11 Essential Items for a DIY Emergency Survival Kit

A while back, I made a post about emergency preparedness. Just to recap, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a program called the Ready Campaign. The Ready Campaign contains 4 basic components. Be informed, make a plan, build a kit, and get involved. I have always wanted to build my own emergency preparedness kit but never got around to it… Until now. It’s actually an assignment for one of my classes and my professor adapted her own checklist from FEMA. Building a kit helps you prepare for any type of emergency or disaster (i.e. fire, earthquake, flood, etc). When disaster strikes, you should know exactly where your kit is, be able to get it, and leave the house within just a few minutes. Here’s what I’ve included in my DIY emergency survival kit!

11 Essential Items for a DIY Emergency Survival Kit

First, I’m going to share two checklists of basic and additional items you need in your survival kit. I adapted the following checklists from FEMA’s emergency supply list.

Essential Items for a DIY Emergency Survival Kit

The first list includes 11 basic items you need in your survival kit. They are:

1. Water (1 gallon of water per person per day for at least 3 days)
2. Food (at least a 3-day supply of non-perishable food)
3. Battery-powered or hand crank radio & a NOAA weather radio with tone alert
4. Flashlight and extra batteries
5. First aid kit
6. Whistle
7. Dust mask, plastic sheeting, and duct tape
8. Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties
9. Wrench or pliers
10. Can opener
11. Local maps

Additional Items for a DIY Emergency Survival Kit

The next list includes additional items you may want to have in your kit. The extra items are:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water
• Important family documents in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler’s checks & change
• Emergency reference material
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
• Complete change of clothing (long sleeved shirt, pants, and sturdy shoes)
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper
• Fire extinguisher
• Matches
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles, or other activities for children

You can save these checklists for reference!

How I Prepared My Personal Emergency Survival Kit

I think I did a pretty good job at gathering stuff from the checklist. I’m only missing a few things but I can always add them to my kit! The first thing I prepared was a 3-day supply of non-perishable food along with a can opener, mess kit (cups, spoons, forks, napkins, etc), and at least 3 gallons of water for drinking and sanitation. Here, I have 5 gallons of water. I don’t wanna go starving or thirsty in any emergency!

Next, I gathered basic essentials for any disaster. Basic essentials include matches, fire extinguisher, flashlight, extra batteries, whistle, first aid kit with a manual, and disinfectant wipes. I also photocopied personal documents and packed cash in case the power grid goes down or I lose my wallet. And for personal hygienic purposes, I packed feminine products, hand sanitizer, and moist towelettes.

Then, you should have a complete change of warm clothes and sturdy shoes packed in your kit. I just grabbed some old clothes from the back of my closet that I don’t wear anymore. You can also pack a sleeping bag or emergency blanket, which looks like tinfoil, to stay warm.

Finally, I put everything into a duffel bag and stored it in my closet. In case any emergency ever occurs, I’ll already have everything I need in one place. I can quickly grab the duffel bag and leave the house without panicking.

That’s it for this post! I really hope you find this useful and I hope it encourages you to prepare your own emergency survival kit.

Do you have an emergency preparedness plan?

Let me know in the comments! You can also connect with me on social media.

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