to carry at least some of their rations!  You may be surprised at how they’ll rise to your expectations if it’s discussed and practiced in advance.
• A whistle, a flashlight with an easy-on button (small hands can’t always power hand-cranked flashlights), a personal first aid kit (consider letting your child select some fun Band-Aids for their kit so bumps and bruises are less traumatizing if they occur), sunglasses, sunscreen and hygiene products.
• Paper and pencils, or even a small activity book and a pack of compact colored pencils.  Don’t forget a security lovey, even if your child seems to have outgrown dolls or toys.  Even older children need something familiar during crises too!

Teens and adults can, and should, carry much more involved packs.  You won’t be able to lug a suitcase along, but a large backpack or even a rucksack from a military surplus store will be perfect.  Adults should tote their own rations, clothing, hygiene products, and blanket/sleeping bag along with the following:

• Certified copies of all important documents, including children’s birth certificates, marriage certificates, and copies of identification such as a driver’s license and Social Security cards.
• Cash and an extra set of keys.  (Don’t forget to secure your home, vehicles and all outbuildings if you must leave your property in an emergency!)
•  A family first aid kit
• Hand-crank radio and/or two-way radio set (cell phones may run out of juice or not have service, but a family can stay in contact with a good set of two-ways!)
• Cooking utensils and a small camp stove if possible
• A waterproof tinderbox with matches and other fire-starting necessities
• An extra canteen and water purification tablets
• A tube tent, or if possible, a larger tent that can be carried while attached to the frame of a hiking pack
• Extra medications as necessary for any member of the family on prescribed medications
• Rope, fishing gear, a disposable camera (or two), paper or a bound journal, and pencils/colored pencils.  Adults can pass the time by journaling their experiences or making lists and maps to refer back to at a later date.

These suggestions are by no means exhaustive!  Get started on some basic research today, and then pack your 72-hour kit.  Creating your family’s kits can be a perfect weekend educational experience, and just about all of the items needed can be found at your local camping store, military surplus, or discount store such as Target or Wal-Mart.  When the time comes to “grab and go”, you’ll be ready!

Grab 'n Go, Part Three (Evacuation Preparation)

Posted on 19-Sep-2006 at 22:04

We’ve already touched on a basic “grab ‘n go” pack for your vehicle which will get you through a day trip with the kids or a roadside emergency, as well as putting together 72-hour packs for each member of your family in case of short-term emergency needs.  Now I’d like you to consider what items are vital to your family in case of a major evacuation due to natural disaster or political strife.  Here in the U.S.A. we more frequently deal with natural disasters such as tornadoes, forest fires, and earthquakes, before the latter.  Those of you homesteading in other countries may face issues such as riots, terrorist attacks, and political operations that can turn an area upside down for days, weeks, or months on end.

Because the possibilities vary so much by region, even within one country, it’s hard to say what “necessities” apply to each homesteader.  Instead, I have questions for you.  Sit down with your spouse and discuss the following considerations.  Families with older children may want to make this an informative and educational opportunity, since older children can and should be expected to help the family in survival mode. 

• Start at the beginning.  What mode of transportation will you use to evacuate?  Families with livestock need to make the decision whether to secure animals in a barn and hope for the best or to spend time loading them into trailers.  Do you have enough adults trained to drive a vehicle towing a trailer along with a second vehicle for the family?  Remember, as much as we love our animals, our children must come first.  If you have a smaller, faster vehicle, be prepared to leave the larger, more cumbersome one behind if necessary.  If you are splitting the family into separate vehicles, have a chosen point of contact out of the area to check in with by phone or radio, along with a previously chosen meeting place.  If you are split up on the road, each driver will know to make their way to that spot. 
• Other transportation issues to consider: if you are in a rural area, would horseback, a four-wheeler or a motorcycle be a better option?  During an earthquake, roads and bridges can be torn to shreds in an instant.  Flooding will make many routes impassable.  Would you be better off on a small, nimble vehicle or leading a couple of sure-footed horses loaded with your gear and smallest children to higher ground?  If you’re driving a truck or SUV, is there a boat you could haul along as well during floods?
• Now: what will you take with you?  You’ve already got a basic day pack in each of your vehicles, as well as 72-hour packs, right?  So you’ve got the bare minimums covered.  Now is the time to plan for extended problems, considering your needs for a week or longer.  This is particularly important if you will be attempting to evacuate with pets.  Durable plastic storage cases filled with food, clothing and toiletries, large water containers, camping gear such as tents, sleeping bags, and a camp stove or portable grill will be essential.  Some families in high-risk areas invest in a small horse trailer and keep it stocked year-round with their evacuation goods.  (Remember to go through each season and rotate food and clothing, based on family members’ current sizes and seasonal needs!)  Others keep such gear stocked in a storage area of the home, ready to be loaded into the car on a moment’s notice.  The important thing here is to be prepared: decide in advance who will go, how they’ll go, what they’ll need, and have it ready!
• Don’t forget that during some emergencies, you may choose to remain on your homestead.  This is especially true for those in suburban and urban areas.  Your present location may very well be safer than being out on the streets.  Power failures from winter ice storms don’t mean an evacuation is necessary; they do, however, mean that you’ll be without electricity and possibly water for anywhere from hours to days or weeks.  Stay put, stay warm, stay dry, and stay occupied.  You’ll still need food, water, and other supplies set aside, even if power outages are the worst emergencies you see your family facing.
• While you’re considering safety, decide how to best protect your family.  Police, firefighters, and EMTs will be overworked during large-scale emergencies.  Assume that you may be responsible for protecting your family and providing basic First Aid to family members and even neighbors during these times.  It’s always good to have older children and adult family members take a Red Cross First Aid class to learn basic medical responses, including CPR.  Those of you who hunt should also make sure children of adequate maturity are trained in safe use of firearms.  If something should happen to you, an older child may well need to protect himself and his younger siblings, or to provide food and water for the family.  Make sure children you deem capable of handling weapons are trained and prepared for the worst, then hope they don’t have to use their knowledge.
• Are you a business owner?  Be sure to make arrangements for your business as well as your family.  Important documents, expensive equipment, and other such items need to be dealt with.  Will you lock down your shop and keep employees with you because you are in a safe zone, with families meeting at your location, or will you shut down and head home to gather privately?  Discuss these options with anyone who works for you.  Remind them to prepare their families as well!

