Posts tagged emergency kit

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Posted 1 year ago

Emergency kit #eqnz

On the day of the September 2010 earthquake I spent the day anxiously making up an emergency kit. It lived in the dining room, by the kitchen door, for a month. On 22nd February I grabbed it as we ran from our house through water, silt and sewage. We used a lot of the items over the subsequent days. I thought I’d list the contents, both to refer back to, and as a help to others if needed.

In the house I had a basket in which we kept the following (I’d got into the habit of throwing my camera and wallet in there at the end of each day):

  • important family documents (including 2 copies of a get thru help sheet and EQC and insurance details and a spare eftpos card)
  • pad and paper
  • ziplock bag of chargers (headphones, adapters, phone, camera etc)
  • wind up torch-radio-charger
  • first aid kit
  • wallet
  • camera
  • sunscreen
  • hats

In the garage were three other kits.

Plastic Box (20L):

  • gas stove and cylinders
  • butane stove and cylinders
  • radio with batteries and electric cord
  • analogue ph
  • power board
  • ziplock bag of toiletries (deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap)
  • ziplock bag with sponges and rubber gloves
  • ziplock bag with candles and matches
  • chalk
  • fishing line
  • squirter bottle (to fill with detol solution)
  • detol/antiseptic (to make up in a bottle to use instead of soap for washing hands)
  • bleach (to sanitise drinking water)
  • washing powder for clothes
  • packets of wipes
  • laundry soap
  • large black polythene bags
  • cups, plates etc
  • ziplock bag with a sharp knife, scissors, potato peeler, swiss army knife, screwdriver
  • pack of cards
  • ziplock bag with pens and pad of paper
  • soda water and other bottled water

Food Bag:

  • water
  • 500ml olive oil
  • cans of tuna
  • cans of lentils
  • cans of tomatoes
  • cans of peaches
  • cans of apricots
  • cans of chickpeas
  • cans of baked beans 
  • cans of soup
  • packets of soup mix
  • tube of coffee and condensed milk
  • fruit in a tube
  • rice crackers/cream crackers
  • nut bars/muesli bars

Pack:

  • jackets
  • sleeping bags
  • blankets
  • towels and tea towels
  • fleece tops
  • bivvy bag
  • plastic sheeting

Other things I should have had ready and will include when we top up:

  • cash
  • change of clothes and shoes
  • gumboots
  • solar shower
  • pot
  • a couple of games and books
  • insulation tape
  • tarpaulin
  • dehydrated meals
  • collapsable bucket and an old colander (use for a loo)
  • face masks
  • brush and shovel
  • spare keys for the house