What Supplies Should I Set Aside in Case of an Emergency


Most of the governments of first world nations recommend that their citizens be prepared to take care of themselves exclusively for as long as three days.  While disaster relief organizations and military units can be quick, they can hardly be expected to appear the moment a problem occurs.  As such, you're going to want to be ready to take care of you and your family for a few days should something catastrophic occur.

Knowing what to have at hand is extremely important, so here are a few considerations for the things that should definitely put to the side in case of problems.

Water:  This one is a bit of a no brainier, though many people would be surprised to find out that you don't need to use bottled water.  While bottle waters are a popular choice, you can just as easily go for tap water put into containers.  Soda bottles, with their thick plastic and air tight caps, are idea for this task.  Milk jugs crack easily and loose water easily, so avoid using them.   Water from your tap should be rotated every six months, while water bottles should be replaced once a year.

When choosing how much water to store, one gallon per person per day is a good rule of thumb.  This will give each person enough to drink, with some left over for cooking and washing up.  Do you live in remote areas, have pets, or have people in your house hold with health issues?  Make sure you modify your reserves accordingly.  At the end of the day, there is no such thing as having too much water during an emergency situation.  As long as you have the room to store it in a safe place, there is no reason to skip on this task.

Food:  You're going to want to stick to canned goods, obviously.  Canned vegetables, fruits, and meats are all good choices.  Canned soup is also an excellent; though make sure it's the kind that you don't need to add water to unless you've accounted for that.  Any sort of preserved food is good here to, so beef jerky and dried fruits should be welcomes reserves as well.

Make sure to periodically check your supplies.  While cans are pretty close to bullet proof they can occasionally bloat due to factory defect.  This indicates that the foot inside isn't safe, so toss any of these cans that you find.  Also make sure that those dry goods are still edible and free of spoilage.

First Aid Kid: A well stocked first aid kit should be in every home, but you should make sure yours is doubly well stocked if you're making emergency preparations of any kind.  A good selection of bandages, gauze, EMT sheers, antiseptic solutions, pain relievers, and wound crmes should all be there.  Smelling salts, splints, and any prescription medications that are needed within your household aren't bad ideas either.

While your food and water supplies will end up being constantly rotated, consider expanding your first aid kid whenever you change over your other rations.  You're never going to be upset that you have too many bandages, and you will definitely be stressed out if you don't have enough!
