72 hours
Recently, if you missed it, there was a pretty major earthquake in Hawaii. It didn’t hit Oahu hard, and could have been worse even on the big island. It did, however, knock out power for almost 24 hours, and for about half an hour, we all wondered about the threat of a tsunami. It left me (and about everyone else I know here) with some serious reflections on 72 hour kits. Here they are:
1. Pack them, don’t just assume you have the stuff and can gather it quickly. An emergency preparedness specialist had told a friend not to pack beforehand–to just have the food ready to pack. I disagree now. While some emergencies give you a bit of time, some give very little warning. The earthquake was completely unexpected until the earth was trembling. A tsunami would have been here in 35 minutes, and if it had hit the big island, it would have been more like 7 for them, I think. That’s simply not enough time for packing–it’s barely enough time to run.
2. Pack what you and your family would want to eat. Of course you can’t take what you would normally eat, since that’s in your freeser or refrigerator, but you can pack things with some thought for how they will go together and what children, especially will think of what’s in there. 24 hours is a long time, I found, and the amount of granola bars we ate, even taking from the pantry, was tiresome. I looked at what we had in the kit after packing what food we could readily put in the pack that didn’t need to be cooked and found that I have to really spend some time seriously considering what is portable enough and edible enough to put in the kit. A can of peaches is fine for my little boy, but the tuna would have been real ify without any mayo. In a pinch, you don’t want to have to eat things you would otherwise turn up your nose at. Though you might feel lucky to have anything at all, younger kids that know enough to be used to a certain way of eating might have problems. A few fun foods would be worth the time–candy, fruit snacks, etc. The little fruit juice boxes we had on hand were a blessing.
3. Have something to have fun with. It was so boring with church cancelled that we all wandered up and down the street just chatting. The headlines could have said “Hawaii Hit by Quake: Oahu Residents Bored.” I imagine that boredom would exacerbate a real emergency situation, giving you too much time to just sit and think.
I could go on, but the key here is to think realistically. I used to just look at lists. Now, I realize 72 hours may seem short, but in an emergency 24 hours would be unbearably long. Plan for getting you through the time both alive and sane.
Bonus on food suppply:
1. Cooking fuel. Gas grills are great, but a propane stove might be better for boiling water, etc. We had some friends who tried to do so on their grill, and it took forever and didn’t work so well.
2. Again, while the brethren have emphasized simply having storage lately, it isn’t outdated to think about storing what you eat. This stuff is actually going to go in your mouth. Make it worth eating.
3. Light–make it bright, and have plenty of batteries. We had a flashlight and a lantern and we were OK, but we would have still liked about two more flashlights and about two more lanterns. When you are trying to make a late dinner after the sun goes down, there’s no substitute for a lot of light–hard to tell if the chicken is done, otherwise.
I thought about you, Steve, when I read about the Earthquake. Good to hear that all is well.
I think this is an important post. I used to be a big poopooer of 72 hr kits. And while I don’t think they are gospel, for the points you raise, I think they are a very good idea. Especially since my house is on top of the Seattle fault.
The thoughts about having some fun stuff is an excellent point. One hour and ten minute sacrement meeting is challenging enough…3 days without the usual distractions would be difficult. Thanks for the counsel!
Comment by J. Stapley — 10/23/2006 @ 10:49 am
This reminds me of the time about half the ward lost power due to a hurricane. The half the ward that lost power had a real and sudden interest in getting a grip on emergency prepardness. The others simply didn’t have the same level of urgency. It was almost palpable.
And I am here to tell you that four days without power — no TV, no hot water, no laundry, no easy cooking, etc., etc. was a very long time!
I’ll add having a bit of cash in small bills and change on hand.
Comment by Mogget — 10/24/2006 @ 3:09 pm
Mogget,
I agree that cash is worthwhile. many of the stores in the area were open but didn’t have debit access, so if we had needed to go to the store, it would have been cash only. If others have other suggestions, please add them.
Comment by Steve H — 10/24/2006 @ 4:02 pm