1. Got Duct Tape?

I have a friend who always carries duct tape in her car and 72 hour emergency kit. She swears you can fix anything with it and has used it to temporarily repair car hoses, taillights, windows, AND entertain her kids.So how can you use this miracle stuff in an emergency? Here’s a list of 34 ways you can use it for survival. 

Make sure you store the heavy duty kind, not the cutesy crafty stuff. You can find it here.

2. First Aid Night 

Learn/review basic first aid and CPR. Replenish your first aid kits (one for your home and for each car). You can find what the American Red Cross says your kit should include here.

Have a first aid night with another family. Assign topics in advance for kids and parents to teach and practice on one another: choking, burns, fractures and dislocations, strains and sprains, external bleeding, heart attack, frostbite and hypothermia, heart attack, bloody noses, eye injuries, insect stings and bites, heat stroke and heat exhaustion, internal injuries, muscle cramps, poisoning, seizures and shock, stroke, spinal injuries, rescue breathing, and emergency action steps (check the scene, call 9-1-1, care for the victim).

Here’s a perfect little kit you can make for your car from Natalie at Doodlecraft.

My son made them in scouts years ago. We have one in each vehicle. It’s a great project for your kids!

3. Review with family what to do concerning food if the electricity goes off for an extended period of time:

FIRST, use perishable food and foods from the refrigerator.

THEN, use foods from the freezer.

To minimize the number of times you open the freezer door, post a list of freezer contents on it. In a well-filled, well-insulated freezer, foods will usually still have ice crystals in their centers (meaning foods are safe to eat) for at least 3 days.

FINALLY, begin to use non-perishable foods and staples.

Shari