What is the Family Kit System?
The kit system is simple. Just as individual grab& go bags serve the individual, family kits serve the entire family and provide an extra layer of items that can make having to leave home a bit easier to manage. These kits are unique in that they provide the family with an opportunity to plan for a more extended emergency when you don’t know when you will be returning or maybe where you will even go.
Do You Have Extra Room?
If your family can evacuate by car and you have the space available for more supplies, the family kit system offers more than your individual grab & go bags possibly could. Using them together will give you more options, supplies, and comfort in what could be a very difficult situation.
Emergency needs differ and space is always going to be an issue. The following kits are part of the family kit system and are offered as suggestions. Is there something missing? Decide what items are important to your family so you can have them ready to go.
- shelter & warmth
- food & cooking
- light
- sanitation
- cleanliness
- communications
- tools & resources
- first aid
- water
- battery
- charging
- entertainment
Packing Family Kits
Here are some helpful suggestions for putting your family kits together.
- #1Gather items together and place them in a ziploc or other type of bag. This becomes a kit.
- #2Label each kit so the the contents can be easily identified, especially if it is not contained in a clear bag.
- #3Place all kits together inside a manageable tote or container. Depending on what you pack, you may end up with more than one. As long as you have the space, that's okay.
- #4Assign this extra tote or container to a responsible adult to make sure it is taken with their own grab & go bag.
When You Don't Have Extra Room
If your car is full or you must evacuate on foot, then you will have to forego the extra supplies that the family kits provide. Your grab & go bags, along with the extra items packed by one assigned adult, should provide the bare necessities for your family to get by for a few days.
One adult in your family is tasked with packing and taking a few extra items that are meant for the entire family, just the same way the family kits are meant for the entire family. These specific items work off of the family kits but do not directly duplicate content. With or without family kits on board, don’t forget the following items or you will be without a few necessities.
- basic first aid kit
- lighter/matches
- can opener, manual
- flashlight, high-powered LED
- AM/FM or hand-crank radio
- local/city/county maps
- multi-use utility tool
- purification tablets
- lots of extra batteries
- portable solar charger