72 Hour Kits

Jen made several post on 72 hour kits, here are a few things that I think are really important that sometimes get over looked.

Contact Information
Every 72 hour kit should contain the following important information:

Name
Mailing Address
Home Phone Number
Cell Phone Number
Work Number
Work Mailing Address
Bishop or Relief Society President's local and non local Phone Numbers
Contact Number for someone outside the local area
Non local phone numbers for several friends
Neighbors home and cell phone numbers
School and Hospital Numbers

We actually created an Emergency Contact Information Card that can be printed, fill out and placed in the 72 hour kit of each member of your family- it is awesome! If anyone is interested I can e-mail it to you!

Emergency Plan
Every family should have a written emergency plan. They should review it often!

When disasters strike, your family may not be together in one place. You need to pick places to meet and discuss in advance what you will do during various types of emergencies. Depending on the type of emergency, you may shelter in place, move to a shelter or safe haven, or evacuate.

Formalizing your preparations in a written family plan is a good way to ensure everyone knows what to do when there is an emergency. Your plan needs to take into account any members of your family with special needs, specific preparations for children, and what you will do with your pets.

We made a printable, fill out-able Family Emergency Plan too! If you are interested in looking at it, let me know!

Medication
Every person who takes medication regularly should work to obtain enough for 10-14 days.

It is often difficult to get your doctor to prescribe extra medication for emergency preparation purposed BUT... it is essential that if you take any medication regularly (even OTC meds) you have access to it in an emergency! You can live many days on little or no food and several days on limited amounts of water- but even one day without a prescription medication can be a big problem for some people. Remember you can always share, barter, trade or buy food and water if you run out but it is not very likely you will find someone who is willing to give up their meds for you! If your doctor won't agree to prescribing you extra meds for your emergency kits ask for a written prescription on his prescription pad. That way if you have to evacuate- you can take your prescription to a pharmacy where they can contact your doctor and hopefully help you get what you need.

Personal and Family Documents
Here are a few ideas of things to include:

US Passport
Birth Certificate
Medical and Immunization Records
Housing Documents (inventory, mortgage info, etc.)
Automobile Papers (bill of sale, registration, etc)
Other Legal Documents (insurance policies, power of attorneys, wills, etc.)
Local Maps ans Local Public Service Phone Numbers
Bank Information
Billing Information