72-Hour Kit

I've never really lived in an area that I considered to be "dangerous."

Sure I grew up in the Ring of Fire where I have been through my fair share of big earthquakes (including the famous 1994 Northridge Earthquake). I lived in Utah for 9 years which also has earthquakes, along with blizzards, and is a little too close (~250 miles) to the Yellowstone caldera. And then I moved to Colorado which also has it's fair share of blizzards, extreme weather, and is in "Tornado Ally", but I never really felt scared about experiencing a natural disaster until I moved to North Dakota. 

Tornados scare me. Like really freakin' scare me. The first time I heard the tornado siren go off in Kenmare, ND I almost peed my pants.

I know we are not technically in "Tornado Alley" like we were in Colorado, but there have been tornados close to Kenmare (one in 2010 that killed two people) and there have been two F5/EF5 tornados recorded in North Dakota! AND there is a warning system in Kenmare (I've heard the siren a few times) that has made me more aware of tornados! It's just all too real! 

As a result of my paranoia, I have decided to update/put together a really good 72-hour kit. I know that it is unlikely that a tornado will hit us here but it's good to be prepared for any kind of emergency. 

A few Christmases ago my mom made all of us kids a little 72-hour kit. I've been keeping mine in my car (you know, just in case) for all of these years. I finally took it out of my car and went through the items. A lot of the food/liquid items were expired so I decided to update those and add more to it.

After doing a lot of research online I've compiled a really nice and fancy 72-hour kit for me and Josh. It cost a lot of money and it took me a few months to get together but I am really excited about it!

Here it is in the back of my X Terra. The 72-hour kit is in the big green bag underneath the two fold-out chairs (gray and blue cases).

All full of goodies!

There are just a few more things I need to get to make this kit complete, but it's pretty close to being done. All I need now is either in our storage unit (I really wish it wasn't so far away!) or at REI. Oh how I wish we lived closer to an REI!

Here’s a list of what is in my kit in case you were wondering. Keep in mind that this is for 2 adults (Josh and I):

First aid kit & medicine, fire extinguisher, food (packaged, canned, and snacks), water jugs (2), folding buckets (2), potassium iodide, can opener, stove & fuel, water & windproof matches, fire starter kit, plates (2), bowls (2), utensils (forks, spoons, and knives), zip lock bags, garbage bags, change of clothes & shoes, ponchos (2), hand & foot warmers, dust masks, emergency blankets (2), blankets (2), sleeping bags (2), tent, plastic tarp, 100-hour candles, light sticks, lighters, dry sacks, moist towelettes, feminine hygiene products, soap, toothbrushes (2), toothpaste, comb & hair brush, sunblock, bug repellent, toilet paper (4 rolls), hand sanitizer, lotion, Kleenex, deodorant, face wash, shampoo/conditioner, Clorox wipes, towels (4), solar showers (2), tools, pocket knife, shovel, axe, rope (2), duct tape (2), binoculars, gloves (2 pairs), umbrella (2), flashlights (2), AA & AAA batteries, wind-up radio, whistle (2), prepaid cell phones (2), walkie-talkies, mirrors (2), watches (2), cash, ID & documents (photo copies of IDs, credit cards, and other important documents), paper & pens, books & games, and a small backpack.