We Are Not Fin - We Are Not Prepared

[KF7EEC]

I don’t know if you’re religious or not, but if you believe in some version of hell my family just drove through it. A few hours ago my family and I escaped the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta which as you may have seen on the news is burning.
We drove through the fire, avoiding dangling electrical wires. We are alive, we have found shelter for tonight in a motel. But like so many others we were unprepared to evacuate when we were told we needed to.
I am going to ask you to do what my family did not do, but wish we did: have an emergency kit ready.
Forest fires are not uncommon in Northern Alberta. Each year many fires occur in the vast Boreal forest that covers the Northern Region of the province, but most of them stay contained, or burn a safe distance from inhabited communities.


Continue reading: http://thescientificparent.org/we-are-not-fine-we-are-not-prepared-escaping-fort-mcmurray/

[mirkwood]

I agree, as long as people don't think this replaces food storage.

[Harm]

Yeah ended up in a debate a few months ago where someone was suggesting that the best way to do food storage was starting with a 72 kit and all the toys to get people excited about Food Storage. I questioned that since they are fundamentally different and one is part of the Church's plan, one is not. They didn't like that.

[DMGNUT]

KF7EEC, this thread got me concerned for a few minutes, as I thought you were the one telling the story... until I followed the link and saw it was someone else's story, that you were simply sharing.
Imagine how embarrassed and relieved I was to realize it wasn't you at all. What a knuckle head I am to have thought that... even for just a moment.
Great story though, and thanks for posting it... a perfect example of why people really should prepare for the unexpected with some kind of a "go" bag.

Harm, I agree completely that food storage vs a 72 hr kit are like comparing apples to oranges, and that one is part of the church's plan for its members and the other is not.
Having said that, I've taught so many classes on preparing/building 72 hr kits, that sometimes I'm even surprised by it.
Anyway, the point that I wanted to make is that the 72 hr kit presentations I've given, really have been a great tool for bringing people to ask questions about and begin to start building a store of foods. Over the years there have been literally dozens of people who have called me later to ask about storing foods after having been to one of my presentations.
Although the vast majority of my presentations were for Relief Society activities or other church sponsored functions, over the years, as it turns out, many of the attendees were not members and they tended to be the ones who would call me later and ask for further direction, in regards to storing food.
I know its not part of the church's plan, but I look at it as a stepping stone that can (if presented properly) direct someone toward more important things... :a0 (21):

[arbilad]

While I think there are people for whom 72 hour kits are a gateway drug into the world of preparedness, I also think that there are those for whom it is sort of a placebo. Once they get their 72 hour kit they think that they have done everything that's urgent to do preparedness wise. I think that part of this is that they can easily conceive of why they would need a 72 hour kit, but they don't believe that anything will ever happen that would require them to have a year's worth of food.
It's a difficult question. I'm not saying that such things are useless; my wife and I both have get home kits in our cars.

[KF7EEC]

KF7EEC, this thread got me concerned for a few minutes, as I thought you were the one telling the story... until I followed the link and saw it was someone else's story.
Imagine how embarrassed and relieved I was to realize it wasn't you at all.

thank you for your concern. I'm very glad it wasn't me.

[constable01]

In a perfect world, a carefully planned 72 hr. Is the root where you should choose quality basic tools and supplies that can last long term. That way it can turn into a longer term preparedness plan by adding addition basic needs to it such as food and water........by this your 72 hour kit starts to become a week,month, six month or year kit.

[constable01]

P.S. I do get upset seeing some of the really cheap tools etc. Some companies put in their pre built 72 hour kits, like cheap Chinese 5 dollar pocket knives, 10 dollar multitools...............I'm like "Seriously!!!!!! Somebody's life is going to be dependent on pocket knives and multitools etc. That will break the first time they are used! What kind of snake oil is this company trying to push?!?!"
I believe you should get the studies and best quality gear you can afford. Buy as if your life depends on it, because if it does you don't want to be stuck with busted junk.

[DMGNUT]

...72 hour kits are a gateway drug into the world of preparedness...

I love this phrase... :coool::l0 (49)::l0 (59):

[DMGNUT]

Seeing the snow pile up outside (and I know there are lots of areas that get way more snow than here... I'm just still very new to "snow" country myself)...
But it makes me think about the "get home bags" and how important they are... especially when just a short drive to the grocery store (if you live in the country), could end up stranding you in a ditch along a snowy/icy road.
I-84 was closed west of Ontario, OR, 3 or 4 times this last week.
Getting caught in, and being unprepared in, sub-freezing temperatures would be ugly.
Give thought to how your kit will hold up if left in the car all the time.
I've had an almost full water bottle in my pickup the last 4 or 5 days, and it's frozen solid.
If you leave your kit in your vehicle, keep in mind that you're gona need a plan on how to thaw the water... building a fire if you're stranded in your car, in 2 or 3 feet of snow might not be a good plan...
You might need to bring your water bottles from the house for each trip, or have some of the "chemical" MRE heaters to safely thaw the water without leaving the vehicle.
I know this is just one small aspect of what you might need when traveling and speaking specifically about frozen water, there are probably a dozen solutions to the dilemma, I'm just tossing this out there to keep us all thinking.

[arbilad]

In addition to having fire starters in my get home bag, I have a can of sterno. It should be enough to cook some food as well as warm some water. But I do need to go through my get home bag and freshen it.