We all know the basics for a survival kit, but there are few things people don’t really think of. Do you know what those items are? Well, if you answered no, or even if you answered yes, take a look at the list below and see how many things you can check off. See how prepared you are for a disaster or emergency.

Things for your survival kit: (items should last a person 3-5 days)

1. Water and/or a way to purify water

2. Food

3. First Aid Kit

4. Flashlight or source of light

5. Communication (cell phone, amateur ham radio, phone that plugs into a wall jack)

6. AM/FM Radio

7. Batteries and charging cords

8. Some type of shelter or way to out of the weather

9. Emergency Blanket or way to stay warm

10. Dust Mask and Gloves

Things people don’t think much about: money, your daily medicines, and important documents. If the disaster is bad enough you won’t be able to just run to the ATM or even use your debit or credit cards. So, cash will be your only way to pay for items. The amount doesn’t have to break the bank, but enough that should you get caught short of a needed item you will be able to get it.

Your daily medicines are just as important as food and water. If you are diabetic, have a heart condition or asthma, just to name a few ailments, your medicine could be a life saver for you. In your disaster kit you should keep a 3-5 day supply of whatever medicines you can store without refrigeration. Non-life saving medicines can also be stored in the kit as well. Just remember your kit will not have a temperature controlled environment, so make sure your medicines don’t need temperature control.

Lastly, a way to prove “who you are,” most people keep some items in a safe place like a Safe deposit box, but a safe deposit box probably won’t be available in an emergency. Keeping your documents/copies in a small or medium fire rated safe is a way to make them portable, should you need them, and they will be safe should a fire break out because of the disaster or emergency. The items you should have in there or have copies of are: Birth Certificates, Social Security Cards or numbers, Passports, Deed/Mortgage paperwork, Vehicle Registrations/Pink Slips, Insurance Information (home, auto, life, and medical), Bank Account information, Credit Card information, List of Doctors with contact information, List of Current Medicines with dosage instructions. These items may get lost or stolen, but if you have them in a safe or copies in a safe, you will have all the information you should need it in a hurry, during or after a disaster or emergency. Another way to keep a lot of this information handy is to put it all down in a small note tablet, inside the safe. You can get a premade Disaster Kit, which you can add your personal items to and you will be on your way to being prepared.