Sundiata’s Emergency Survival Bag
EMERGENCY SURVIVAL BAG
by Sundiata Acoli and Pinky
(Updated 10/11)
Store the following items in a backpack, carry-on bag or duffle bag(s) so that in the event of a natural or man-made disaster there’s no need to think; simply grab the bag(s) and go to a safe place in the house or away from the danger area.
*WATER*
– Store fresh water in a canteen can, wineskin bag or in one-gallon plastic, tin or glass bottles. Refill containers with fresh water every six-months. In a last minute emergency, fill the bathtub and sinks with water and/or use the water standing in the toilet’s flush tank, the hot-water heater’s tank, and the toilet bowl. Treat the water in the toilet bowl as contaminated water.
– Store clear plastic bag(s) or plastic sheets and duct tape for use in catching rainwater or collecting dew mist and condensed water in the outdoors or at sea. Because a tree holds an enormous amount of water, if you place a clear plastic bag over a ‘leafy green’ branch you’ll force it to cough up some of the water through condensation. But it’s important to make sure the bag is tightly sealed around the branch or it won’t produce any water at all. Plastic bags/sheets are also useful as makeshift rain gear and for temporarily sealing off (with duct tape) items, rooms and other interiors from seepage by water or gas.
– Store water purification tablets which may also be used and are available in drug stores and sporting goods stores. Four tablets will purify one quart of water.
– Store iodine (should be 2% United States Pharmacopoeia strength). Household iodine from the medicine chest of first aid kit will purify water. Add 20 drops per gallon of clear water, and 40 drops per gallon of cloudy water. Seal the container and let stand for 30 minutes. The water supply will be safe for an indefinite period.
– Store regular Clorox bleach (contains 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, no additives) for use in purifying contaminated water. Purify contaminated water as follows:
Purifying Water Using Liquid Clorox Bleach — When the tap water stops flowing, Regular Clorox Beach isn’t just a laundry-aid, it’s a lifesaver. Use it to purify water, and you’ll have something to drink. First let water stand until particles settle (12 to 24 hours), then scoop the water out and strain it through a paper towel or several layers of clean cloth. Pour the clear water into an uncontaminated container and add regular Clorox bleach per the chart below. Mix well. Wait 30 min. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat dose. Wait 15 min. Sniff again.
Store an eyedropper by taping it to your emergency battle of Clorox bleach, since purifying small amounts of water requires only a few drops.
Ratio of Clorox Bleach to Water for Purification:
2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per quart of water
8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per gallon of water
1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water
If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.
Don’t pour purified water into contaminated containers. To sanitize water jugs first, mix 1 tablespoon Regular Clorox Bleach with one gallon of water. Always wash and rinse items first, then let each item soak in Clorox Bleach Sanitizing Solution for 2 minutes. Drain and air dry.
Purifying Water by Boiling – Boil water for 2 to 3 minutes, and then pour the water back and fourth between sanitized containers to restore the air and fresh taste to the water.
Purifying Water by Distilling – Although boiling water or mixing Clorox, etc. in it will purify most water, neither method will remove microbes that resist boiling, heavy metal, salts or most other harmful chemicals. To remove these harmful microbes and chemicals the water must be distilled. This means boiling the water so that its steam vapors can be recovered. The collected steam vapors that condense back to water is the distilled water.
To distill water pour it into a pot which has a cover or lid. Only fill the pot half way with water. Then use wire or string to suspend an empty cup in the pot over the water (but not touching the water) so that when the cover is closed over the pot and the cup, the steam from the boiling water will drop from the cover into the cup. Boil the water for 20 minutes. The water in the cup is distilled water and is free from most harmful chemicals or other contaminants.
*COMMUNICATIONS*
Store as many of the following as possible in your emergency bag:
-MICROLINK FR 160 Hand-cranked/Solar powered combination radio and flashlight, plus cell phone charger. Generate power to this compact hand-held unit with a few turns of the hand crank or by simply setting it in the sun. The radio is AM/FM with a NOAA Weather band for weather broadcasts, alerts and other emergency messages. The flashlight has 3 built in LEDs to light your way thru the dark and the USB phone-charger charges virtually any cell phone or other small electrical device. Various makes and models are available for $15 to $35 by going to Amazon.com and typing in: hand crank flashlight/radio/phone charger or by searching for the same or similar items at costco.com or homedepot.com.
– A portable radio (AM/FM, shortwave bands, etc.) with extra assorted batteries (C, AA, AAA, D)
– Address/telephone book with ball-point pen and pencils
– Everlight flashlight (no batteries required, operates by motion/shaking, lasts a lifetime, water and shock proof, floats, call 1-800-679-1416 to order at $19.95 for 1 regular Everlight and 1 Pen Everlight flashlight).
– Stainless steel mirror to signal by land or sea (tape the Morse code to the back of the mirror)
– Referee’s whistle
– Extra pair of eyeglasses
– Maps of adjacent states
– Hand compass
– Canned spray paint or ribbon rolls to mark trails or locations
– Hand held GPS unit (Global Positioning System – accesses satellites that orbit the planet so you can determine your exact position on the planet)
– Adapter for car cigarette lighter to plug in electrical units
– Phone card
– Cell phone
– Lap top
(Morse Code Alphabet is available at http://morsecode.scphillips.com/morse.html)
*PROTECTION*
Store as many of the following as possible in your emergency bag:
– Handgun, rifle, shotgun or pellet/BB gun and ammo for each weapon
– Boy Scout knife, Bowie knife or hatchet
– In a ziplock plastic water proof bag store xerox copies of your birth certificate, passport, drivers license, social security card, titles to property, bank statement, marriage license, and other important papers
– Blanket, sleeping bag or tent, disposable cigarette lighters
– Coat, boots, gloves, socks, jeans, thermal underwear, cap
– Antibiotics (ciprofloxacin or doxycycline are anti-anthrax drugs), first-aid kit, personal prescription medicines
– Painters mask or gas mask, Home Depot’s plastic Tyvek painters suit to use as an improvised anti-chemical/bio warfare (CBW) suit
– Potassium iodide tablets to be taken as an antidote after exposure to nuclear radiation.
– Geiger counter
*FOOD*
Store power bars, ready-to-eat meals and packages of dried fruits, nuts, vegetables, meats, crackers and drinks (Tang, powdered milk), honey, all purpose camping skillet-pot, portable camp stove and fuel.