National Preparedness Month Day 26--Emergency Supply List

We've covered emergency food and water and firearms and medical kits.  Here are 100 more emergency supplies that you may want to add to you stockpile:

1. Flashlights
2. Candles/candle holders
3. Spare batteries
4. Duct tape
5. Plastic sheeting
6. Blue tarps (asst size)
7. Paracord
8. Rope
9. Sleeping bags
10. Freestanding tent
11. Buckets (asst)
12. Water containers
13. Fuel containers
14. Weather radio
15. Hand crank/solar AM/FM radio
16. Manual can opener
17. N95 masks
18. Handi Wipes (large containers of these)
19. Hand sanitizer (large container)
20. Paper map of local area and US
21. Heavy duty garbage bags (all sizes)
22. Heavy duty ziploc bags (all sizes)
23. Comprehensive set of tools
24. Chemical hand warmers
25. Glow sticks
26. Matches
27. Lighters
28. Cat litter
29. Water purification tabs
30. AC/DC power adapter
31. Whistle
32. Toilet paper
33. Paper towels
34. Rags/towels
35. Compass
36. Chlorine bleach (unscented kind)
37. Leather work gloves
38. Ax
39. Shovel
40. Fire extinguisher
41. Garden hose
42. Black spray paint
43. Emergency reference books
44. Life jackets
45. Bicycles (spare parts, repair kit)
46. Solar charger
47. HAM radio
48. Life raft
49. Insect repellant
50. Whiskey/alcohol
51. Chocolate/candy
52. Playing cards
53. Extension cords
54. Generator/extra fuel
55. Plywood/2x4s/nails/screws
56. Sunscreen
57. Wheelbarrow/wagon
58. Ladder
59. Cooler
60. Sharpie markers
61. Solar outdoor garden lights
62. Chainsaw/fuel
63. Rain gear/cold weather gear
64. Shut-off wrench for utilities
65. Sillcock key
66. Cook stove/fuel
67. Propane or kerosene heater/fuel
68. Fire starter
69. Knife sharpener
70. Headlamp/batteries
71. Goggles/protective eye wear
72. Bandannas
73. Fishing pole/equipment
74. Hand saw
75. Binoculars
76. Bolt cutters
77. Slingshot
78. Bungie cords
79. Roll fluorescent tape
80. Bag of lime
81. Wash tub/wash board
82. Sewing kit
83. Gallon Dr Bonners soap
84. Big kettle for boiling water
85. Canning supplies
86. Down throws/blankets
87. Case of emergency MREs
88. Grain mill
89. Safe
90. PPEs
91. Hunting knife
92. Mace/pepper spray
93. PLB locator
94. Bear spray
95. Utility knife/spare blades
96. WD40
97. Drybags
98. Zip ties (asst sizes)
99. Sandbags
100. Fire hydrant wrench

10 Items to Always Have on Hand for an Emergency

IMHO, everyone should ALWAYS have these items on hand to deal with an emergency:

1. Cash.  Cash fixes a lot of problems.
2. Water.  When the water stops coming out of the tap, you will need this before most anything else.
3. Food.  You can go a while without food but you won't be happy about it so always have extra food on hand.
4. A weapon.  The police probably won't get to you until AFTER a crisis has occurred so if you want to be able to protect yourself and your family you will need a (legal) weapon to do so.
5. First aid kit/supplies/medications.  You can often stop a small medical problem from becoming a big medical problem by having adequate first aid supplies as well as extra OTC and prescription medications on hand.
6. Plastic bags of all kinds.  There are hundreds of uses for plastic bags from making an impromptu toilet, to water-proofing your gear, to carrying food and water from one place to another, to insulating and weatherproofing your feet during a downpour.
7. A battery pack.  Many things in our lives run on electric power.  Should the power go out, being able to power your phone (to call for help) or your tablet (to look up something in your survival guide) is important.
8. Back up of all of your files and important documents.  More than one emergency has been averted by having a thumb drive of all of my important files with me.  Ditto having a copy of my passport when I didn't have the actual document with me, videos of our home inventory, and the spouses medical records when we ended up at an out of the way hospital during an emergency.
9. Matches.  Fire is very important and while our daily lives rarely involve the need to make fire (fire for heat, cooking, and hot water are usually automatic these days), during a crisis, you may need to revert to the old fashioned way of making fire.
10. Tools.  An assortment of tool can help you survive both before and after a disaster.  A good knife, a breaker bar, tools to use to make repairs after a disaster, tools to install hurricane shutters, tools to dig out of an avalanche...without tools we would be back in the stone age. 

50 Items to Stockpile Before the Next Winter Storm

It's only mid November so it is a pretty good bet that there will be a few more big winter storms before spring rolls around.  Instead of waiting until the newscasters start telling you to hunker down for the next major weather emergency before running out to the store to stock up, how about starting with this week's shopping trip to begin stockpiling items that you will set aside for use in an emergency?  Here's 50 items you should buy ASAP (and don't forget to put them aside in your garage or under a bed so they don't get used up in the normal course of living).

1. Toilet paper (get one of those big 24 roll packs).
2. Gasoline (three or four 5-gallon cans of gas if you can safely store it, like in a well ventilated out building in a cans made for gas storage).
3. Diapers and formula (if you have infants, babies, or in the case of diapers, elderly family members at home).
4. Bottled water (five cases per person).
5. Plywood and nails (if you live in an area where you need to board up your windows during a storm).
6. Firewood (if you have a fireplace or wood stove).
7. Bleach (the unscented kind for water purification).
8. Camp stove and lots of fuel for your camp stove.
9. Matches.
10. Candles.
11. Blankets and sleeping bags.
12. Warm clothing (long underwear, socks, boots, jackets, gloves, hats, etc).
13. Chocolate and candy.
14. Powdered milk.
15. Quick cook/no cook food (MREs, canned meat, canned soup, breakfast cereal, energy bars, etc).
16. Snack food: crackers, peanut butter, jelly, dried fruit, jerky, nuts, etc.
17. Instant drinks (instant coffee, hot chocolate, tea, etc).
18. Firearms and lots of ammo.
19. A really well stocked first aid kit.
20. Spray paint (I thought the sign in New York spray painted on a piece of plywood warning looters that they would be shot was particularly effective).
21. Rope.
22. Tarps and sheet plastic of varying sizes.
23. Flashlights (at least one per family member).
24. Rechargable batteries.
25. A solar battery charger.
26. Spare non-rechargable batteries.
27. AC/DC converter for your car.
28. Car cell phone charger.
29. Bicycles.
30. Large pots (for boiling water over a fire on on your camp stove).
31. Buckets and food-grade water containers.
32. Outdoor solar yard lights (can be brought in at night to provide light in your home).
33. Chemical hand warmers, hot water bottles.
34. Paper plates, paper towels, plastic silverware.
35. Handiwipes and waterless hand sanitizer.
36. Garbage bags and ziploc bags.
37. Books, games, other non-electric entertainment items.
38. 50' heavy duty electric extension cords.
39. Duct tape.
40. Spare important items: glasses, hearing aid batteries, prescription medication, oxygen tanks, etc.
41. Indoor propane or kerosene heater and lots of spare fuel.
42. Work gloves and tools.
43. Fire extinguishers.
44. Cleaning gear: dust masks, rubber boots/hip waders, rubber gloves, protective clothing, etc.
45. HAM radio/2-way radios.
46. Kitchen/cooking items: non-electric can opener, aluminum foil, spices, etc.
47. Hand crank/solar radio.
48. Vitamins.
49. Siphon/hand pump.
50. Shovel.