What is this “grab & go bag” I keep referring to, anyway? The “grab & go bag” (or the “oh crap bag”, as in “oh crap, we gotta run!” *chuckle*) is a necessity according to most self-reliance and emergency preparedness experts. You may also hear it referred to as a 72-hour kit, based on the estimate that it will take approximately 72 hours for repair crews and such to get to you in situations like disasters. Basically, during that first three days, if you’re prepared, it doesn’t matter that you’re alone. You’ll be ready, because you’ll have 3 days’ worth of water, nutritious, non-perishable foods, at least one change of clothes, a flashlight, hand-crank or battery-powered radio and other essential supplies. This is the perfect place, of course, to store the electronic copies of your important documents and some cash as well. Don’t forget, your corporate credit card will do you no good in times of survival. Cash or an item that can be bartered…that’s what will get you through.
In my mind, a First Aid kit is a given too. Those of you who operate stores are probably required by your state to have a First Aid kit handy anyway. I implore you to have one even if you are a home-based business owner. Road warriors should have them too…even the smallest car has enough space for a First Aid kit and emergency blanket, flares, and the grab & go bag. I used to drive a Pontiac Vibe (cute little car, but I always joked it was so small I could put it in my pocket in high crime areas) and found room in the rear cargo area along the sides of my spare tire for my emergency kit and such. Now I drive a pick-up truck and have made plenty of room in my cab for the same items. If you take the time to look around your office, vehicle, or home, you will realize that even areas that appear to be short on storage have room for these simple items.
And should disaster strike, you will be glad you took the time to be prepared. You cannot afford not to do so. The business-owners who have weathered tornadoes, hurricanes and other acts of nature can vouch for that.
Want more details on how to create a grab & go bag or other information about disaster preparedness? Visit Ready.gov or check the archives of Backwoods Home Magazine.
(PS Since you're seeing these posts, you can pretty well figure out my power is finally back on. Four hours, a dozen candles, a flashlight, two lanterns [one kerosene, one battery powered], two games of Go Fish and three games of Chutes & Ladders later....)
Excellent common sense! I have made it through many hurricanes, tornados, wind storms, etc. over the years so try to be well prepared.
My home based business did quite well during a power outage! During the Clinton inauguration we had a tremendous storm out here in WA state. We lost power for 11 days. Many of my customers, I sell dollhouses & supplies, were home because the power was out where they worked! This was great for me! Kerosene heaters & the fireplace kept us toasty warm. Oil lamps strategically placed gave us plenty of light. I hand wrote all receipts with the receipt pads we use at the dollhouse & miniature shows! We had more customers that week than we had had in the past month!
Posted by: Cheryl Hart | February 1, 2006 8:53 PM | Permalink to Comment