How To Survive An Emergency On Your Own
Preparing ahead of time for severe weather, natural disasters, and other emergencies is probably one of the smartest things you can do.
We’ve already talked about how to prepare your home itself for the arrival of severe weather.
The next step is to put together a DIY emergency survival kit that could get you through a few days on your own — in the event that you suddenly find yourself stranded.
Living in Florida, I’ve packed for evacuation before (a few different times, actually). And if YOU live in an area that is susceptible to wildfires or hurricanes and flooding, then you should probably have a plan for your own hasty evacuation too.
Making up an emergency survival kit for your household is kind of similar.
Why You Need An Emergency Survival Kit
You don’t want to get caught off-guard without the basic necessities of life to take care of yourself and your family — in the event that help can’t get to you right away for some reason.
Here are some scenarios when you might need to use your home survival kit:
- If you lose electricity or experience a blackout in your area
- If your home has been damaged and you need a way to survive without your usual food, housing, and comfort items
- If you’ve become trapped in your home — or would be putting yourself in danger if you went outside
- If damage or destruction has occurred in town — at the places where you typically buy groceries, clothing, and other necessities of life
- If you’re told to shelter in place
How To Make A DIY Emergency Survival Kit
You can either buy a survival kit, or make your own.
The only thing is… you should do it now BEFORE an emergency strikes.
Can you imagine how bad you’d feel if something happened in the next few weeks (or months) and you didn’t have the right supplies on hand?
To make your own emergency survival kit, simply gather up these items:
- A waterproof and rechargeable, crank, squeeze, or solar-powered flashlight. We like the durability of this Energizer flashlight and the glow handle feature of this Life Gear flashlight.
- A reliable radio that also runs on a rechargeable power source. The Midland ER310 is our favorite.
- Plenty of water. These collapsible water containers with spigot are perfect for short-term water storage AND longterm storage as well.
- First-aid kit. This one is affordable and includes everything you could possibly need.
- Toiletries. They make a toiletry kit for men and one for women, which is convenient. But you don’t really need to buy anything… just toss your own toiletries into a small bag.
- Non-perishable food. You’ll need the right food AND enough food to provide adequate daily calories and nutrients. Here’s an emergency food supply list to get you started.
- Something to pass the time. Cards, a small board game, or other simple items to help your kids (and yourself!) pass the time.
You’ll want to keep everything in your survival kit neatly organized & readily accessible in 1 of these 2 ways:
- Inside of a backpack — because it’s easy to grab-and-go, and it can even be worn on your back leaving your hands free for other things (a dog on a leash, your kids, carrying other items, talking on your phone)
OR - Inside of a plastic tote that has a handle — because it’s easy to carry from room to room OR from your house to the car, and it keeps everything inside safe and dry at all times
A GOOD READ: 10 Unusual Survival Tips & Tools You Probably Wouldn’t Think Of
Before You Buy A Basic Emergency Survival Kit
If you don’t want to (or don’t have the time to) gather items for a DIY emergency survival kit, the other option is to buy a survival kit that includes most of the above items.
You want to be a little picky when shopping for a survival kit. After all, only the best emergency survival kits are truly worth buying.
Here are 3 of the top survival kits online that you might want to consider:
These are the top 9 emergency survival books available online:
Knowledge is key, never stop learning! The more you know, the more you are able to adapt and overcome situations you and your family may face. There are many books out that that are full of information on how to survive nearly anything, and these are great to read.
—to’bryant
The Bottom Line
Putting together a survival kit in preparation for severe weather, natural disasters, and other emergencies just makes sense. Everyone needs to do this.
The worst part: Finding yourself stranded all alone without any way to render basic first aid to yourself and your family OR take care of your basic food, safety, and shelter needs.
The best part: It’s something that you only need to do once — and just one emergency survival kit can be used for ALL types of emergencies and bad weather events!
These are the most common scenarios when you would likely need an emergency survival kit:
- Tornadoes
- Blizzards
- Severe thunderstorms
- Flooding
- Earthquakes
- Hurricanes
- Volcanic eruptions
- Other types of emergency situations
…You just never know!
DIY Emergency Survival Kit Advice From Preppers
In addition to the links I’ve included above, I wanted to share a few other resources to help you create your own emergency survival kit.
The following tips are from people who take prepping for emergencies very seriously. In fact, most of these preppers consider it their full-time HOBBY to always be prepared for any and every type of emergency:
- A Prepper’s Checklist To Help You Survive In Nature by Mike Millerson, a former US Army sergeant who is a highly educated survivalist and prepper with a degree in Engineering and Electronics.
- Your Guide To Wilderness Survival by Andrew McKay at Survival Tactics. He’s a seasoned hunter and fisherman from Anchorage, Alaska and shares his best tips for surviving in nature alone.
- 20 Survival Tips You Need To Know by Jeff Wise, a journalist who specializes in aviation, adventure, and psychology. He was featured in the Netflix documentary “MH370: The Plane That Disappeared.”
- 133 Survival Tips That May Save Your Life One Day by Dan Sullivan at Survival Sullivan, one of the best and oldest survival websites that teaches you how to stay safe.
- 50 Lifesaving Survival Tips & Tricks For The Outdoors by the staff at Authorized Boots, which specializes in all things related to Army boots and tactical gear.
- Wilderness Survival Tips & Outdoor Skills You Need by the staff at Alderleaf Wilderness College, a nature education and wilderness survival school — and publisher of the bestselling book, The Essential Skills of Wilderness Survival.
READ NEXT: The Rule of 3’s: How To Survive If Stranded
As a homeowner, I primarily write about weather safety tips that everyone should know in order to protect their home and family during major weather events. I especially like to share seasonal "outside the box" ideas that most wouldn't think of in the Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall. The weather events I've personally experienced include: Hurricanes (while living in Florida), Tornadoes (while living in Indiana, Texas, and Tennessee), Earthquakes (while visiting California), Blizzards (while living in New York and Indiana), and Flooding (while living in Tennessee).