• Come up with ways to introduce your family’s evacuation concepts to younger kids; you’d be amazed at what they consider important after the basics of food, water, and shelter.  Comfort comes in many forms, and little ones who are content are much more likely to follow requests from older siblings than those who are caught unaware and afraid.  Scared children are more likely to dash away from an emergency in an instinctual attempt to survive, adding one more problem to the family’s situation. 
• Be sure small pets are secured in carriers and large pets are adequately secured if you are taking them with you.  Unless they are incredibly well-trained to stay with and defend the family, many pets will attempt their own evacuation plans…which normally includes running away from the fray or hiding in what they think is a safe place.  They don’t understand that a burning home is not the place you want to be stuck searching for them or trying to draw them out!  As soon as you are given an evacuation order, get your family to your chosen transportation and get the pets secured in their assigned location.

These are just the basic questions to ask yourself when it comes to preparing your family for large-scale emergencies.  Check with your local county extension office, or do searches on federal sites for further suggestions and resources.  Just like planning your escape routes in case of fire in a home or place of business, more in-depth emergency preparedness can get you through the worst safely.  Don’t delay: plan today!

Grab 'n go Bags, Part 1: On the Road

Posted on 27-Jun-2006 at 21:46

I've always been very concerned about emergency preparedness.  One of the ways I try to remain prepared is by having grab 'n go bag in my truck, checked no less than weekly for any need to refill.

A grab 'n go bag is easy to create for your vehicle, too.  Just grab a spare backpack or a retired diaper bag.  Make sure it's something that fits easily into your vehicle and can be secured in a trunk, cargo area, wheel well, or other storage compartment.  (Remember, in the instance of an accident, items like toolboxes and heavy bags can become projectiles.  Unsecured toolboxes have literally killed passengers in wrecks!)

Purchase a First Aid kit (or create one yourself using a pocket of the backpack or a make-up bag or other storage item) and place it in the grab 'n go bag.  In another pocket or smaller bag, place items such as a flashlight, tube tent, a small roll of twine, multi-tool or Swiss Army knife, roadside flares, filtered canteen, and waterproof matches.

Create a snack bag with bottled water and non-perishable food items.  I like to keep "treats" that are also healthy in ours; items such as Nutri-Grain bars go far and pack well, plus they don't melt!  This isn't the place for chocolate, that's for sure!  Pop in a deck of cards, some coloring books and colored pencils (again, nothing that will melt!), a couple of board books or a crossword puzzle book in case of boredom.

Lastly, be sure to remember hygiene products.  If there are babies or toddlers in the family, stash a pack of wipes and extra diapers in the bag, along with a small, easily folded changing pad.  Littles who are potty training require an extra pair of underclothes and some shorts or pants, while teen girls and moms will want to have staple feminine products in the bag. 

Don't worry about making this bag something that will last you for days on end.  The auto grab 'n go bag is a fill-in for those moments on the road when you've got a kiddo who is "starving", forgot to grab the diaper bag, or get stuck in the snow and need to pass an hour while waiting for a tow.  The most important part is to be prepared for emergencies, should they arise; but you may find yourself relying on the grab 'n go for road trips.  Don't we all forget something at some point?  Having a grab 'n go bag in your vehicle could save the day, even when there's not a real emergency at hand.