Make Your Own Home Emergency Kit

Make Your Own Home Emergency Kit,  Home Emergency Kit Essentials

Do you ever think about how prepared you would be in case of a possible emergency? We had a real wakeup call when Hurricane Sandy struck NYC in late 2012 and we were left without power for five days and no heat or hot water for ten. I live in downtown Manhattan and we were warned of this possibility so we did our best to prepare ourselves and we managed to get through the outages without having to leave our home. With subsequent weather advisories and snow days, I've kept up with having a home emergency kit in place cause well, you never know and it's always better to be prepared.

1. Flashlight and Candles 
You definitely want to have some sources of illumination handy in case you lose power. LED flashlights are brighter and last 10 times longer than traditional ones. We have one large flashlight and three small ones which we can take on the go like when we had to use the stairs  in the dark when there was no electricity. I kind of hoard pretty scented candles anyway and they come in real handy when there are no lights. If you want to be more practical these 100 hour plus emergency candles might be the way to go.

2. Portable Emergency Radio
e have this exact model which can be powered three ways: hand cranking the rechargeable battery, three AAA alkaline batteries or via USB cord. It also has a flashlight and beacon light and can charge a cell phone if necessary. Our radio really came in handy to provide us with the latest news/weather updates when we were sitting around by candlelight feeling otherwise out of touch with the world. 

3. External Battery for Mobile Devices and Extra Batteries
Batteries provide power when there's no electricity. Enough said.

4. First Aid Kit
It's best to have a first aid kit assembled to address any basic health issues as well as any small emergencies that may come up cause you definitely don't want to be fumbling for medication or health aids in the dark. Everyone should really have a basic first aid kit anyway.

5. Supply of Drinking Water
The Dept. of Health recommends keeping a three day supply on hand which would be one gallon per person per day.

6. Supply of Non-Perishable Food
Again a three day supply is recommended. I always keep some canned soups, beans and fish on hand along with ramen noodles in a cup (they're not the best for you but who cares in an emergency) in my pantry so I don't have to go on a shopping frenzy whenever we're expecting a big snowstorm or hurricane. I also try to have nuts, nutrition bars and dried fruit or apple sauce snack packs around as well.

7. Disposable Dining Ware and Utensils
When you don't have power or hot water, you're not exactly in a position to do dishes so it's best to have some disposables. I save up the plastic utensils that I get from Seamless deliveries for this reason.

8. Personal Hygiene Items
Without water you have to get a little creative with hygiene so it's best to have some emergency items handy like hand sanitizer, facial wipes and body wipes. I don't think I missed my shower or Clarisonic more than when we lost power/water but we were able to make do because we has these.

9. Household Lighter and Matches
We have a gas stove which is actually a wonderful thing because it still works when you don't have power since you can manually light it with a lighter or match with the gas turned on. A stove is really useful to boil water or heat up food. You also want something to light those candles with.

10. Household Cleansing Wipes and Garbage Bags
Cause you don't want your housekeeping to go to crap. Well I don't anyway. Antibacterial wipes are great for cleaning up after eating and you definitely want to something to tuck your accumulating trash into.

11. A Multi-Tool
A tool with multi-functions is handy to have around to address household issues but it is even more essential during an emergency situation.

These are items that I have personally found helpful and this is tested since it saw us through Hurricane Sandy. This list assumes that you have access to blankets, clean clothing and shoes. I will mention that I live on the 10th floor of a high rise building in Manhattan and not a house so if you live in a suburban environment or in a house you may require some additional things. We also lost water along with our electricity because the water tower of our building is on the roof and water has to be pumped down. We filled up a few pots and buckets with water but we went through them quicker than we even expected. Knowing this, I always fill up the tub now in the wake of any emergency warnings so that we have a decent supply of water for brushing our teeth, flushing the toilet, etc. For the kit, be sure to check it every six months just to make sure everything is in working condition and that your food is fresh.

With so many environmental changes impacting our planet, weather related emergencies are becoming more of a reality and other types of emergencies can always come up. The next thing we will need to put together is a go bag.


Do you have a home emergency kit? What items have you included? How prepared are you for emergencies?

52 comments

Unknown said...

This is a great run down of an emergency kit! I will definitely refer back to this post.
Beautetude

Anonymous said...

My fiancé would totally laugh at me if I came up with a list like this, but it actually makes a lot of sense! Smart!

Jackie Harrison said...

This is a great reminder and tip now that we in season of storms.

Stanislava E. said...

