Where to keep your 72 hour kits
When disaster strikes, whether you are given 24 hours notice or 2 minutes notice, a very important thing you can do to keep your family protected is to have easy access to your 72 hour kits. It’s natural to get flustered and anxious when an unexpected event occurs, so if your 72 hour kits are kept in a place that you can access easily on your way out the door, you will be more likely to take them with you. It’s amazing that all the time an effort spent to put together emergency supplies can be completely wasted if you are unable to get to your kits in time or you don’t remember where you’ve put them. Some of the best places to keep your kits are in a hall closet nearest to the door that you exit from the most, in your garage, or even in your car if you have room.
If you choose to put them in a closet, make sure they are accessible and not shoved in the back or left under a pile of old kids toys, shoes, and spare diapers, which occasionally happens to mine. If you always leave the house through your front door, it would be wise to not leave your kits in a closet at the back of the house and vise versa. The key is to choose a location that is easy to get to and is on route to your most likely exit point.
If you choose to leave them in the garage, a good idea would be to install hooks on the wall near the door so you can just grab them and go. Or designate a shelf that you can get to quickly. If you have room to store them in your car then that is great. Just make sure to take them out if you ever take your car in for service so that they are still available to you. The last thing you need is to go to all the trouble of having 72 hour kits then not being able to use them when you need them because your car is getting new tires.
It is also a good idea to take your kits with you if you plan on driving for a vacation. We’ve been having record snowfall in the mountains of Colorado this year. Just last month, hundreds of drivers were stuck on I-70, just west of Denver, Colorado, when the road was shut down during a big blizzard. There was no where to turn around and no way of getting off the interstate. People were stuck in their vehicles all night, during the middle of a blizzard no less, until crews were able to make sure no avalanches were going to cover the interstate from all the new snow. I would be surprised if any of those drivers had access to 72 hour kits. Just imagine how much better their nights would have been with a space blanket and some high calorie food bars.
