7 Day Challenge Day 1: 72 HOUR KITS

Welcome to the 2024 7 Day Challenge. For 7 days, we are testing our Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage Plans. Each day will bring about a NEW mini challenge that will focus on a different aspect of our preparedness plans.

In order to receive each day’s emergency scenario in your email please sign up for the 7 Day Challenge email list or subscribe via text by texting 7daychallenge to 717-788-3663.

REMEMBER: To get the most out of the challenge, don’t be too literal about the scenarios. Modify them to fit YOUR family’s situation. Also, try to actually DO each day’s challenge. Don’t try to justify why you wouldn’t “need” to. The point is to PRACTICE our skills!

DAY 1: 72 Hour Kits

72 hour kits are an important part of any emergency preparedness plan. In face it’s one of the first things I recommend putting together when you are just getting started. Today we are going to talk about when you might need to use your kit, practice cooking something out of it, and making sure our kits are updated and rotated!

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS:

Earthquake: You could be trapped or unable to return home due to damage
Flooding: Evacuations or road closures can leave you stranded
Hurricanes/Tornadoes: Power outages, road blockages, or evacuation orders
Wildfires: Evacuations are common when fires are raging
Power Outages: Extended power outages, especially during extreme weather (heat waves or winter storms), may necessitate relying on your 72-hour kit, especially if you don’t have other supplies yet.
Chemical Spills: Nearby chemical or hazardous material spills can lead to evacuation orders.
Civil Unrest: It may become unsafe to stay in your home and/or you may be forced to leave quickly.
Pandemics/Epidemics: Stores could be closed or inaccessible for a short period of time.
Terrorist Attacks: There may be immediate dangers (e.g., explosions, biological threats) or disruptions to essential services.

MINI CHALLENGE:

Remember the mini challenge can be done at any time during the day that fits your schedule. Take some time to actually DO the task and don’t just “think” your way through it.

🎒 Leave your home with ONLY your 72 hour kits in hand (bonus points if you “evacuate” on foot)
🍽️ Choose one meal to make out of your kit
🍳 Cook up your food using only the supplies in your kit
🧼 Clean up your mess including washing your dishes
📷 Take some pictures along the way of your adventures today
🗣️ Share your experiences in our Facebo ok Group daily discussion thread
✔️ Go through the “evaluate” section below and look for any things missing or that need to up updated in your kits. Add them to your worksheets found under the “plan” section.

EVALUATE:

Inventory your resources in your disaster kits. Here are a few questions to ask yourself :

72 Hour Kit Food: How many calories per day do your kits contain? Is that enough to fuel you if you are expending a lot of energy? What is the shelf life of the foods in your kit? How will you cook the items? Will your kids eat the items you have in your kits? Do you have water stored? Do you have a way to purify more water? (view posts on creating 72 hour kits here and here, check out the new Thrive emergency food bucket here, watch a cooking class on 72 hour kit food ideas here)
Disaster Kits: Are any first aid supplies in your kit expired? Do you have clothes that need to be rotated out? What are your light sources? Heat sources? What do you have for hygiene supplies? Do you need to restock any of it? (view Disaster Kit page for more help on this topic)
Pet Preparedness: Do you have supplies ready in case you have to evacuate with your four-legged friends or other pets? (view Pets and Preparedness post for ideas on this topic)

PLAN:

Print out the worksheets below and add items you need to do, to learn, and to buy as you find holes in your preparedness plans throughout the week. Print multiple sheets as needed. These worksheets will become your road map for improving your preps over the next few months.

I will also be posting a lot on instagram (@jodi_foodstoragemadeeasy) over the next few days as I go through the challenges on my own. Come join the fun there and use hash tag #fsme7daychallenge if you are sharing your own adventures as well.