I wanted a spot for alllll the little possible emergency things that you hopefully never have to use, but you kinda want in one easy location, just in case?
we grabbed a tub and we keep the tub in the area of our home where we’d shelter if we were at risk for a tornado. (and we keep the tub near our Evacuation Bag, too.) that way the emergency things can be easily accessed at home while sheltering or could be grabbed for an evacuation situation, but also just as easily be utilized for a camping weekend, a hiking excursion, a road trip.
please note because of the contents, we keep our Emergency Tub wayyyy up high in the closet. so while it’s still easily accessible when needed via step ladder, it’s not so accessible that it’s a risk for KK.
now, let me say this. emergency preparedness can be very overwhelming. but I say done is better than perfect. below is what we have for now - we add to it here and there as we can.
and know that Brett makes fun of me endlessly. until we need these things. :)
above all it gives me incredible peace of mind to have these things and our Evacuation Bag ready, and that’s really all that matters. one of my favorite ways to take care of Future Haley.
in our Emergency Tub, we keep:
a big resealable bag with a roll of trash bags
small bottle of bleach
two life straws
emergency blankets + rain ponchos
a big resealable bag of lighters, waterproof matches, emergency candles
We keep our flashlights in a separate nearby bag - more on this in the next section!
work gloves + eye mask
dust masks + extra masks
a big resealable bag of toilet paper, two travel packs of tissues, and a pack of moist wipes*
*I think the moist wipes were a freebie from the grocery store, so I just threw them in here.
granola bars, nuts, Oreos, peanut butter crackers, applesauce pouches, toddler pouches
In our garage we keep tarps and bungee cords.
A few notes:
This is just what we have currently. with time (and additional income) I’ll add other things we think would be helpful.
The links are to what we have, but I can’t attest for their quality, since thankfully we haven’t had to use the majority of these things yet.
in January I check all of our emergency things. I see what is expiring in the next year and I move it to our pantry to be used. I check sizes, I make sure nothing is leaking, I see if anything needs to be added due to any recent changes, etc etc.
I also have a note on my monthly routines to spot check everything, but since I don’t always do that, I know that it definitely gets done in January. Because what’s the point of having an emergency stash if the snacks are expired and the clothes in the Evacuation Bag are way too small? This routine gives me another huge dose of peace.
We also have a Bag O Flashlights.
The Emergency Tub is way up high, so we do keep our flashlights at a normal, easy-to-reach level nearby. Just because if our power goes out, I’m not searching around in the dark, you know?
And again, we keep our Bag O Flashlights where we would shelter for a tornado, but also near our Evacuation Bag and our Emergency Tub. Another one stop shop, if you will. But our Bag O Flashlights does get used the most often of our emergency stuff, as power outages are thankfully the thing that happens most often, so we like having them separate.
We keep the following things in a big resealable bag so that it’s easy to grab when the power goes out:
during our week of power outages with that Ice Storm, these lanterns were amazing. holy cow.
one lantern does live in the trunk of my car
various flashlights we’ve acquired
because both we and KK sleep with white noise. and i still need us to sleep well even during a power outage
And we have our Emergency Water Stash.
We keep our Emergency Water Stash in the same area of our home we’d shelter for potential tornados so we could easily access it then, and it’s also near our Evacuation Bag so we could take some with us, if need be.
I’m currently working on replenishing our stash of extra water. The past few grocery orders I’ve just added one to four gallons of water each time. Easy peasy.
That Ice Storm in Texas in 2021 where our water supply was cut off? You couldn’t find water anywhere in our area. People were panicking. People were trying to melt snow. I cannot emphasize how grateful I was that we had water, as well as a few emergency bottles of premade formula for Baby KK.
Brett made fun of me endlessly before that week for having extra water on hand, but since we had that Storm, he hasn’t teased me since. After all, my water stash was the only way he could make his beloved morning cup of coffee.
Let me emphasize again: you do whatever works best for you. I recently purchased this guy to turn our bathtub into additional water storage for my peace of mind.
We also have a ton of 5-gallon buckets in our garage for when I work as a wedding florist, and those come in very handy for emergency water situations, too.
And we keep two life straws in our Emergency Tub, and two reusable water bottles in our Evacuation Bag.
Curious what else we keep on hand in our home to feel more prepared? Read all about my prepared-ish home!
Don’t forget about our Bag O Emergency Toys
we have a bag of toys that I keep near the evacuation stuff, which means it’s also kept where we shelter for tornados. which means if I need to occupy/distract KK in either of these situations - sheltering or evacuating - I have easy access to some special toys. (even if evacuating just means going to a hotel for a few nights, having some special toys would be so handy.)
see more about our Bag O Emergency Toys here.
and that’s it! a few emergency things corralled into one place.
again, you do whatever works best for you - having all this organized just brings me an incredible amount of peace. and know that brett makes fun of me endlessly…until we need these things. :)
preparing for emergencies is one of the best ways to take care of Future You.
curious what else we keep on hand to be prepared? read all about my prepared-ish home!
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