We just came through a hurricane last week, Hurricane Michael. For us, we had a few days to analyze the storm, prepare, evacuate
Although we were greatly spared, we want to share with you how we prepared, and how you can prepare. Although we are not experts, and I’m sure there are others much more prepared than we are, we think these things will come in handy.
Natural disasters happen, but with a little preparation, we can be ready. We know we live in a hurricane and flood area, so we must be prepared. We usually have warning of hurricanes, but they are unpredictable storms. The fact is that there are so many false alarms, you may be led into complacency. Last minute preparations and relying on others or the government will not work in some instances.
The Main Idea: survive until normalcy can be reestablished!
There are many things you can do to prepare. I’m actually going to cover two main ones here:
- Assembling an Evacuation Bag
- Preparing to Bunker Down
Assembling 72-Hour-Grab-and-Go-Emergency-Response Bags
Here are your handy-dandy instructions to put together your very own Zombie Apocalypse 72 Hour Survival Kit. You need to gather a few things and most of it you may have to purchase. I was able to put these together by budgeting about $50 to $100 a month for a few months.
The Entire Amazon Shopping Cart
Because many people just want to get the things we have and benefit from all the research I’ve done. I’ve created an Amazon shopping cart already for you. See it here: https://amzn.to/2RPJmDx
Old Backpacks or Bags
Grab some old backpacks of bags. Backpacks are ideal, but if you don’t have those, almost any kind of bag will do. Get one for each member of the family.
In preparing your bags, we found that it was most cost effective to get some kits that have already been prepared and use the elements to populate the other bags. Here are some kits we used to put together our bags:
- 2 Person/3 Day Grab and Go BackPack Emergency Survival Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2Cj30SK
- Emergency Kit, 2-Person, 3-Day Backpack:Â https://amzn.to/2Etig2u
- Augason Farms 5-20100 72-Hour 4-Person Emergency Food Storage Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2RPGwOT
Pen and paper
We just assembled individual ziplock bags with bits of scratch paper and a spare pen in each. In an emergency, it’s good to have something to write with. The ziplock bag not only keeps the paper dry the extra plastic bag is dead useful. Besides the paper can also be used as kindling when starting a fire.
Shelter, blankets, and sleeping bags
The main idea here is to just have something to keep you warm and dry. We live in a tropical area where the weather is usually warm, but you may need to adopt these ideas to your area. The main idea here for us was to have something that would be small, portable, and able to get us by until things get back to normal.
- Emergency Survival Mylar Thermal Sleeping Bag:Â https://amzn.to/2pSh3aA
- Emergency Survival Shelter Tent:Â https://amzn.to/2CIVtOe
- Disposable Rain Ponchos:Â https://amzn.to/2CguUPB
- Emergency Space Blankets:Â https://amzn.to/2yDGikV
Lights
It is helpful to have something to see with in the dark for many reasons. When the power goes out in the whole city, it can get pretty dark. In addition to light, you might want to include communication devices. We included an old mobile phone and a radio (combination light and phone charger).
- Solar Emergency NOAA Weather Radio Dynamo Hand Crank Self Powered AM FM WB Radios 3 LED Flashlight 1000mAh Smart Phone Charger:Â https://amzn.to/2RN02eI
- Flashlights,Hausbell 7W Ultra Bright Mini LED Flashlight-High Lumen,Adjustable Focus,3 Light Modes,Water Resistant:Â https://amzn.to/2CMjGTK
- Hand Crank Flashlight 4 Pack:Â https://amzn.to/2RLYiTb
First aid kits
We used the first aid kits that came in the emergency kits, but there are a lot out there. I couldn’t find these sold individually, but have provided links to similar kits. Judging by the reviews and the contents, here are some similar, affordable first aid kits I would like to add to our next grab bag kits. We even used ziplock bags, bandaids, and parts of other first aid kits we put together for make-shift personal first aid kits for the family.
- 100 Piece First Aid Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2pSddyd
- 106 Pieces Compact First Aid Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2CJEXOe
Fire
We bought lighters and waterproof matches from the grocery store similar to these ones.
- BIC Lighters (Colors May Vary), 5 Pack:Â https://amzn.to/2yhuNAa
- Diamond Strike on Box Greenlight Matches, 300 Count:Â https://amzn.to/2CdDzSS
- We separated most of these matches into separate ziplock bags
- Outdoor Tanto Knife with Fire Starter:Â https://amzn.to/2pR7GI7
Knives or tools
Knives are dead-useful tools for fixing, cutting, preparing, and even defending. Many knives also double as other tools like a fire-starter or a pair of pliers.
- Outdoor Tanto Knife with Fire Starter:Â https://amzn.to/2pR7GI7
- 2 Pack Pocket MultiTool 12-in-1 (Blue) and Keychain Mini Multi-Tool 8-in-1 (Red):Â https://amzn.to/2ROZ9lK
- Leatherman – Wingman Multitool, Stainless Steel with Nylon Sheath:Â https://amzn.to/2CGZQJC
Food
This is a temporary kit, and you can’t pack too heavy. There are some food prep kits as well as emergency rations you can include in each bag to get you by for 72 hours. Here are some of the supplies we got. In the recent hurricane, we used some of the food, which was actually not only palatable, but very tasty too.
