What's in your Home Disaster kit

Feelslikefar

Feelslikefar

Senior Member
Location
Nashville, TN
No matter where you live, a weather or natural event can affect you.
Since my first major event growing up, my family had no plan or no supplies socked away, I've became
a person who wants to be prepared.
After the two Earthquakes in California, that gave us no warning, I became a true believer.

Not a true 'Prepper', just have enough to survive the normal disruptions in services.
Again, this isn't about the end of the world type events, just temporary disruptions.

My list:

1. If you live in a home, I think some type of Generator is a must.
Size and type is a personal choice, but you'll need some sort of power temporarily.

2. Alternate fuel source such as propane tanks for cooking outside when you're without power or gas
for your inside stove. Outside grill to boil water, etc.

3. Water. This is a no brainer. A store of water, however you want to do it, is key.

4. Enough food to feed you and your family for at least 2 weeks.
We have can and freeze-dried meals.

5. Some form of light. Beside letting you get around; it has a calming effect on everyone.

6. I have a multi-power radio to keep in touch with what's going on. Has a crank and solar to recharge
when everything else fails.

More things in our totes.
Adjusted the contents from when the boys were younger and now just the two of us.

What's in yours?
 

The emergency that keeps happening to me is that the internet provider goes down randomly in the middle of the night (presumably for maintenance), and I'm obsessive about reading online and then playing an online game before I go to sleep, and also I want to listen to something barely-interesting while going to sleep (first time and after each time I get up to use the bathroom during the night).
So, my emergency prep is that I've downloaded some content onto my device(s) for internet outage use. Also I have a paper book and paper puzzle books.

I don't really have any emergency items nowadays (except a flashlight), but when I lived in tornado country I had a folding chair, wind-up light, radio, phone charger and bucket with plastic bags with bit of kitty litter (in case I got trapped in the tornado shelter and had to go potty) -- all that in the tornado shelter, plus in the house during tornado season I'd keep a bag with water etc by the door (the reinforced tornado shelter room was in the garage), and the cat carrier open and propped up to facilitate fast cat confining (as soon as the emergency radio started alarming the cat would try to disappear, I wasn't always fast enough to grab him).
 
Feelslikefar said:
No matter where you live, a weather or natural event can affect you.
Since my first major event growing up, my family had no plan or no supplies socked away, I've became
a person who wants to be prepared.
After the two Earthquakes in California, that gave us no warning, I became a true believer.

Not a true 'Prepper', just have enough to survive the normal disruptions in services.
Again, this isn't about the end of the world type events, just temporary disruptions.

My list:

1. If you live in a home, I think some type of Generator is a must.
Size and type is a personal choice, but you'll need some sort of power temporarily.

2. Alternate fuel source such as propane tanks for cooking outside when you're without power or gas
for your inside stove. Outside grill to boil water, etc.

3. Water. This is a no brainer. A store of water, however you want to do it, is key.

4. Enough food to feed you and your family for at least 2 weeks.
We have can and freeze-dried meals.

5. Some form of light. Beside letting you get around; it has a calming effect on everyone.

6. I have a multi-power radio to keep in touch with what's going on. Has a crank and solar to recharge
when everything else fails.

More things in our totes.
Adjusted the contents from when the boys were younger and now just the two of us.

What's in yours?
Click to expand...
I have all of these things and more. I don't have a generator tho' I keep thinking I ought to get one but I never do...

I do have motion sensor lights and solar lights.. as well as torches, and Firelighters, and chopped wood to make a fire...

I have enough food to last at least a month or more...

I keep a gallon of petrol in the bunker..
 
Generator / 4 oil lamps and a supply of fuel / freeze dried food / canned goods / life straw and purification tabs / water / flashlights and batteries / blankets / ponchos / rubber boots / gloves / hand crank radio and small portable radio / rope / sleeping bags / tarp / camp stove and fuel / bbq and propane / cell phone, satellite phone and walkie talkies / survival whistle (can be heard up to a mile away) / first aid kit / crossbow and 24 bolts / cash / duct tape and gorilla tape / waterproof matches / a couple of bic lighters
 
Last edited:
I once heard on the radio that here in Ohio farm country our most likely dire situation would be a big chemical spill that would ruin the water. So we should have 3 gallons of water per person in the household. So I have that and a flash light.

I wouldn't mind having neighbors like Nathan, Gone Fishin and Feelslikefar. :D
 
A couple of years ago we sold the RV camper van. That would have been really handy. If it’s a dire situation, I’m presuming the power will be out. We can’t have a generator. Last year I insisted we buy a small Coleman camp stove. If nothing else, it would cook up some of the food when the freezers/fridge fail. We don’t have a BBQ. I have water, canned goods, candles, matches, blankets. This is also planning that nothing like an earthquake has happened to the house.

We have to-go suitcases and a to-go box that good for a couple of days packed near the car. We were checking it out tonight. Happy to report I have a bottle of dark rum. I guess I put that in there last year. It was chosen because it had never been opened and likely won‘t be, unless I need it to make a cake.

The gas tank is at 1/2 so it’s time to refill. Every summer we have to be prepared to evacuate because of fires. I also keep small denomination money on hand.

Essentially we have the basics. I do know when you have to evacuate instantly, you just leave with whatever you’re wearing.
 
IMO a lot of it depends on where you live.

In my 70 years snow has been the biggest recurring short term emergency followed by less than a handful of high wind events.

I try to keep the gas tank above half, the phone charged, some cash and a credit card, and several ice packs in the freezer to protect my diabetes medications.

I always have enough food, blankets, etc… to last for a few days.
 
Feelslikefar said:
No matter where you live, a weather or natural event can affect you.
Since my first major event growing up, my family had no plan or no supplies socked away, I've became
a person who wants to be prepared.
After the two Earthquakes in California, that gave us no warning, I became a true believer.

Not a true 'Prepper', just have enough to survive the normal disruptions in services.
Again, this isn't about the end of the world type events, just temporary disruptions.

My list:

1. If you live in a home, I think some type of Generator is a must.
Size and type is a personal choice, but you'll need some sort of power temporarily.

2. Alternate fuel source such as propane tanks for cooking outside when you're without power or gas
for your inside stove. Outside grill to boil water, etc.

3. Water. This is a no brainer. A store of water, however you want to do it, is key.

4. Enough food to feed you and your family for at least 2 weeks.
We have can and freeze-dried meals.

5. Some form of light. Beside letting you get around; it has a calming effect on everyone.

6. I have a multi-power radio to keep in touch with what's going on. Has a crank and solar to recharge
when everything else fails.

More things in our totes.
Adjusted the contents from when the boys were younger and now just the two of us.

What's in yours?
Click to expand...

Sensible.

But my only "emergency box" is full of tools - screwdriver, hammer, etc.

I do, however, keep a good stock of batteries. You can buy multi-packs on amazon for little money, and I always have 20 or so AAA and AA along with battery operated lights around.
 
Water
Flashlights, candles
Firearms and ammo
Chocolate
Booze
Other items can be gathered with little effort, as we seem to have too much stuff.
We are blessed and minimal risk of unexpected disasters.
 
Not much. Since Covid I tend to keep a small supply of tinned and non-perishable food but, that is more with the idea of having extra emergency supplies should a similar thing happen. I bought some battery powered lights a few years ago but have only had to use them once, useful to have though.

When Covid hit, the thing which people seemed to hoard more than anything else was toilet rolls! After Covid, I heard that people were trying to return large stocks of toilet rolls to the shop they bought them from and the shops said "No thanks".
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top