Beacon Journal | 09/09/2005 | Families need emergency plan

Beacon Journal | 09/09/2005 | Families need emergency plan

These are all great ideas. A long time ago in a city right here when your's truly was a Boy Scout slogging his way toward Eagle (which I made) we all had to earn a merit badge called Emergency Preparedness. I have gotten lax in my preperations of late.

One thing about water though - remember that water weighs 8 pounds per gallon (roughly), so you are talking 24 pounds you may need to slog around if you need to evacuate. A water filter is a better idea. If you go that route though remember most water filters sold on the market only remove foul odors and the like. To remove the nasties in water you need a filter that is something along the lines of 2 microns AND I would recommend a carbon filter for flavor as well. These are not cheap (last I checked $200), but that particular one is rated at 13,000 gallons and should last a lifetime. Even with a filter don't forget a canteen or some other way to store filtered water.

One other piece of advice - if you keep clothes in your kit remember to swap them out seasonally. This is true especially if you have children.