Are you prepared for the unexpected? In a world filled with uncertainties, having a 72-hour emergency kit could mean the difference between comfort and chaos during a crisis.
Imagine being stranded without power or access to essential supplies for days on end. It’s not a pleasant thought, but it’s one we must face head-on.
In this article, we’ll explore what you need to include in your 72-hour emergency kit to ensure your short-term survival and peace of mind.
Why Prepare for a 72-Hour Emergency
In most people’s lives, a true survival event will last no more than 72 hours. Although things have happened in the past that have lasted longer, the very least you want to prepare for is a three-day survival event when you will be without power or access to certain comfort items.
Preparing for a 72-hour emergency is akin to having a safety net of earnings that covers three months’ worth of your finances. It’s a short period of time to sustain you through an uncomfortable situation.
If possible, you want to stay in and hunker down at home rather than bug out to another location. Even three days in the wilderness can be a brutal experience for those who are not equipped or experienced living off the land.
The reason you have a 72-hour threshold of preparation as a minimum is because that’s approximately how long it will take government officials or emergency agencies to show up and be able to offer assistance to everyone in need.
It’s also the initial window where you will be most panicked and trying to find your footing in a chaotic event. Having preparations that will get you through the first three days means you have all of your immediate needs met including food, water, and shelter.
Just knowing you have your supplies ready in case of a natural disaster or other type of emergency can deliver the peace of mind you need to weather any storm.
If you live in an area that is prone to things like hurricanes, floods, wildfires or even power outages, a 72-hour prepper supply is not just a convenience, but a necessity.
Assess Your 72-Hour Survival Risk
You always want to prepare for a wide range of situations when you are thinking about overall survival preparations. However, for your 72-hour risk assessment, you’re going to be focused on the most likely scenarios that could happen to you where you live.
For example, if you live in North Texas or Oklahoma in Tornado Alley, you would want to prepare for tornado situations. If you live on the East Coast or even South Texas, you might want to prepare for hurricane weather and floods.
In the northeast, you would want to prepare for blizzards and a grid down situation. And in other areas you might need to prepare for a wildfire that quickly moves through your region and put you at risk.
Natural Disaster Preparedness
Your geographic location is going to play a big role in how you prepare for these 3 days. If you live on a fault line, you’ll have to prepare for an earthquake. You might have different preparations in place for different seasons.
For example, tornadoes usually come at a certain season as do hurricanes and wildfires. You may need different preparations depending on what time of year it is. But there are some events that can occur in your area that do not abide by any timeline.
If you reside near some sort of train track or an industrial plant, you might be met with a chemical spill or some sort of hazardous situation that you need to be able to survive.
If you live in Texas and you know that their grid is vulnerable, you might want to prepare during extreme heat or cold weather for that to go down.
You might even live in a region that’s prone to civil unrest and chaos like the burning of buildings, road blockades and violence that unfolds. You’ll want to be prepared for short-term situations like these, too.
72-Hour Supplies to Get You Through
While there are many basic needs you’ll want to have on hand during a 72-hour emergency – such as food, water, and shelter, you may have to gather certain specific supplies based on your own risk assessment.
For example, if you are in a flood zone, you may have to have materials that will keep the flood from entering you’re home. Or, you may need certain types of masks to wear during an earthquake or wildfire if there is a lot of smoke, rubble and dust surrounding you, making it hard to breathe.
One of the first supplies you’re going to need is water. Many short term survival situations put your water supply at risk, and you will be told not to drink from the tap. Make sure you have water purification supplies as well as a readymade store of water that you can use immediately.
You also want food that will be easy to eat in the event that you don’t have access to power. If it’s storming outside and you can’t build a fire to cook, and you have no electricity, you need readymade food that you can simply open and eat without having any type of heat.
Home Supply Preparedness
You may want to get a generator that can sustain your family and your food sources for that period of time. It can give you comfort having access to power until it can get turned back on. Even if you are in your home, depending on the situation, you may need other supplies for a shelter period.
For example, during the winter storm that knocked out the power grid in Texas, those who had a tent set up in their home were able to keep warm due to the body heat in an enclosed area, while those who had no shelter in their homes saw temperatures dip down into the 30s and 40s.
You should also have some simple supplies for first aid ready. In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to provide initial medical assistance for abrasions, as well as potential fractures. You want to have the medical supplies needed to get someone through a survival event until help arrives.
It’s also important that you have some way of communicating with emergency services. You want to be able to let them know where you are located and what shape everyone is in so they know what kind of emergency treatment to bring.
Don’t forget to have cash on hand in small denominations. You may not be able to use your debit or credit card at a grocery store in a short term event, and they may not have change for larger bills.
Training to Help You Survive
Just as there are certain supplies you may need for a specific survival event, you may also need specialized training for different situations. For example, knowing how to get your homestead ready for a threatening wildfire or flood could come in handy.
Or, if you’re a civil unrest situation, you might need training on securing and protecting your home, your belongings and the people you love. This might mean enrolling in classes that teach you survival for this type of situation or ample practice defending yourself beforehand.
It helps if everyone in the family has their own responsibilities when an emergency arises. Make sure everyone knows their role and what to do and practice it from time to time so that when an event does occur, they are operating on autopilot and not panicking, trying to remember what they are supposed to do.
There may be a situation where the family has to evacuate. This is something that should also be practiced, in case you have a family that is split up between work, school, and home locations so that you can meet up at an area to reunite and move forward from there.
Your goal in preparing for at least 72 hours is to eliminate the anxiety that will be plaguing everyone else during this time. You will have invested the time and minimal money needed to gather supplies and train for what may happen at any minute.
As time goes on and your supply stores grow, you won’t have to wonder if you have enough for 3 days because you’ll have plenty for 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years and longer – and you’ll keep it to yourself so that you’re not in danger of being raided by those who were left caught without a plan in place.
72 Hour Emergency Kit
Conclusion: Be Prepared for Any Short-Term Emergency
By including the necessary supplies such as food, water, first aid kit, important documents or cash, you and your loved ones can be better prepared to face any crisis that may arise.
Remember to regularly check and update your kit to ensure everything is in working order and within expiration dates.
Additionally, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the contents of your kit, and have a plan in place for evacuation or sheltering in place.
Don’t wait until it’s too late – start preparing your emergency kit today! Stay safe and be ready for whatever comes your way.
