Emergency Preparedness for Couples

It seems to me as if a lot of the resources for emergency preparedness are directed to families...with houses...with extra freezers...and lots of storage.

I don't have any of those things.

BUT-- that is no excuse! I still believe being prepared is super important, even for couples still in school, young professionals, etc. It's taken me a while (and a few times of doing it wrong) to finally figure out how to make this work for us (in our small apartment). Hopefully some of you young couples can use this to your advantage and get your emergency supply organized!

72 Hour Kit

We keep this backpack pre-loaded and ready to go in a moment's notice. We keep it in a closet near our front door.

There are sooo many 72 hour kit supply lists as you look around the web and I sorted through many to create a list best suited for our needs.

In addition to our backpack, I have a "Grab List" of items that are not in the backpack. They are things we use regularly and cannot keep pre-loaded. Our plan (if we have the time...) is to throw these things into another backpack. (change of clothes, extra water bottles, extra flashlight, passport, wallet, phones, sunglasses, extra keys, cash/coins, a book, deck of cards, etc.). We'd also want to grab our sleeping bag kept in storage.

It's important that you know what's in your 72 hour kit, so make a list. If you want to easily add to or replace an item in your kit, it's a lot easier to refer to this list then to have to dig around in the kit to see what you have (it's going to be packed pretty tightly and you want to keep it that way!) Also, for food items and medication, you want to rotate or replace the perishable items according to their expiration dates. Having this list makes this a convenient and quick process:

These items should last years, but when the expiration date approaches, you'll know without having to pull out each item! Hit the grocery store and replace the items as needed.

Our new resolution is to check our 72 Hour Kit every October (during LDS General Conference) to make sure everything is still in good condition and replace/rotate any soon-to-expire food.

2 Week Supply

There's no food storage room in our apartment, but we have one cupboard dedicated to a 2 week supply of food (in addition to our regularly stocked cupboards). (Tiny kitchen? What about under your bed...in a closet? Make an extra shelf up high in a closet. Whatever you gotta do!) We also have one large plastic tote for an emergency essentials supply (in case we couldn't leave the house, stores didn't have food, etc.)

I decided on 2 weeks because, honestly, that's all I have room for. You can do less or more depending on your situation.

Our 2 week supply is based on having no electricity and using a camp stove with camp fuel inside our house. (yeah....I know you're not supposed to do that. it's an emergency, people!) It includes meals we LIKE....surprised? It's not just a cupboard filled with cans of beans, corn, and bags of rice.

Our 2 Week Supply is organized by meals as such:

(*ps--the lunches section is missing 2 meals...I'm still working on that!)

Some meals are duplicated (as indicated by "x2") and I make sure I keep these supplies stocked in that cupboard and rotated out when I buy any of these items for my regular grocery list. Again, most of these items will last YEARS (even past the expiration date) but a great way to keep the stocked items fresh is to put each meal part on your menu once or twice a month and then replace with new supplies. But again, during October (general conference), I'll make sure I haven't overlooked any items and check dates.

Helpful Tips:

- If it's just the two of you, don't buy bulk-size jars or cans. Although it may be cheaper now, in cases of emergency once opened, you may not have a way to keep the rest of it good. So, buy only the size you need for each meal.

- If space allows, keep your storage in the coolest place in your house...try to avoid warmer spots near appliances, vents, or other heat sources. (Mine happens to be above my fridge...not the BEST of spaces in theory, but it actually doesn't get too warm, so it's okay).

- If you write the expiration date with permanent marker on the package or can where it's easy to see, rotation is a much easier process.

- In addition to our 2 Week Meal Supply, we also have a supply of bulk foods that will keep us alive if need be. My parents sent us a couple of Family Food Storage Starter Kits ($31) which we keep in storage. This will also be nice when it's time to build up our longer-term storage.

As I mentioned, we also keep a plastic tote filled with our emergency essentials...

(It's a little random still, but we plan to keep building on this... every little bit could help!)

Finally, Water.

SUPER important. You've got to store water!! I've lived in Boston nearly 4 years and there have been 2 times in which our water source has been deemed "contaminated" so we couldn't drink our tap water. It was only for a few hours, but even in that short of time, people went NUTS! Within minutes, people were fighting over bottles of water at the store and it was sold out quickly! I wasn't concerned for a moment because I knew I had my supply.

You can store this up with each grocery trip if have none stored now. A great place to start is buying this 7 Gallon Tank from Walmart for $10.88.

I keep this water tank, plus 2 cases of bottled water and a few gallons located in random places in my kitchen. If you don't have space for it, then buy 1 gallon of water at a time and/or cases of bottled water. Remember, planning meals and cooking is useless most times without water. Storing water is a priority.

...............................

Now for the free printables... I've included the 3 Photoshop Files for each list so you can customize them for your needs. They aren't fancy, but if it'll help you organize, they're all yours. You can download HERE

It doesn't have to be complicated or even expensive... but there is a lot of peace that comes from following the counsel of leaders who discuss the importance of being prepared!

Don't get overwhelmed...just do the best you can and build up your storage as space and money allow. Best of luck!

-------------------------------

I've had several questions via email. I'll post the ones here that might be helpful for everyone!

Question: I noticed that you have bread for a couple meals (toast, sandwiches, etc). Do you have the stuff to bake your own bread, or are you just buying bread and rotating it out every week?

I buy those Krusteaz bread kits from walmart or target (or any other grocery store) because they only require you to add water and minimal prep. We recently purchased a Camp Chef outdoor oven/stove combo, which cooks using propane (that we can stock up on). You can also make an oven using a cardboard box and tin foil (google it! or ask a local boyscout!).