Hi Rowena! I have never thought of having a home emergency kit. You just reminded me that nobody is protected from hurricanes, even though there aren't where I live. I remember 2 years ago there was a big earthquake (it's not very typical for the area here) and everyone was so scared of it. Some people spent the whole night out. In this situation you don't have the time to think what food to grab, or to start looking for batteries. So it's a great idea to have an emergency kit at home. Thanks for reminding this to me! Have a nice day! xo

Emmylou said...

My husband was a boy scout and really into survival stuff, so we're prepared. That's really good for me and the kiddos, who know nothing about these stuff! :D

Elle Sees said...

i'll be honest--i have never done this. i have everything is various places but not a kit! i need to get on it!

Anonymous said...

This is such a good reminder. I'm one of those people who always likes to pretend that nothing will happen - however, in the world today I do think it's best to be prepared... I need to get my kit together!

Lilli said...

Morning Rowena! Oh my, back to that time, must have been so horrible and Im impressed by how prepared and well organized you were. Actually, I dont think to be so and dont have an emergency kit at home, neither know how to make it!^^' For sure your essentials are very useful and helpful for many. Have a lovely week my dear, hugs! xo

Shireen L. Platt said...

Thank you so much for this list, Rowena. Hubby and I have been contemplating of doing this too, we went through drought season in Malaysia last year and it was hard without water supply. We too filled pails of water but we know how fast we go through them.

I'll be showing him this list, it's a very helpful guide for us.

Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

Anonymous said...

This is so clever, we should probably get one put together asap!! Thanks for the inspo and guide :)

xx 365Hangers

Rebeca Muñoz López said...

Interesting post Rowena, thanks for share!

www.urbanikamoda.blogspot.com

Margaret Dallospedale said...

Hi Rowena,
very interesting post
Kisses
Maggie Dallospedale Fashion diary - Fashion blog

Beauty Editer said...

Thank you for sharing this to us.

BEAUTYEDITER.COM
LIKE BEAUTYEDITER.COM ON FACEBOOK
FOLLOW BEAUTYEDITER.COM ON BLOGLOVIN

Paola Lauretano said...

Great essentials, helpful post Rowena!!!!
Kisses, Paola.

Expressyourself

My Facebook

Vonnish said...

Living in Florida, this is something we always have on hand. There was one year, 2005 I think, that we had three hurricanes hit us within two weeks. We were blocked into my aunt's house for two weeks because the only access road out was blocked by a gigantic oak tree. Thank goodness she had a pool that we used to fill the tank to flush the toilet, and I learned that I can use a grill to make almost everything.

We got lucky - we were on the same power grid as the hospital and they got out power back up within three days. We were still trapped, but at least we had air conditioning.

Kelsey&Kenecha said...

Always great to be prepared, we have bad weather here a lot so these things are a must for us :)

Florals&Smiles
Twitter

Champagne Star said...

Great list! I bought one one those emergency kits form Amazon last year and it included a lot of these items, but it's always good to have extras on hand too. Flashlights are always my weak point; I usually have quite a few scattered around but I never know where they are when I need them.

Priscilla said...

This is a great post! Thanks for sharing! :)
http://priscillaeliodoro.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Never done a kit like this thanks for the tips

Ciao

nancy @ adore to adorn said...

Being "stranded" in an emergency is one of the most concerning events we can encounter after being so fortunate to have luxuries around us so often throughout our everyday lives. It's important to remember that we should always be ready for something to happen so I definitely appreciate the value of this post. Great tip on the water in the bath tub!
xo,
nancy

http://www.adoretoadorn.com

ALLIE NYC said...

I know I so have to do this, specially with what happened with Sandy we didn't have power for 2 weeks. BTW I have been watching the Korean period drama " The Moon Embraces the Sun" it is really good!

Allie of ALLIENYC
allienyc.com

Carmen Varner said...

This is totally essential & I need to create an emergency kit ASAP. You never know what sort of disaster lurks, especially here in earthquake central, Southern California.

:] // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲

sonia // daring coco said...

I live in a place where we don't get weather phenomena like those of where you live or people around the tropics. That's not to say something freaky won't happen one day and should it actually happen then we'd all be screwed over here. The only extremes we face are from the sun really but we do get occasional winds and downpours which always end in flooding. And every time no is prepared. We manage pretty well though, no power shortages or anything but still should something as extreme as Sandy would see my state completely crippled I think. This was food for thought, thanks.

Sxx
www.daringcoco.com

A Very Sweet Blog said...

I know this VERY WELL! We have hurricanes and power outages here in New Orleans. So these are staples for us. Great list Rowena.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/

My Garden Diaries said...

We don't have one but we NEED one! As well as a fire plan. Thanks for posting this Rowena! So many good ideas you have up there! Wishing you a great week! Nicole xo

trishie said...

