Disclaimer: I endorse items I feel were a good quality and seemed like a good fit for me and my family. I am only posting my recommendations please feel free to do your own research and make the best decision for you. I do link a lot to Amazon which we purchase from quite a bit. I tend to find their prices very competitive and love their customer service. If you can find these items cheaper and have a great experience with the company please feel free to comment and let me/us know.
1. Emergency Radio/Flashlight: One of the first purchases we made for our supplies was an emergency radio. I did some research and really liked this radio. I liked it because it was not too expensive, had a hand crank and solar power option, it included the NOAA weatherband stations, could charge your cell phone via usb cable (cable not incuded), included a flashlight and had good ratings on Amazon. For your information in case you want to check it out here is the one we purchased: Etón American Red Cross ARCFR160R Microlink AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar/Self-Powered and Cell Phone Charger
2. Lantern: We have two lanterns and I like both for different reasons. I will explain and post links and then you can decide. We purchased the Coleman LED Quad Lantern. The pros with this lantern is it is LED, has removable panels and is very bright. The cons are it requires 8 D batteries to charge rechargeable in panels This seem really crazy using regular batteries to charge rechargeable It would have been better to be a plug in rechargeable lantern. With that in mind the flexibility and great reviews made me decide to give it a try and we love it. In the future I may purchase rechargeable D-Cell batteries. We also have the Coleman Retro Rechargeable Lantern - Family-Size. We really like this one as well for the plug in rechargeable option, night light and nice and bright. So we have both of these they serve different purposes for camping and also an emergency.
3. Emergency Mylar Blankets: There are almost 101 uses for an emergency blanket which is covered in my "Steps Pages". Because of this we have purchased several and have some in our emergency supplies and also some in our cars. We purchased the Emergency Mylar Blanket - 62" x 82" - Pack of 12 Blankets. Once you read my "Uses for Emergency Blanket" you will understand why I say get some of these. Here is just a few uses Make a Tent, Cooking, Poncho, Signaling Device, Insulators etc.
4. Emergency Kits (Pre-Made): This is "NOT AN ENDORESMENT" for pre-made Emergency Kits. I have found the items in these kits to be of lessor quality and the tend to be more costly. I would suggest you put your own kit together using items you purchased based on usefulness and quality. If I find one that I can endores I will be happy to revise this in the future. If you dont have time to put your own together then I would encourage you to do some research and purchase a pre-made one. Being prepared however you do it is better than being unprepared.
5. Camping Stove: This is not necessary for survival but it would make eating much easier in an emergency if your home was uninhabitable or to protect against gas leaks. It also can be used for camping. We purchased the Coleman PerfectFlow Insta Start Grill Stove and also the Coleman 8' Extension Hose to attach to a larger propane tank (an adapter is required to do this).
Introduction
My Blog: This blog is about Emergency Preparedness but I have chosen to call it "Ride Out the Storm." I decided this because a "Storm" is not always necessarily an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, etc. It can also be a decrease of income due to loss of job, medical emergency, etc. An "Emergency" or "Storm" can be caused by many different things. They can happen at any time and the same emergency preparations can assist you during the various storms that may appear in your life. This blog is to help you become prepared for an emergency. I say "help you become prepared" because this is a process and will take some time. It will also evolve as situations arise and you think of new ways you could be more prepared. The question is, "Are you prepared?" Or better yet, "Are you doing something to become better prepared?"
About Me: I am a mom and soon after the birth of my first child there was a very minor earthquake. This caused me to ask what would happen if this was really an emergency? My answer was that I was totally unprepared, which most people are. Before children, I didn't really care. But now, I had a child who would suffer because of my lack of preparation. This is when I decided it was time for me to be prepared for an emergency. In my quest to get prepared, I found a lot of useful information on the web but there was no complete or comprehensive list or website. I had to create my own list of items, tools for getting prepared and staying prepared, and helpful information to have during an emergency situation. I have become more prepared than I ever was! After we became prepared, it was nice the next time there was another minor earthquake. I was relaxed and confident that I could provide some stability and assurance in an emergency. Since then, I realized that these same preparations can be used for many stressful emergency-type situations that can arise in life. I also realized that this is a process and I continue to learn and see more areas in which I can be better prepared. So I continue to prepare and know with confidence that I can handle any situation better than I could the first time I questioned my preparedness. I hope you will follow me on this journey and get better prepared for whatever "storm" may hit you and your family.
My Posts/Pages: The posts below are in a few sections according to the way I present this information to groups. This also allows you to tackle it a little bit at a time and make progress. I will include links to forms/checklists that I have created. Feel free to open and download them. Customize and use them to help you get prepared.
You can be as prepared as you want to be. I have chosen to be very prepared. I have chosen this for two reasons; first my home may not be accessible so I would rather be completely prepared and have peace, second if my home is accessible then I can use my supplies for a family that may find themselves in that situation. How great would that be!!!! But how prepared you are is completely your decision - just get prepared!!!
Start going through the steps to get prepared on the right side of my blog under "Pages" starting with "STEP 1". Once you completed Step 1 the continue on to the next step.
Don't worry - You don't have to do it all today! Take it in chunks, do a little at a time, and become more prepared than you were yesterday. Don't feel like you have not done much because if you have done even two things that is two things that you were not prepared for but now you are. So you are more prepared now than you were before. Be encouraged that you are doing something to prepare your family and they are better off in an "Emergency" or "Storm" than they were before. Every little bit helps!
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