Do you have an emergency kit for your home or car?
By Marie Coyle
@MarieCoyle (34016)
July 23, 2024 6:48pm CST
I have always been proactive about keeping a bag in the car with some essentials for extreme emergencies. Mostly first aid things--Band-Aids, Neosporin, medical gauze and tape, scissors, Tylenol, water, among a few other things. You know, the basics. I do check it several times per year and rotate out the Tylenol, water, and Neosporin, etc. I got in the habit of this when the kids were on ball teams, gymnastics competitions, or band stuff or whatever. A few times, we had to open it up, but luckily not very many.
For the home...it would be easy to get carried away. But in the current state of the world, an at-home emergency kit is a good idea. Besides the basic first aid stuff we all need, there is a slew of stuff recommended by preppers, but no one I know does it to the extent of a prepper. We have a manuel water filter, an emergency radio that will charge all tech stuff and give out weather and police updates if needed, etc. It runs on a long lasting battery that can be recharged, and also has a little hand crank thing that you can charge up the battery if you don't have any power available to charge it up. We do have a charcoal grill we could use, as we prefer it over the gas grill thing. We have a tiny camp stove, which is ancient as it was my Dad's, but it does work. Of course we do have plenty of blankets, etc.
The experts claim a person should have some hidden cash if the grid ever goes down for a long length of time. I haven't done this, money is tight. Most of my emergency stuff, I've had forever and ever as a basic. More than once the power has been down due to a tornado or ice storm, for several days, and the things I mentioned have come in very handy. I cannot have any type of generator, as I am a renter. I used to have one in my house-owning days, but no more.
Does anyone else have an emergency first aid kit, or an at home emergency kit?
pixabay picture
11 people like this
9 responses
@Orson_Kart (6546)
• United Kingdom
25 Jul
Likewise, here in the UK, we were told recently to have emergency supplies kept at home. In addition to a first aid kit, we have been told to have a battery operated or wind-up torch, a battery operated or wind-up radio, water to last a few days, and spare batteries. Tins of food and hand sanitizer.
All this because of uncertainty in the world. It’s rare we have power cuts or lose our water supply, but it appears that the risk is becoming greater.
Scary times!
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (6546)
• United Kingdom
26 Jul
@MarieCoyle I’ve not got a wind-up radio yet. Most seem to be am/fm and most transmitters are becoming DAB or being switched off in favour of internet radio, so I will probably um and ah until it’s too late. 
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
27 Jul
@Orson_Kart
In a pinch, a person can charge their phone with the hand crank, there are phone ports on all of those radios, so it's worth the cost. AM radio still broadcasts a lot of warnings, etc. it as been said it is been kept running for years in case it was ever needed for a large emergency. Hopefully, that's true.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
26 Jul
We have not been told that. However with the exception of the emergency radio, I’ve kept all those things on hand for years. I got the radio about two years ago. My oldest son bought one for his family and one for me that he said was a good thing to have. And it is.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (170715)
• United States
24 Jul
We don't have anything in the car; but we have a lot of first aid items at home. We also have a standby generator which will automatically go on if the power goes out. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (170715)
• United States
25 Jul
@MarieCoyle Yes, that's one disadvantage.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
25 Jul
I miss being able to have a generator, but it's a no-no here if you are a renter.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
26 Jul
@LindaOHio
The upside of living where I currently live is that there is a Brookstone Assisted Living very close to our little area. They are on our same electrical grid. When the power goes out, of course they have generators there, but it is on priority here to always do the hospitals and nursing facilities first, so we usually do not go very long without being back on again.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (65344)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
24 Jul
I live in Florida, I am not insane. Of course I do. The basics for George and i, include an insane number of flashlights. We have one in every room of the house. We also have a grill, charcle, bottled water....several kinds of fan. at least four portable batteries that I travel with. I also have an account with all three major carriers. On both our phones, so we don't run the risk of being gridlocked. I also have an iphone 14 pro with sattilite power.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
24 Jul
My daughter and her family in St Pete learned that hurricanes are hard when the power goes down. She thought they were ready for one but realized with two babies they needed a generator so they got a Generac. They have camping equipment as they like to camp, she got a weather radio, etc. and like you, an insane amount of flashlights and batteries. (I neglected to say flashlights and batteries in my list of what is in the car and the house) but I keep plenty. As a Floridian, I know you have to be prepared. Here in the old tornado alley area, we tend to think ahead on this, too.
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
25 Jul
I think most of us mama ladies do, we've bandaged our share of boo-boos!
1 person likes this
@pitsipeahie (4924)
•
26 Jul
Yes, we do at home. Its always better to prepared at least with the basics. You never can tell.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
26 Jul
No, you can't. No one plans to be hurt or have an emergency, it just happens.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (1115)
• India
24 Jul
I do have an emergency kit at home but in my car. At home , all the emergency things ar kept at a convenient location . Well, periodic replacement of the items in the emergency kit is also done , so that things are not outdated or have date expired. Plus, it gives us the feeling that the things in emergency kit are fresh .Your post gave me an idea of having the emergency kit in car. It may be useful .Thanks for sharing the idea and your inputs!
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
25 Jul
I am often in the car, and as I was raising children who were very active, I realized then that a First Aid kit was essential for the car in my case. Glad you are going to do that as well! Thank you!
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (176745)
• United States
24 Jul
I have some basic emergency supplies..and bought more after that terrible storm we had where the power was off in the middle of the winter for 3 days. It was frigid. Now I have a stove and heater that can be used indoors. I have extra water and lamps etc. for hurricanes. Oh BTW, just as I was writing that the power company issued a power outage for this development. My electricity flickered more than once but did not go out
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
24 Jul
I think it's rather important to have some things for emergencies, we never know. How weird, you were writing that and got an outage warning! I hope it stays on!
@FourWalls (65390)
• United States
24 Jul
I certainly do! Not only do I have a first aid kit in the car, I also carry a blanket in the summer, and a mummy sleeping bag rated at 0 degrees (F), things for using the bathroom, and extra clothes in the winter!
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
24 Jul
There is always a blanket in my car, too. And a box of tissues for that OMG moment if ever needed, as well as wet wipes. Kids and grands proved to me that was necessary at all times!! 
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
24 Jul
In hurricane country, I know that having some emergency items is pretty much mandatory.
1 person likes this
