Let me offer a little bit of background as to why I got this question. So my best friend lives in Alabama -- around the Birmingham area. Though the winters get very cold there, snow and ice on the roads are not frequent occurrences. And even when they do happen, it's usually a light dusting which melts before lunchtime. And, usually, it happens overnight; so people are home safe in their beds, and many of the businesses and schools will just close in the morning.
Last winter was not a typical winter in Alabama... There had been a forecast of snow on a specific day in the evening. That being the case, many businesses were planning to close that night and possibly the following day. But during the day, people went to work and school as usual.
...And by 10 a.m. -- many hours before it was supposed to -- the snow was falling heavily. People were trying to get home. Interstates were backing up (when you don't know how to drive in snow, it's not an easy thing to do), accidents were happening. Many people spent the night in their car, because they simply weren't moving. Others were close enough to home to get out and walk. For my best friend's daughter who'd gone to college that morning and didn't have a full tank of gas... Well, she ran out of gas and ended up spending the night at a fire station. Fortunately for her, she was able to get to a safe and warm place. And she didn't mind hanging out with the cute fire fighters ;). But for many others, the car was the best they could do to keep them out of the elements. My best friend calls it Snowmaggedon. And she wants to be prepared, in case it happens again -- for both herself and her daughter. And she wanted to know what she should have in a car emergency kit.
THRIVE Life offers a pre-assembled car emergency kit. But as with the 72-Hour Kit, you can also assemble your own and include what you think is most important. The following list is what I personally feel is important in a car emergency kit. Some of these things popped right into my head when she asked. Some things she thought of. Others come from the research I've done over the last couple of days. (I've included links to items available through THRIVE Life.)
- Jumper cables
- work gloves
- walking shoes (if you usually wear flip flops or dress shoes in the car)
- flashlight and/or glow sticks and/or candles (2)
- water (preferably a gallon, but at least a few water bottles) and/or water filter
- food (we always have granola or trail mix bars in the car; I have a friend who includes THRIVE Express meals in her car kit, because they only require water and are packaged to last 5 years!)
- manual can opener (if your food requires one)
- basic first aid kit (band-aids, antiseptic cream, pain reliever)
- toilet paper
- blanket (preferably 2) and/or emergency blankets
- whistle
- garbage bag (you just never know how this can come in handy!)
- duct tape
- rope
- waterproof matches and/or lighter
- battery-operated or hand-crank radio
- cell phone charger if you have an extra
- hand warmers
- wipes and hand sanitizer
- feminine hygiene items (if you're female ;))
- knife or multi-tool
- pen/paper
- batteries
- sunscreen
- basic tool kit (screwdriver, pliers, wrench)
You want to remember to rotate your food and water every 6 months or so. Some medicines will also expire and need to be kept current. For us, we are sure to rotate every 6 months because of General Conference, which is held every April and October. That helps us remember to check all our kits. So find a way to remind yourself every 6 months so you don't end up with out-dated food in your kit!
And one last tip: It's a pretty good idea to always try to have at least 1/2 a tank of gas in your car at all times. I'll be honest: this is something I need to work on!
I hope this was helpful! Remember, you want to make sure your kit meets your needs. You may need to add more or less based on your family size, etc. It's sometimes hard to know how to prepare prior to an emergency situation... But any preparation is good, so don't be discouraged! Because as someone once said: "When it's time to act, the time to prepare has passed." The time to prepare is NOW!
If I can help you in any way, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com.
Happy THRIVEing!
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