What should be inside your disaster survival bag?

Post date: Aug 26, 2019 4:54:24 PM

Disasters can strike at any time. And with climate change making weather conditions worse and more unpredictable, people have to do what they can to prepare themselves for the worst. This is why disaster survival kits or bags have become a staple for every home. According to public safety expert Capt. Martin Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, the contents of survival kits or bags should contain everything a person or a small group would need to survive for a few days. Here are just some essentials you need to have in your survival bag.

Water: In any emergency bag, a rule of thumb when it comes to water is that one liter of water should be allotted for one day. While you can use water bottles, it’s best to use reusable water bottles instead because the plastic could contaminate the water if left sitting for a long time.

Bleach: It’s always good to have a small bottle of bleach as part of your survival kit. Bleach can be used to help disinfect water from sources like tap or from rivers or lakes.

First aid kit: Having a first aid kit lets you patch up and clean small wounds and prevent them from getting infected which can make the situation worse. If you take medication regularly, also place a few of those as part of your kit.

Captain Martin Sanders recommends that everything inside your survival kit should be stored in waterproof bags to prevent contents from being affected by rainwater of flood.

Capt. Martin Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, has more than a decade of service in the field of epidemiology and occupational safety and health, with extensive experience in biological defense activities and infectious disease outbreak investigation. For more insightful reads on public safety, visit this blog.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.