Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2009
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PRINCIPLE: “Each family or individual should have portable container(s) with emergency supplies such as the following: water; food requiring no refrigeration or cooking (graham crackers, canned fruits, canned meats); medications and critical medical histories required by family members; change of clothing, including two pairs of stockings; sanitary supplies; first aid booklet and equipment (see pages 7-8); candles; matches; ax; shovel; can opener; and blanket. The container should be placed where it can be picked up at a moment’s notice. Nearby for easy access should be a packet containing the most valuable of the family’s personal documents, such as genealogical records.” – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Essentials of Home Production and Storage, 1978, p. 7.
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On the providentliving.org Web site, a question is asked in a Q&A section about 72-hour kits, a name often used by Church members to describe what FEMA and the American Red Cross now generally refer to as disaster supply kits. The Church suggests that members get ready for difficult circumstances by first acquiring a basic supply of water, food and money. To that, long-term storage items can be added. The Church indicates that, beyond these things, members may wish to put additional items into storage that may have value to them in a crisis.
http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7636-1-4104-1,00.html#question_10
PRACTICES: You never know when you might need to suddenly leave your home or workplace and take with you only what can be picked up at a moment’s notice. The cause could be any of a number of events: a building fire, a civil disturbance, terrorism, or disaster. Taking needed supplies with you in a disaster supply kit may be vital to your survival both during and after a disaster. What should you store and take with you in your kit? It depends on your needs. Most kit contents are similar to what you would take on a camping trip. However, a number of items in a disaster supply kit are unique. You can make these kits not only for the home, but also for the office and/or the car.
Essential Supplies and Documents. Although changes in foods, lighting, tools and electronics have taken place over the past 30 years since the Church first suggested to us the use of these kits, the basic practices remain the same: store in a portable container vital supplies and documents that can help you or your family survive a disaster and recover quickly from it.
Containers. What kind of containers can you use for a disaster supply kit? Some people like backpacks, which can be worn on the back. Others like wheeled duffle bags. Containers should be large enough to carry your essential emergency supplies yet light enough, when fully packed, to be lifted and/or carried. You may end up putting your disaster supply kit in a car, wheeling it down a street, or carrying it with you, depending on the situation and on your own strength and endurance. Ideally, containers should be durable, water-resistant, and convenient to carry, use, and repack.
Internal Organization. Some people like containers with built-in internal compartments, but clear plastic, heavy-duty, 1-gallon zip-locking freezer bags also work very well to organize your gear and create compartments for each category of essential supplies. You can also write the supply category name on each bag to make organization and future reference easy. For example, you might have a bag or two identified for each of the following: water, food, clothing, bedding, money, navigation, food preparation, fuel and light, personal supplies, sanitation, communications, health and first aid, tools and equipment, personal protection, infant needs, and critical documents. In upcoming Provident Principles and Practices newsletters, we will discuss each of these supply categories in greater detail and review the kinds of items in each category that may be particularly useful to you.
For more, see www.fema.gov/areyouready/assemble_disaster_supplies_kit.shtm
http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7636-1-4104-1,00.html#question_10
PRACTICES: You never know when you might need to suddenly leave your home or workplace and take with you only what can be picked up at a moment’s notice. The cause could be any of a number of events: a building fire, a civil disturbance, terrorism, or disaster. Taking needed supplies with you in a disaster supply kit may be vital to your survival both during and after a disaster. What should you store and take with you in your kit? It depends on your needs. Most kit contents are similar to what you would take on a camping trip. However, a number of items in a disaster supply kit are unique. You can make these kits not only for the home, but also for the office and/or the car.
Essential Supplies and Documents. Although changes in foods, lighting, tools and electronics have taken place over the past 30 years since the Church first suggested to us the use of these kits, the basic practices remain the same: store in a portable container vital supplies and documents that can help you or your family survive a disaster and recover quickly from it.
Containers. What kind of containers can you use for a disaster supply kit? Some people like backpacks, which can be worn on the back. Others like wheeled duffle bags. Containers should be large enough to carry your essential emergency supplies yet light enough, when fully packed, to be lifted and/or carried. You may end up putting your disaster supply kit in a car, wheeling it down a street, or carrying it with you, depending on the situation and on your own strength and endurance. Ideally, containers should be durable, water-resistant, and convenient to carry, use, and repack.
Internal Organization. Some people like containers with built-in internal compartments, but clear plastic, heavy-duty, 1-gallon zip-locking freezer bags also work very well to organize your gear and create compartments for each category of essential supplies. You can also write the supply category name on each bag to make organization and future reference easy. For example, you might have a bag or two identified for each of the following: water, food, clothing, bedding, money, navigation, food preparation, fuel and light, personal supplies, sanitation, communications, health and first aid, tools and equipment, personal protection, infant needs, and critical documents. In upcoming Provident Principles and Practices newsletters, we will discuss each of these supply categories in greater detail and review the kinds of items in each category that may be particularly useful to you.For more, see www.fema.gov/areyouready/assemble_disaster_supplies_kit.shtm
Photo credits:
Other images: D. or S. Edwards
