I’m wondering if we are really that safe or someday Murphy’s Law is going to work against us and we will all be caught by surprise. :)

I work for a local government emergency management department:

EVERYONE needs an emergency kit. It does not matter if you do not live in an area prone to major natural disasters or in one you think relatively safe from terrorism.

Everyone is suscpetible to fires, floods and severe storms.

It is better to have a kit and never use it then to need one and never have put one together. As Single Ma has shown they can be put together very inexpensively and can be as minimal or as complex as you’d like.

In fact our basic education plan for preparing the basic kit is 9 steps. Of course we encourage people to be as prepared as possible, but the most commone situation will be for people to be able to shelter-in-place. i.e. stay put. Here’s the list.

1. Water
2.Food
3.Clothes
4. Medication
5.Flashlight
6. Manual can opener
7.Radio
8.Hygeine Items
9.First Aid Kit.

Here’s a link. I don’t work for Montgomery County – but they started the program, so they get the credit : )

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/hhstmpl.asp?url=/content/hhs/phs/APC/prepplaning.asp

Besides – even if you start a little at a time, getting one item a paycheck, you are one step more prepared then you were.

I great thing to have in a car kit is an empty coffee can and a couple tea light candles. If stranded in the cold, a lighted candle in the coffee can puts out a surprising amount of heat.