Top 7 Emergency Kit Essentials | Survival Guide

The Philippines is visited by an average of 24 typhoons on an annual basis, one super typhoon and sometimes the August monsoon brings too much rain that raging floods devastate us locals. It pays to be ready for these disasters before they come down on us. Dave and I love to plan, but being parents made us realize that preparedness for calamities or even just power outages that might last for hours in a household with an infant and toddlers is of great importance. Hence, the reason for having an emergency kit that can help us get through such ordeals. It consists of items which allow you to navigate your house and begin acting on further protocols, depending on the situation. Here's our top 7 essential items that should be in a Filipino family's emergency or survival kit:

Powerbanks. Staying connected through our mobile phones or other gadgets is important when disasters strike or even when it's just a power outage. You'll never know when you'll need to call for help or assistance, so powerbanks can be quite handy in keeping our gadgets alive and ready when needed. This one is a Romoss Sense 6, which can charge an iPad mini full, up to 4 times or an iPhone up to 8 times. We also have a small Romoss Solo, which charges an iPhone 6 times and they both work great.

Rechargeable LED lights with fan. Gone are the days when we need to look blindly for candles and matches when the power suddenly goes out. These rechargeable LED lights are brighter, more convenient, economical and far safer to use during brownouts especially if like us, there are kids in the house. I can't count the number of times my parents would tell us not to play with lit candles, the obvious risk of the house catching fire was always drilled in our heads but the temptation was always there at the back of our heads. I personally hate getting sweaty, so I love the fact that this model has its own fan. I purchased 3 for us.

Hand press crank flashlight. This flashlight is small, light weight and doesn't need batteries at all. Making it easy to carry around and always ready when needed, perfect for emergencies.

or

LED flashlight or torch. It's the first thing one thinks of once the power goes out is to grab a flashlight, so make sure you have more than one in your house and that you are keeping it in an easy to remember and access place. We have 2 of these, I think we need to get more.

Glow stick bracelets. You might think that these are just for parties, but when you have kids and it's dark, these will be pretty convenient to have around for us parents to know where each child is, your pets or even keep track of each other.

Electronic lighters. Cooking in general involves flames, so having this around (or matches) the house to start a fire can help you get started in making meals even when there is no power or stove on hand.

Headlamp. This can come pretty handy in difficult situations. Like when you get a flat tire on the road, in the middle of the night or need to check the something outside while it's dark and raining. This is a must have in an emergency kit, especially the one placed in the car. 

Batteries. You have to stock up on batteries for flashlights and other devices that aren't rechargeable that you might need in case of emergencies.

Also, here are 2 items that I would love to have for my own survival kit (at home, since I rarely leave the house):

12" Rechargeable Desk Fan. This one is perfect for when it's time to sleep and the power still hasn't come back. I remember those times when I thought my arms would fall out from fanning the kids, all the while I was sweating like a pig. You're arms can only take so much, 8 hours of none stop fanning can really take its toll on you. A 12" desk fan can help a great deal in those kinds of situations, thinking of getting one for each of our kids so Dave and I only need to fan ourselves haha.

Rechargeable stand fan. Do I have to express how much I hate sweating? Having this stand fan during brownouts would be a dream! I am so saving up for this!

We only have one Emergency Kit right now but ideally we would have to set up 6 more and place them in strategic positions all around the house. Keeping in mind that we’ll most likely not know when the power is going to go out and will need quick access to a kit, I recommend these suggestions when deciding where to place them:

• Have an Emergency Kit on each level of your house
• Have a Emergency Kit in each bedroom
• Have a Emergency Kit in each room that is regularly used

With these guidelines in mind, Emergency Kits should be in the following locations:

• Our Bedroom
• The Kids’ Bedroom
• Under the sink in the Kitchen
• In the entertainment center in the Living Room
• Upstairs
• In our Helper's room
• In the Garage

Note: A Medical Kit is different, and that's going to be for a separate article

So that's it! How about you, what's in your emergency kit? Are you ready for when disaster strikes?