The Emergency Preparedness Car Kit

In any Emergency situation whether it be in the home, office, school one needs to be prepared. This also includes the family/personal car. Food is one of the first items one should consider having in the car. At a minimum one should have three days of Emergency Food in the car. Not store bought food though. This is because store bought food can go bad quickly and is not designed to store for long periods of time and under varied conditions. Consider having a kit that contains simple yet nutritious food such as United States Coast Guard Rations. These rations can have a shelf life of up to ten years! These bars are generally 400 calories each and will have enough nutrition to keep you health and alive for three days no sweat! These rations will not make you thirsty as they are produced to not provoke thirst. These bars are United States Coast Guard Approved as well as Canadian Coast Guard Approved and World Coast Guard Lifeboat Approved. Other foods that one might consider to have in the vehicle are MRE's or Meals Ready To Eat which are modern day military rations with enough calories and nutrition to keep you alive and fed until help comes. Either is a good choice and has a long shelf life and ease of preparation.

A person or family putting together an Emergency Kit for the car should also take into account the maximum number of people in the family and if only one car exists in the household then have at Least A Three Day Supply Of Water for each person in the family in the Emergency Car Kit. Of course if there is more than one vehicle in the household then each car should have a kit and ample water as well. Regular store bought bottled is OK for the short term as it is subject to the extreme changes in hot and cold and is not the most prudent method of water storage for a car. As with Coast Guard approved food for your automobile Emergency Kit, one should consider United States Coast Guard Approved as well as International Coast Guard Approved water pouches.These pouches have a shelf life of at least five years and are date stamped. A three day supply of these pouches per person is suggested. Since water is the most vital unit to any Emergency Kit it is advisable to have Water Purification Tablets in your kit as well.

If you or you and your family get stuck in an emergency in the car depending on the weather conditions and what type of emergency has occurred, whether natural or man made shelter is important in any Automobile Emergency Kit. Emergency Thermal Space Blankets and some plastice rain ponchos to keep you dry and some warm jackets, gloves, and hats are a good idea as well. Depending on how many people are in the family a good car kit needs to have tents to shelter down in. As with any Emergency Kit whether home or car, lighting will be necessary because in the dark you will need to see and people will need to see you if you are walking in the dark to find shelter or help. Keep flashlights in the car as well as batteries. There are also light sticks that can be stored in a vehicle as well and they give off light for 6 to 12 hours and have a very long shelf life. A solar powered hand crank style emergency radio is excellent for the car as it will let you know what has occurred and keeps you in touch with the world. Remember that if an emergency or accident occurs while you are in your family vehicle, and you have to walk in the dark to find help or shelter that light and warmth are very important. Be Prepared!