On the weekend, I got off my ass and ordered some emergency gear online. First up was a very basic emergency kit. For those keeping track at home, this kit has several types of candles, light sticks, first-aid kit, hand warmers, water purification tables, emergency ponchos, emergency blankets, camp stove, and headlight. These things probably won’t allow me to survive a nuclear winter but it’s better than nothing. Just having this kit will probably put me in better shape than the average city dweller out there.
The second item I ordered were some emergency rations. They are designed to have a five-year shelf life and provide the basic nutritional requirements. It won’t be a gourmet meal but enough food to keep a single person alive for three days. Should an actual emergency occur, I’ll probably also have whatever foodstuffs I have on hand, so realistically, I should have way more than three days of food to eat.
My next concern might be water. I have about 4L on hand that I absolutely trust, in a sealed container away from light and heat. I think I could do with more water. Perhaps more importantly, I might need a personal water purification device like a LifeStraw. If it all goes to hell, 4L of water won’t last that long and I’ll need to find a different source.
One thing to keep in mind in all of this prep work for an emergency is that I actually need to survive the initial calamity that forces me to need to use all this stuff. I live 28 floors above ground. If an earthquake happens, I could be the most prepared person in the province but I still need to survive that quake. None of the equipment I have will matter if a ton of concrete lands on me as the building goes down. Similarly, there’s no use in having emergency rations for a year if I get bitten by a zombie in the first hours of the apocalypse.