It is essential to always have the right survival supplies in your home at all times, especially for those staying in places where natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and wildfire are common. Remember that a disaster does not always send you a memo!
Disasters often strike without warning, so you need to have the right survival tips and emergency supplies to can get you through. At the very least, being well prepared enhances your chances of survival no matter what happens. Deciding what survival supplies you should stock on can be a daunting and overwhelming process, but it doesn’t have to be.
The list may differ from individual to individual, and you may even realize that you have all the items, if not most lying around the house. Remember that your survival tips and supplies should encompass all possible disasters and not just one specific thing. The essential things are food supplies, medical supplies, and water.
Getting a water filter would be an excellent idea. Check out the best camping water filters in 2021. Start by buying the essential supplies that you do not already have at home. Listed below are 5 top home survival tips and supplies.
1. Have an Emergency Food Supply
Suppose a disaster should unexpectedly hit. It would be best if you had at least two or three days’ food supply enough for both you and your family. Therefore, when you go shopping for food, you can stock up. It helps to buy non-perishable foodstuffs, and please confirm that the expiration date is not any time soon after the purchase. For instance, you can stock up on crackers, shelf-stable or powdered milk, dried fruits and nuts, and dry cereal.
It is also essential to stock up on energy-boosting foods, so it helps to include high-energy supplies like peanut butter and granola. Another critical factor you should not overlook is canned foods. Avoid buying food in pouches and instead buy canned foods since canned foods last much longer than those in pouches. Store up on canned soup, vegetables, poultry, and fish. It is also worth mentioning that canned food usually provides you with the proteins and nutrients you need for good health and strength.
[Editor’s note: My food storage book would be the best resource for stockpiling pantry foods.]
Suppose you have a pet or a baby. Please remember to stock up on pet food, baby food, and powdered formula while shopping for emergency food supplies. While stocking up on food supplies, do not forget water, and as mentioned earlier, a water filter will also come in handy in an emergency as it offers several benefits. Although, you should have sufficient water supply in the house.
When stocking up on water, it is worth having in mind that each of your family members will need at least a gallon of water per day, so you need to have enough to last a minimum of three days. However, you could stock up on water that can last you longer than that.
While stocking up on food supplies, remember to include invaluable tools and utensils you will be using.
2. Standard Supplies
When stocking up on supplies and factoring in home survival tips, individuals may often overlook standard supplies. Therefore, while stocking up on water and food is essential, stocking up on standard supplies is just as important. Your at-home survival kit is incomplete without these supplies that ensure your safety and comfort.
Perhaps the essential items you should not overlook, and ones that should be on your priority list, are a radio that is battery operated and flashlights. Of course, it should be a no-brainer that you need an additional supply of batteries in your survival kits when buying these items. This ensures that they will stay operational for an extended period, so please stock up on enough batteries. You can also buy a hand-cranked radio instead of one that is battery-operated.
It would be best if you had a flashlight because, most of the time, there is often the possibility of having a power outage when a disaster occurs. You do not want to be stuck in a storm, and you are in darkness, especially if you have kids. Having flashlights will make a significant difference, and suppose you need to vacate the house. They may also come in handy. You could also add candles to your supply since they will also help.
Another essential item you need to include in your standard emergency kit is a whistle. Having a whistle ensures that you can get the attention of emergency responders when you need to. Think about it, during a natural disaster, it will be likely impossible to attract the attention of anyone by shouting as your voice will drown in the sea of other people’s voices. Since there will most likely be a lot of commotion. However, a whistle will help you be heard and attract the attention of the emergency responders, so get whistles for your family members.
It also helps to have a fully charged phone and add a charger to your supplies. Often, the cell towers are usually overloaded or down when a disaster happens, but it still helps to have your charger and cell with you to try to make calls. There is a chance that your call could go through. You could also use your phone to document the events taking place and your property. Other items you need to include in your standard supplies kit include.
- Money in both coins and dollar bills
- Extra clothing
- Garbage bags
- Matches
- Protective masks
- Plastic sheeting
- Blankets
3. First Aid Supplies
Your home survival tips plan must include first aid supplies. In an emergency or a disaster, the possibility of getting injuries is very high. Therefore, ensure that you are best prepared for both by ensuring that all the supplies you have can help treat minor injuries since this prevents you or your family from getting an infection. A first aid kit is pretty simple to come up with. For instance, an adequate first aid kit will include:
- Sterile pads in different sizes.