- S.O.S. Rations Emergency 3600 Calorie:Â https://amzn.to/2CKeS1i
- Grizzly Gear Emergency Food Rations – 3600 Calorie Bar:Â https://amzn.to/2Cdc9MG
- 2 Person/3 Day Grab and Go BackPack Emergency Survival Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2Cj30SK
- Emergency Kit, 2-Person, 3-Day Backpack:Â https://amzn.to/2Etig2u
- Augason Farms 5-20100 72-Hour 4-Person Emergency Food Storage Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2RPGwOT
Water
The emergency prepared kits come with packaged water bags, but you can buy them separately. The water rations are individually packed in small satchels to be used one at a time or shared. We also got a filter-straw to use temporarily when the water ran out. It’s impossible to pack enough water for more than a few days, but this will get you by until you can figure something out.
- Emergency Water 5 year shelf life – 62 Individual 4.22 Oz Packets:Â https://amzn.to/2Cf0tsQ
- LifeStraw Personal Water Filter: https://amzn.to/2ROt9OL
Clothing
Ask every member of the the family to pack some emergency clothes. You should only need one set of clothes. You are not packing for a vacation, it is an emergency situation – just consider bare essential needs. Here is what you need to remember:
- Clothes should be a bit baggy — so that (1) if you grow the clothes will still fit and (2) they are likely to fit another member
- They should be clothes that you won’t miss because the chances are you will never see them again unless the world falls apart
Tell them to at least pack the following for at least a day:
- Socks
- Underwear
- Shirt
- Pants
Because clothes can take up lots of space, we use these vacuum travel bags to (1) make things compact, (2) keep the clothes separate and the bag organized, and (3) provide extra plastic material for capturing water.
- Travel Space Saver Bags:Â https://amzn.to/2yg6TW4
Other things to consider
- Cash
- Maps
- Family Plans
- Family contact information
- Copies of identification
- Toilet paper
- Lip balm
- Sunscreen
- Fishing line
- Rope or cords
- Personal hygiene
- Compass
- Defense weapon (from pepper spray to firearms)
- Sleeping bags
- Tents
- Duct tape
- GPS
- Whistle
- Radio transceiver
- Tarps
- Folding shovel
- Entertainment for kids
- Snacks
- Meds
Other Preparation to Evacuate or Bunker Down
- Water
- Prepare some water storage well beforehand. This can be anything from buying up water bottles to filling empty jugs of water, so you have something to use in case of emergency. You won’t necessarily be taking this with you, but when you need to recover after a disaster in your home, you may not have access to clean water for a while.
- You can also fill the bathtub and sinks with water for bathing and flushing before the storm.
- Food
- Build a long-life food storage at home. Buy and store things like rice, beans, pasta, canned and bottle goods. You also need a way of cooking and preparing those things. When the power goes, your refrigerator will not function.
- Portable Butane Stove with Carrying Case:Â https://amzn.to/2CGZDGk
- 12 Butane Fuel GasOne Canisters for Portable Camping Stoves:Â https://amzn.to/2pUuerH
- Augason Farms 5-20100 72-Hour 4-Person Emergency Food Storage Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2RPGwOT
- These packages of food are great for not only evacuating, but also for being stranded at home without access to stores or supplies
- Fuel (to cook, for car, for electronics)
- Gas. Be sure to fill your car up with gas when you are aware that a natural disaster may strike
- Electronics. There are many phone charger packs out there, some are better than others. This one worked great for us. It can charge two phones at once and up to 5 charges. I’ve never had it run out. It also has a light.
- Portable Charger RAVPower 16750mAh Phone Charger Battery:Â https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MQSMDYU/
- Cooking.
- 12 Butane Fuel GasOne Canisters for Portable Camping Stoves:Â https://amzn.to/2pUuerH
- Coleman Portable Butane Stove with Carrying Case:Â https://amzn.to/2CeETVu
- Generator. If you can do so, it is also a good idea to get and maintain a good generator.
- First Aid
- Have enough first aid supplies on hand to take care of most major emergencies. When the winds are blowing or during the natural disaster, emergency services will not come save you. We were told that if we didn’t evacuate after a Mandatory Evacuation, no one will come and help us until up to 72 hours after the danger has passed. We got our First Aid kit from Walmart, but here is a comparable one.
- Aootek Upgraded first aid survival Kit:Â https://amzn.to/2COaTkc
- Have enough first aid supplies on hand to take care of most major emergencies. When the winds are blowing or during the natural disaster, emergency services will not come save you. We were told that if we didn’t evacuate after a Mandatory Evacuation, no one will come and help us until up to 72 hours after the danger has passed. We got our First Aid kit from Walmart, but here is a comparable one.
- Â Plan
- As a family talk and plan beforehand what you will do in an emergency, where you will meet, and plans of evacuation in case of a natural disaster. In case of disaster striking quickly, you may be separated (kids at home, parents at work)
- Communication Protocol
- How will you communicate with each other. Do you kids have electronic devices, access to phone numbers of immediate and extended family.
- Cash
- Sometimes when the power goes down, credit card and electronic money systems fail to function. You may need lots of hard cash to get you through.
More
Of course, there is much more to this. There are many more things that you can do to prepare for a zombie apocalypse or natural disaster, but this is a good start.
What to do when the Zombies Come?
Just walk away. They are creepily slow and they make a lot of noise.
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