An emergency situation can happen at any moment, so it’s important for us to be prepared to handle any disaster that comes our way. It’s only human nature to put tasks such as assembling an emergency kit and disaster planning on the ‘To-Do List’-especially if you are on a tight budget. Today’s “Mom’s Guide,” ‘How to Create an Emergency Kit for $50,’ is sponsored by the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department.
Matt and I have lived in the same house for over 20 years, and although Matt is an Eagle Scout, we’ve never put together an emergency kit for our home. We’ve always talked about putting together a few weeks worth of supplies, but did not have the budget. However, after doing some research on the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department website ( www.readyla.org), we realize how important it is for our home to have an emergency plan in place and a kit on hand. So, we decided to put aside $50 to build an emergency kit that would last our family for a few days after a disaster. This simple act would give us enough time to make other arrangements if the situation lasted longer.
We created our kit using the emergency supply kit list on www.ReadyLa.org. To our surprise, we already had many of the items at home. I thought, however, that I would share with you the specific items we bought from our local .99 cent store. Click {Here} for a checklist that includes all of the items we purchased.
First Aid Items:
We put together a few simple supplies for our first aid kit that would allow us to take care of minor injuries. We included cooling headache pads, lip balm, Tylenol, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes too. One extra addition was a pair of our son’s old glasses, just in case his broke. If someone in your family has a prescription, it is important to have a few days of their medication on hand.
Food Items:
We couldn’t find a can opener during our shopping trip, so, we selected canned food items with pull tab lids. We bought things we knew that our kids would eat in case of an emergency: canned fruit, and ravioli. Most of the items expired in 24 months, so we made a note to replace them on a particular date. Other great food items you can include in your kit are nutrition/protein bars, infant formula, and if you have pets food for them.
Clothing Item:
We packed a complete change of clothing for each member of our home that included a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. For our three-year-old daughter Joy, we added a two outfits that were few sizes bigger than her current clothing size. If you live in a cold weather climate, you may want to include additional clothing for each member of your home.
Miscellaneous Items:
Since we only had a $50 budget, we carefully selected items that we could use for multiple purposes.
- We bought two hand crank flashlights to save on batteries.
- A pack of large trash cans to use as rain ponchos or plastic covers.
- Party horn in place of a whistle
- Notepad and mechanical pencils to take notes. We specifical bought mechanical pencils because we would have to use a pencil sharpener or worry about them drying out.
- A mirror so that if we were alone we could see wounds on our face, legs, etc.
- Matches for the fireplace to avoid accidently burning our fingers if we had to build a fire in our barbecue pit.
- Large disposable cups to use for drinking and as bowls.
Storing Our Kit:
To store our supplies, we cleaned out one of the medium size storage containers we had in our home. Below is a video of how we packed everything. Click {Here} for a checklist that includes all of the items we purchased.
Through this process, we learned that with a little creativity, we were able to put together a fantastic emergency supply kit within our budget. Now, we are prepared for a natural disaster.
Resources
Ready LA – Creating Your Emergency Plan
Ready LA – Stocking Your Supply Kit
ReadyLA is the City of Los Angeles’ official readiness, response, and recovery blog managed by the Emergency Management Department. We provide readiness information, program updates, outreach efforts, and information on significant events happening in the City of Los Angeles.
To learn more about emergency readiness visit us at ReadyLA.org.
For Updates you can text NOTIFYLA to 888-777 (one word) if you prefer not to sign up through the website
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