How to Create a Family Survival Kit

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina family survival kits are a popular recommendation by most emergency management officials. However, deciding exactly what to put in these kits is a daunting task. Several companies offer pre-packaged kits with a variety of survival products. Most families can put together their own survival kits for much less by buying these items individually and placing them in a designated container. Below you will find a comprehensive list of supplies for your family's survival kit.

Energy Bars
Energy bars such as Powerbars or other popular meal replacement products are a great source of protein and carbohydrates. Opt for a chewy granola variety over chocolate as they are likely to have a longer shelf life and will not melt in extreme heat.

Ramen Noodles
These college dorm classics make a great meal by simply mixing with hot water. We recently picked up a 48 pack at Sam's Club for about $5.00 and store them for emergencies. Noodles are a great source of carbohydrates and the broth provides some necessary fat.

Water
Humans can live up to 30 days without food, but only a few days without water. In an emergency situation it will be the commodity in highest demand. Unfortunately, it is hard to find safe drinking water naturally. For this reason, I recommend storing one gallon per person (minimum) of distilled drinking water.

Water Purification Tablets
These can purchased at camping supply stores and are important to have in case your supply of water runs out of becomes contaminated. If you don't have the ability to boil water you will need purification tables to prevent ingesting contaminates from dirty water.

Can Opener
We are talking the old fashioned, manual can openers here. We've all seen the joke about people being stranded somewhere and finding some cans of food, but not having a can opener. Don't let that be you!

Waterproof Matches
Regular household matches will not light once they get wet. However, waterproof matches are guaranteed to ignite even after being exposed to moisture.