5 REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT NEED AN EMERGENCY KIT

Why Might You Need an Emergency Kit?

When most people think of emergency kits, they think of natural disasters. However, there are many other reasons why you might need an emergency kit. For example, if you live in a city and there is a power outage, you will need to have a way to cook food and keep warm. If you are traveling and get lost in the wilderness, you will need supplies to help you survive. In this article, we will discuss five reasons why you might need an emergency kit.

5 reasons you might need an emergency kit

• If you live in an area that is prone to natural disasters
• If you live in a city and there is a power outage.
• If you are traveling and get lost 
• If you are stranded on the side of the road
• If you live alone and need peace of mind when it comes to any kind of emergency

What basics should I put in my emergency kit?

Here are some suggestions for what you should put in your emergency kit: 

• A first aid kit
• A torch and extra batteries
• Plenty of food and water
• Clothing for extreme weather conditions e.g. a poncho
• Wipes and sanitiser
• Gloves and protective wear 
• A radio
• Face mask
• An emergency whistle

The Prepa emergency kit

We've spent a lot of time researching the items that will have the biggest impact when you need to quickly grab a bag or box and go. It's important to have your survival gear stocked in a waterproof storage container.

Below is a list of the items we recommend you add to your emergency kit, and you will find most of these in our Betty B Ready survival kit.

Emergency kit checklist

Firstly, we recommend that you use a waterproof bag to protect all of the emergency supplies inside.

Personal documents & important documents

Most of our information such as insurance documents are now stored online, however it is common in natural disasters to not have access to them due to loss of electricity and internet signal. We recommend to include any important government information, birth certificates, passports and anything else that would be a huge pain to have to replace. We have a waterproof document holder included in our Betty B Reddy to store these documents in. 

Warmth & Light

• Snap lights
• Candles
• High power LED torch
• Mylar space blankets
• Beanie

Tools

• Utility bags
• Signal whistle
• Emergency hand crank portable radio
• Carbon steel knife
• Flint fire-starter
• Multitool pliers & driver bits
• Paracord rope
• Duct tape

Food & Water

• Water purification tablets
• Water bottles filled with water
• Calorie ration bars with long shelf life
• Emergency drinking water pouch

It's really important to pack non-perishable food that can last you for at least 72 hours. If you have no access to power, ideally the food is easy to open and doesn't require cooking.

Protection

• Rain ponchos
• Safety glasses
• Work gloves
• Survival tarpaulin (with heat reflective lining)
• KN95 95% Filter Masks
• Antibacterial wipes
• Sunscreen (SPF 50+)
• Insect repellant
• First aid kit

What should I put in my first aid kit?

At Prepa, we built what we believe is the right first aid kit for living in Australia. Here is the complete list of inclusions in the Prepa First Aid Kit:

5x Single-use sterile cotton gauze swab packs 5cm x 5cm
6x Single-use sterile cotton gauze swab packs 7.5cm x 7.5cm
1x Roll of adhesive strapping 2.5cm width 2.5m length
1x Sterile wound dressing
2x Compression bandage 10cm x 4.5cm
2x Triangular bandage
5x Hydrogel Burn Gel
2x Sterile Eye pads
5x Individual sterile non-adhesive dry dressing 5cm x 5cm
4x Individual sterile non-adhesive dry dressing 7.5cm x 7.5cm
5x Safety pins1x Temperature check strip
4x Skin Cleaning wipes / Disposable hand towels
60x Individual sterile adhesive dressings
5x Splinter probes
20x Iodine cotton swabs
2x Pairs of gloves
1x CPR kit
1x Rustproof scissors
1x Pen
1x Large marker
1x Notepad
1x Tweezers
9x Individual plastic bags

Our kit also includes a first aid guide and an area for personal medications or notes to be included - click here to browse our online store.

Other items to put in your emergency kit

Some other essential items to consider include personal hygiene items, sanitary items, toilet paper, spare batteries, pet food, spare mobile phone preloaded with emergency numbers. You may also want to consider a backup power source such as a portable generator.

Where do you store your emergency supply kit?

Don't forget to leave your emergency kit pack in a handy place that's easily accessible! This could be an easily accessible closet, cupboard or even your basement or garage. And don't forget to prepare your fur babies! No matter what you include in your emergency kit, make sure it's easily accessible and that everyone in your household knows where it is. In an emergency, every second counts. Having a well-stocked emergency kit could mean the difference between life and death. So make sure you're prepared by including these essential items.

Be prepared for emergency situations

Packing an emergency kit is one of the best things you can do to be prepared for a disaster. Stay safe out there!Feel free to check out our kits here: prepa.com.au/collections/our-kits