72-Hour kit Wednesdays - Toilet Paper & Personal Items

Last night before I went to bed, I was making a list of the things we have done so far in our kits since the beginning of the year. I’m still catching up on a couple of things I need to replace or add to my kits, including some medication that should be included, so I guess this inventory is for me as much as anything. I’m going to try and do that this weekend. I don’t know why it is so easy to put this off. It seems sometimes that everything else comes first.

Today we are going to add some personal items. Gather personal feminine products for any females in your family and also a roll of toilet paper for each kit. These should be stored in Ziploc bags to keep them dry. Get one roll of toilet paper for each member of your family. The rolls can be smashed flat to fit in your kits better. These will be invaluable if you need to use your kits; one thing you DON’T want to be without.

There is so much talk on the internet lately about things that could possibly happen – earthquakes, floods, shortages, astrological events etc. – and I really feel the need to get everything I need as soon as possible. I realize more than ever now how important 72-hour kits are. Having done it once, I realize that having to evacuate your home at a moment’s notice could happen to anyone. 72-hour kits are the very best way to be prepared and avoid panic if that happens. I can guarantee that if your kits are ready to go (in a place where they can be grabbed in an instant– along with any other emergency supplies you need) you really will sleep better at night.

I read the experience of a woman who had felt for a long time that she needed to get her kits made and everything in order but kept putting it off. Her family did have to leave in the middle of the night because of rising waters in a river nearby and she said, “I stood there in the middle of my kitchen thinking ‘what should I take’ and crying because I knew I had been having these feelings for a reason and had done nothing about it. I felt so guilty.” Her family survived fine but her home was flooded and it took months for things to get back to normal. She did state though, that after they were home again, the first thing she did, even before starting to clean the mud from her basement was order the things for 72-hour kits.

These are the things we have put together so far:
Backpacks, rolling suitcases, trash cans, buckets or other containers
A Flashlight for each person – light sticks if desired too
A change of clothes for each person
Medication
Cash
Ziploc baggies
Sleeping bags or bed rolls
Individual first-aid kits
Small hand crank radio
Tools – folding shovel, hatchet or axe, etc.
Foods for breakfasts for 3 days per person
Foods for lunch and dinner for 3 days per person
Necessary folding stoves to heat food if desired
Snacks
Drinking water for kits – for drinking, washing and cooking
Feminine Products
A roll of toilet paper for each person’s kit

How are YOUR kits coming?