howto

here’s my setup for 72 hour kits… start out with a backpack for each person and enough food and water to last a few days (about 72 hours, perhaps?). once you have the basics out of the way just start throwing stuff in the backpack that you’d want in an emergency.

your family should know where to meet in case your house isn’t an option, and what to take and how to get there.

start by throwing some water bottles and granola bars (ie. stuff you already have around the house) into a backpack, or buy a premade 72 hour kit for cheap if you want. there, you’ve started… that’s really all the essentials right there. then when you have the time and money, buy some things specifically for your kit, like what i’ve outlined below.

Containers
a cheap internal frame backpack
otterbox waterproof/airtight plastic boxes
some ziplock bags with rubber bands
a nalgene bottle or two

Water (start with a few one gallon jugs from the supermarket)
individual water pouches
water purification tablets
msr miniworks ex microfilter water filtration
coffee filters, cheesecloth and rubber bands for a homemade water filter

Food
3 day’s worth of MREs
a few 3600 calorie food bars
a few tiny 5.5 oz v8 juice cans or something similar
granola bars / power bars / gum / candy etc

Clothes
wool socks, underwear, hat, shirt, pants, jacket etc
blanket and pillowcase or a sleepingbag
rain poncho or a tent

Light
an LED Maglite or an LED Streamlight
windup LED flashlight and a LED headlamp
glow sticks

Survival
first aid kit.
a few bic lighters in ziplock bags or maybe a zippo
knife, multi-tool
southord lockpick set
pepper spray
other self defense measures as needed
handcuffs useful for work or fun

Hygene
toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, chapstick
toilet paper squished and sealed in a ziplock
hand sanitizer, soap, tampons etc
small bottles of hydrogen peroxide, iodine and bleach

Communication
kenwood th-f6a radio, and get your ham license
five watt midland frs/gmrs radio
gps receiver
windup/solar am/fm/sw radio: freeplay ranger

Electricity
an extra car battery, charged and maintained
foldable solar panels with connectors to charge the car battery
car chargers for essential electronics (phones, radios etc)
portable solar charger for essential electronics: Solio
Battery charger, with cigarette-lighter plug

Misc
small batteries, battery containers
tin foil
personal documents such as the eefak.pdf also read this slashdot article
cash in small bills
small and large zipties
garbage bags
dust masks
waterproof maps
a few feet of gas siphon hose and a little gas tank
a few large (5 gallon) gas tanks, full
superglue, duct (duck) tape

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a few pictures of our latest home rennovations

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just wanted to show off the new security camera

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h&r block tax tools

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so we’re buying our first home. aparently we need homeowners insurance before escro ends. called four companies, two didn’t answer the phone, two faxed me quotes. of the two that i spoke with, one seems obviously better. tip #1: shop around.

also, you can reduce your premiums by spending like $40:
1) simply go to wallmart and buy one of those $10 alarms that you tape to your wall and it makes an annoying sound when the door is opened… there’s your new alarm system
2) buy a fire extinguisher
3) buy a smoke alarm
4) install a deadbolt on your front door

i found some good information on info.insure.com (which i’ve copied here)

some things of note (mostly from info.insure.com/home/basics.html): neither earthquake or flood damage is included in the basic policy, you have to get a seperate policy for each of them. generally policies don’t give you the “replacement value” of your stuff, they only give you the cost minus depreciation. If you insure your house for $100,000, that´s the most you will get if it is destroyed, even if it would cost more to replace it. Most homeowner policies contain replacement cost coverage on the home and actual cash value coverage on personal property.

Homeowners policies automatically cover household contents - furniture, clothes, appliances, etc. - up to 40 percent of the amount your house is insured for. This means if you insure your house for $100,000, its contents are insured for up to $40,000. You can get more coverage by paying a higher premium. This automatic coverage pays only the actual cash value of damaged, stolen, or destroyed household goods. Actual cash value is an item´s replacement cost, minus depreciation.

Take inventory of your stuff: you should list each item, its value, and serial number. Photograph or videotape each room, including closets, open drawers, storage buildings, and your garage. Keep receipts for major items in a fireproof place.

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