- Needles
- Adhesive bandages in a range of sizes
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Latex gloves
- Alcohol wipes
- Antiseptic
These are the basics that must be in your first aid kit. However, you could have additional items like a thermometer. Having a thermometer is an excellent idea and is also quite necessary because several conditions and things like an infection could make one develop a fever, so a thermometer comes in handy.
You could also add sprays and creams such as an antihistamine spray, topical corticosteroid spray, antibiotic cream, and burn ointment. Acetaminophen plus ointment and ibuprofen would also be a great addition.
Suppose the disaster or emergency will have you and your family exposed to bug bites and steady sunlight. You can include sunscreen and bug spray in your kit. It is also worth mentioning that you ought to stock up on any medication you or a family member may take. For instance, if a family member has asthma, it is essential to include an inhaler in the medical supply kit. It also helps to replace the items in your first aid kit routinely.
It would be best if you made it a standard rule to have a first aid supply in your house whether there is a possibility of an impending disaster or not. Most individuals do not consider that they might be faced with a medical emergency or get injured while doing things around the house. Having first aid survival supplies is also a crucial measure you should not overlook when getting survival supplies.
Many people are often injured in a disaster, and it may take some time before medical aid gets to you. With a fully stocked kit, you can attend to your injuries and alleviate the pain as you wait for help from medical professionals. As mentioned before, you will also prevent an injury from turning into an infection which could cause significant damage that would otherwise have been avoided.
4. Have an Emergency Response Plan that You Practice
Having supplies is an excellent survival idea in case of a disaster or an emergency. However, it is not entirely enough. It would be best if you drafted a plan on how the whole family can make it through a disaster. The best approach is to prepare the plan with the entire family and allow them to contribute to the survival response plan.
So the most crucial question that would guide you while drafting your plan is how do you respond in an emergency? Your response will determine if everyone will make it out safely. Remember that when a disaster or an emergency happens, you may not all be home together. This is why it is essential to have an emergency response plan as a family.
All your family should commit to the response plan, and it would also help if you regularly practiced the plan. When you practice the plan frequently, it is easier for everyone to follow it through when an emergency happens. You should also include communication as part of this plan because it is essential.
It ensures that if you are not together when the emergency happens, you can let each other know you are all okay and find each other. So a communication plan could include who to contact if you are not together, having a specific family member who is out of town you can contact, and a central location where you can all meet.
If you have a primary family member, you will be contacted in case of an emergency. It would help to let them know about your plan. Ensure that all your family members properly understand the response plan, especially your kids. Please do not forget to factor in your pet, if you have any, in this plan. Remember that constantly practicing this plan makes it easy to execute it since you will be well prepared, and it will be imprinted in everyone’s mind. It also makes it easy not to panic in the face of an emergency or disaster.
5. Emergency Information
It is essential to have each of your family members always have their emergency information with them. The best part is that moving around and keeping your emergency information with you is pretty easy since you can have it on a light document. As discussed earlier, when an emergency happens, you may not be together.
Suppose a disaster happens and your child or spouse is severely injured. When they are taken to the hospital or given medical attention without a family member present, there is no one to fill in their medical details. While they will receive medical care, it may be hard for doctors to tell their medical allergies.
Therefore, ensure that everyone has all their emergency information with them. Ensure that you laminate the card containing the information so that it does not tear. Some of the information you can list on the card includes allergy information, prescription medication anyone may be on, and at least five emergency contacts.
You may also fill in additional information you believe may be vital in case of a medical emergency. It also helps to have the medication you take with you, whether you take it once every day or every day. Having this information with you can make a significant difference, especially for kids and elderly family members. Do not forget to include your name on the card.
There are multiple home survival tips and supplies you can have to be well prepared for a disaster or emergency. But perhaps the essential thing you should never forget is that you need to be calm and relaxed if you intend to survive. Panicking worsens the situation. Ensure you carry out extensive research on the probable disasters that could affect you in the area you live.
Please find out how you can better prepare to get through the disaster before it happens, when it happens, and after it happens. It also helps to draft an evacuation plan if there is a chance it could get to that point. Ensure that you have enough supplies and all your family members have the emergency response plan, and they understand it well.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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