By Bill Montgomery

What will you miss most if a disaster happens and you have nothing when you run out of the house or down into the basement. Anyone who has had to take cover in a tornado or run out into the night in an earthquake knows how it feels when you have nothing. It is a necessity to provide you and your family with a survival bag and place it where you can get to it on the way to safety. If your area has tornadoes just put the bag in the shelter area you have set aside. If your area has earthquakes make sure to put the bag in an area you will have to go past in order to get out of the building.

You can use a duffel bag but the best bag to use is a book bag or back pack. You can put the straps over your shoulders and you will never loose the bag. You can have a large one for one person in the family to carry or smaller ones for each member of the family. Make certain that everyone is aware of the location of the bags. Make sure everyone knows the procedure on how to grab the bags and get to safety. If you do drills, especially when you have small children, they will automatically grab the bag and go to the safe area without panicking and without question.

Contents of a survival bag vary but high on the list is a flashlight that runs by battery and include extra batteries. You can also get what is called a crank flashlight and these work better if you are going to be in the dark for more than a few hours. The handle must be cranked for a few minutes and the flashlight will work for a couple of hours. Once the light goes out you just start cranking again and you do not need batteries. Another good thing to have is a battery operated radio or a crank radio that works on the same system as the flashlight.

You will also need a first aid kit that will include some antiseptic, gauze and bandages. Any medication taken on a regular basis should be included but always remove it every so often and replace it with new medication so it will not expire when you need to use it. If you take medication that has to be refrigerated you can try to get to the refrigerator on your way to safety. If it is too dangerous do not try it. If you cannot get to your medications find a Red Cross volunteer as soon as the emergency is over.

Contact wearers might want to think about putting a contact case and extra solution in the bag so you can take them out if needed. Keep an old pair of glasses and put them in the bag just in case. Women need to add feminine products just in case the emergency happens when they might need them.

Make copies of important documents and put them in the bag. Good things to copy are state ID cards, driver's licenses, social security cards, health insurance cards, the papers for your house or renters insurance and anything else you might need. Do not put originals in the bag. Put in as much paper money as you can afford. You might not be able to go to the ATM machine for quite some time when there is an emergency.

You need some water and food in your survival bag so put in some bottled water and rotate it every once in awhile. Try to add non perishable foods to your survival kit if possible. You might want to put in a pocket knife as well. Include a book of matches or two. If you can fit a change of clothing or several including socks and underwear you should put them in there. You can also get blankets that have a silver side and will either retain heat if it is cold or help to shield you from heat if it is hot. Consider including family photos just in case you get separated. This will help in searching for the lost family member.

A survival bag is a necessity to keep you and your family safe during a large power outage or natural disaster. This bag can be a link to your safety and survival in a hard situation. Be sure to keep it where you can get to it fast and take it with you to a safe place. Families that do not have much money to create a bag can still create one little by little with just a few necessities. You will appreciate it if you ever have to use it.