72 hour Preps For You & Your Pets
Prep Your Pets
If you have pets you need to think about prepping for your them! You need to make sure you have enough of your pet’s essentials to get them through at least the first 72 hours of a disaster. Make a list of the preps you need and be sure to keep all of those items on hand.
- Extra harness, leash, and/or carrier
- ID tags with your contact information
- 1-2 week supply of food for all pets (if not already bought in week 1)
- 2-5 gallons of water for each pet
- Pet first aid kit
- Current vaccination and medical records for each animal (contact your veterinarian).
- 2 weeks worth of medication for each animal (if applicable). Note: Pay attention to the expiration date and routinely rotate medicines to ensure they are not wasted.
- Cat litter
- Pan or doggie pads
- Can opener
- Food dishes
- Pet Food Storage Container
72-Hour Preps For The Family
When the storm hits and the lights go out, you need to make sure you have enough food, water, and key preps to keep your family safe for a minimum of 72 hours. The list below is a small list to get you started, depending on your budget you can always come back and buy some of this gear later. For example, I bought my family bags one at a time over the entire year. A good bag will run you $80-$150 so plan on buying one every few months depending on the size of your family. Some items you may already have in storage. So before you go out and buy all this stuff take a good inventory of your supplies and get creative!
- First aid kit
- Backpacks for each member of the family (make sure the backpack has multiple compartments and pockets)
- Water containers for each family member
- Water purification tablets
- Food for three days (remember foods that are lightweight and high in calories)
- Mylar blankets or emergency bivvy for each member of the family
- Snugpack Tent or some sort of alternative shelter
- Season appropriate clothing (3 days worth)
- Fire starters
- Waterproof matches and/or Bic lighters
- Charged cell phone or alternate communication
- Maps of the city and state (if you have not already purchased)
- Flash lights for each bag with extra batteries
- Mess kit and utensils for each family member
Survival Library
The Preppers Cook Book is a great resource for people starting to build up their survival pantry. Tess Pennington is a blogger and authority on self-reliance, you can learn more from her by checking out her blog Ready Nutrition.
This book not only helps you to better understand how to create a survival pantry but also illustrates how a pantry can be used to save money and create amazing meals for your family on a daily basis. She also supplies you with a ton of pantry recipes for everyday meals and Jared meals per-assembled in a jar.
A Pantry is a life saver and can help you and your family to avoid food fatigue during an emergency or a hard financial time. That being said, a pantry can also be a money suck and the land of spoiled out of date items if you’re not careful. Learn from a pro a build your pantry right the first time! This book is a great place to start.
Buy Your Copy Today
Suggested Projects
1. Create an evacuation plan including an emergency meeting area for family members, multiple evacuation routes, a list of emergency phone numbers.
2. Assemble Your 72 Hour Bags.
3. Place packs near an emergency exit or in an easy to access area.
4. Discuss the evacuation plan with your family so everyone knows their roles in it. Discussing these ideas a head of time with your children will help them be a little more comfortable when it comes time to bug out.
Editor’s Tip
Remember your 72 hour bags can hold many items, just start one with this paycheck and add to it as you can afford to in the future. You need to realize that a 72 hour bag is just meant to keep you alive for 3 days and it should not be confused with a bug out bag. People often put far too many items in their 72 hr bags which defeats the purpose of having a lightweight bag with the basics that can assist you in getting home to your supplies. Tools and gadgets are great but know how to use them, practice now so you can have success when it counts.
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