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#NatlPrep: The Gift Of Preparedness 2016 Note: This is day 20 of National Preparedness Month . Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NatlPrep hash tag.


Nearly nine years and more than 10,000 blogs ago, in Hickory Farms Will Hate Me For This, I began promoting the idea that - instead of gifting cheese platters, fruitcakes and ugly sweaters - we should be giving our loved ones preparedness items for holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.

As the CDC graphic above illustrates, nearly half of all Americans families don't even have the basics to deal with a short term emergency, much less a major disaster.

Which is why over the past decade I’ve given water filters, LED lanterns, NWS weather radios, MREs, batteries, first aid kits, and emergency stoves to friends and family.

Things that most people know they should have, but will rarely go out and buy for themselves.  Most of these items are inexpensive - many under $20 - but are invaluable when you really need them. Cost per bucket?  About $30.  But enough food to keep two people going for ten days or more in an emergency.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a particular interest in (ok, its more of a fetish for)  LED flashlights and lanterns.  Probably because I lived so many years aboard a boat with hot, smelly kerosene lanterns.

LEDs are far preferable to many other light sources because they run a very long time on batteries, and don't pose the fire hazard of candles or kerosense, and don't produce heat or fumes.

I bought 5 to test out.  One for my car, one for my bug out bag, and three for stocking stuffers.   Since then, I've bought several more. High on the list of things to have is a way to make water potable. Although (unscented) bleach will work, it requires measuring, and imparts a taste to the water many dislike.  An option that has gotten a lot less expensive in recent years are filtration systems, like the LifeStraw ®. Every home should have a battery operated radio, yet many do not.  Some are available with crank or solar charging.  In any event, you'll want something which can pick up the NOAA NWS Emergency Broadcaster in you region. 

A walk through any camping supply or hardware store will provide plenty of inspiration.   Just ask yourself . . . what would you want if the power and water were out for few days, and the stores were closed?

And we can start doing that, one gift at a time.

Posted by Michael Coston at 12:10 PM