Week 1: Containers!

Week 1: Disaster kit containers: you can either use a separate container for each member of the family or a number of larger containers to use for the family as a whole such as a plastic bucket, suitcase, box, wheeled garbage container etc. Be sure that you can transport them easily one a wagon, luggage rack etc. If you use a separate container for each member of your family. Designate one container as the "main" container as some weeks you will be adding items only to one container. Find an accessible location for the containers to be stored, close to an exit, and known to all family members.


That, ladies and gentleman, is taken word for word from the gospel of preparedness and I will begin each week by quoting it verbatim, spelling and grammatical errors included.

It's probably the longest entry in this entire project and really it only says one thing. Get a container and put it somewhere.

I thought about putting together multiple containers to simulate a family of four but it seems like one container on it's own is going to cost me a fair bit as it is and I'm not rich. Instead, I'll just multiply the costs and the weight by four to get an approximate amount.

Here is the container I bought:

Ain't she a beaut? I went name brand because I want something durable that I can rely on in tough times. If an earthquake topples my building I want this baby to hold up when the ceiling falls on it. If there is a flood I want to be able to sail it to dry land. If the sun supernovas I want... okay in that event it would melt, but you get the idea. It's 24in x 16in x 16.5in, so it should be able to hold everything I will need for my kit.

I do have a question though. The text mentions transporting the kit... where would I transport it? Isn't the point of the kit to have supplies if I am stuck and can't access the outside world? If the shit hits the fan am I supposed to take my kit out to the parking lot and cook some baked beans while I wait for the national guard to come rescue me? I hope this gets clear later on.

I also took a picture of the receipt so that I can track the total cost of the project.

So far: $8.93 including taxes. Assuming a family of four the total would be $35.72.

I'm starting to get excited now. My first step toward being prepared for an emergency, hooray! It's not much yet, but at least it gives me somewhere to hide from the terrorists.

Disasters Can Strike At Any Time!