This is such a great idea! Always good to be prepared. I think we have most of the items listed except for non-perishable food and water supply. Better get on to that real soon.

Effortlesslady said...

Will have to bookmark this post. Great info!!
www.effortlesslady.com

Anna said...

This is such a refreshing post Rowena! I realize that I'm not really prepared for anything, except for when the lights go out. I have lots of flashlights and candles, and importantly bottled water stocked up. But I should actually create an emergency kit with more essentials. I think I'd throw in a knife, matches or lighters, dried or canned foods, (I'm big on food lol), blankets (if there's a power outage and no heat), oh we have a little solar powered radio and flashlight too. There's probably more I should add, but I can't think of anything at this time, besides adding in a first aid kit of some kind. :D

Ivana Split said...

what a great kit! It is always good to prepared because you never know....great kit and organization.

get carried away said...

great picks sweety!
happy rest of the week!

<3, Kathrin
http://www.getcarriedaway.net/

miasmode said...

Hi Rowena, omg now that I read this I have to say that I'm not really prepared in case of an emergency. It's pretty unlikely that we're going to be hit by a hurricane (there has never been one here ever) but we had some blackouts in the past. I had only scented candles and I have to tell you they don't give you the best light hahaha. Thanks for sharing these tips. I always say better safe than sorry :D

xx

Miharu Julie said...

Great post

New post in
Www.miharujulie.com

Unknown said...

This is very clever. I don't have hurricanes where I live but still think this is a good thing to have around in case of any emergency where you'd need to leave your house and such!

Marcela Gmd said...

Great idea!!!
Have a good week, dear Rowena!! my g+and like for you!!!:)))

Besos, desde España, Marcela♥

Lena L said...

This is such a neat and smart post, Rowena! <3
I think I have most of them mentioned here but do see I am lacking a few. The Sandy didn't affect where I live (it was just so windy but I did pray that my window AC units wouldn't fall off and kill innocent people although they're really tightly secured by the regulation), but remember the NYC blackout? I had to use a portable butane range for a day. I should still have it somewhere. ;)

little luxury list said...

Great reminder Rowena! We luckily have a gas stove so we also have matches handy. Otherwise we haven't packed everything in one place but luckily have most everything that you mentioned. One should always prepare just in case of an emergency!

xoxo,
little luxury list formerly Chic 'n Cheap Living

Jane said...

We so don't have an emergency kit but this post definitely is going to make me make one. Such a great one Rowena!! xx

Blackswan said...

Wow, this is such an informative post & I love the handy tips, dear! xoxo

Anonymous said...

Very important Rowena, I do have an emergency kit at home, just in case!

saTanja said...

#6 is my emergency kit for everyday ;)

Gabrielle said...

This is a fantastic idea, especially as reading this post alerted me that I only know the whereabouts of a few of these! At least now I can justify the cost of my mass of candles.. haha ;) Also, thank you so much for all of your help with my domain name change - I'm so pleased to have finally taken the plunge! :)

Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice

x

June said...

This is so useful! Thanks for sharing
xx
www.JuneWantsItAll.com

Midnight Cowgirl said...

What a great list! I need to restock my emergency kit.

Corinne said...

Thankfully natural disasters aren't a problem in the UK, but it's great to be prepared!

Corinne x
www.skinnedcartree.com

Oh to Be a Muse said...

Can you believe I don't even own a First Aid Kit? What is wrong with me? Totally need everything listed here.

www.ohtobeamuse.com

Anonymous said...

Great essentials for emergency situations... In my country the chances are higher to be stuck in traffic jams (it can happen in winter) and in such situations it's useful to have food, flashlights and blankets handy.

www.LUXESSED.com

Ivana Split said...

btw thank you for all your sweet comments:)

Heather @ Simple Wives said...

Love these ideas! I have an emergency kit, but there's a few things on your list that I hadn't thought about. :)

Jenmarie said...

This is a great list! My husband and I have had an emergency back for several years in case anything should happen, especially if we, for some reason, had to leave our place and head out to a safe area for the time being! We try and add to it as much as we can. We even have some basic clothes packed!

Megan @ Chicago Girl said...

Great list. We have many things at home to keep us "at the ready". I need more of a kit, and inventory it/swap items out each quarter. I have a kit for the car (live in Chicago, totally necessary!).

Christina @ Happy or Else said...

Excellent list! Ok, confession, we totally got caught up in this stuff when we were in the Seattle winter, watching The Walking Dead (zombie show). HA!

oomph. said...

excellent idea. we are pretty well prepared here with having hurricane seasons...but i should be more through. there's always a few items like matches or batteries that you never have when you need them.