Homemade Survival Kit

You should keep enough cash on hand to take care of a weeks worth of expenses. Items like food, gas, and over the counter medicine. Something as simple as a satellite going on the blink can stop your checking and ATM transactions. Once a satellite went out and no one could use their gas card.

Don't think that the cash is all you need. I have a friend in Kentucky. When the ice storm took out the power lines everything went dark. Including the businesses. He told me that he never thought he would see the day he could walk downtown with $500 cash in his pocket and not be able to buy anything.

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. Since most people carry their cell phones with them at all times they should list the people they want called in case of an accident under ICE.

Example:
ICE-wife (212) 555-1234
ICE-brother (212) 555-1236
ICE-son (212) 555-1239

You should carry a medical ID card with you at all times. Put it next to your driver's license since that is the first place EMTs will look. You can make your own with almost any word processor.

On the front of the card put all the contact and insurance information. Also list chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. You should also list all medication your allergic to.

On the back of the card list all the medications and dosages.

I copy the information for the front three times, then insert a page break. On the second page I copy the information for the back three times. I print the front then I turn the paper over and print the back. You'll have to play with the settings to get it to print right. Print it the size of a credit card so it will fit in you wallet. After you get the card printed laminate it.

My wife carries three. One in her purse, one in her checkbook, and one in the glove box of the car.

This is how her's looks.

Front of the card:

EMERGENCY ID CARD (larger font)
Suzy Homemaker, 1520 Our Street, Our Town, Texas
Phone: (H) (212) 555-1234 (W) (212) 555-1234
Doctor: Doyle (212) 555-1234 DOB 6-13-19??
Please Notify: Joe Homenmaker / Spouse (212) 555-1234
Please Notify: Junior Homemaker / Son (212) 555-1234
Insurance: Blue Cross Policy # 923845-38e0
Account# 857289 . ID# ir5u24i5
Insurance pre-authorization call 800-555-1411
Relationship to insured: Spouse (Slave Drivers Inc.)
Allergies: Sulfa Drugs, Penicillin, and Topamax (larger font)
Medical Condition: High Blood Pressure (larger font)

Back of the card:

MEDICATIONS (larger font)
Ambien....................................10MG (½ tablet @ night)
Cyclobenzaprine..............................10MG (1 @ bedtime)
Exforge.............................................5-160MG (1 x day)
Fosamax ..................................70MG (1 week (Sunday))
Levothyroxin.........................................0.1MG (1 x day)
Propoxy.........................HCL/APAP 65-650MG (as needed)
Premarin............................................0.625MG (1 x day)
Prevacid.................................................30MG (2 x day)
Simvastatin.............................................20MG (1 x day)
Triamterene/HCTZ.....................37.5-25 (1 every other day)
Vesicare....................................5MG (1 every other day)

I would suggest you get the following items :

Glow sticks (also called light sticks). Chemical lights that produce no heat and need no batteries. They last about 12 hours. (HCO)

Red or orange table cloth. You can get an outdoor or picnic plastic table cloth for about $1. You can use it for signaling and to keep dry. (HC)

Disposable ponchos. They cost about a dollar. (CO)

Fire starter. A wind proof cigarette lighter and some tinder. You can make your own tinder from cotton balls and petroleum jelly. Or use fire starter sticks. (HC)

Toilet paper heater. You can make an emergency heater out of a coffee can, toilet paper and alcohol. Kneed the toilet paper like a loaf of bread to loosen and remove the cardboard tube in the center. Collapse the roll so there is no space in the center. Put the roll inside the coffee can and pour the alcohol on it. Place the can on a flame proof surface. After the paper soaks up the alcohol light the paper. When the alcohol is used up the paper will start to turn brown. You can blow out the fire and re soak the paper and light it again. If you use this in an enclosed space be sure to provide adequate ventilation. If you use this in a car place dirt on the floor to put the can on and open a window a couple of inches on each side. (HC)

Water. If your traveling across an area of the country that is hot you can freeze liter bottles of water. If you need it you will have some cold water to drink.
If you're in the desert and you find a puddle or pond water that is nice and clear DO NOT DRINK IT! It is poison. If it wasn't poison it would have moss and insects in it. Water found in the wild should always be boiled to rid it of parasites. (HC)

Flashlights and batteries. The led flashlights will burn for days before running the batteries down. When the ice storm took out the power in Kentucky batteries were one of the things that you couldn't buy. There weren't any. I have a led flashlight that has 4 leds. I like it because the batteries last a long, long time and the bulb will not break if you drop it. (HCO)

Light sticks. You can buy light sticks at almost any box store. They last for about 12 hours and produce no heat. They are also non-toxic. (HCO)

Recommended for: (H) Home (C) Car (O) Office

Start a fire with your home made fire sticks. With a fire stick you can even start damp wood. How to Make Fire Sticks

Here is a copy of the Army's Survival Manual.