Emergency Supply Christmas Gift List

Christmas is right around the corner.  Before we get started on the weekly tasks, here are some Christmas gift ideas for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list:

• Gas Wrench: Do you have the right tool to turn off your gas if you have a leak after an earthquake?  Lots of tools will work for this, but the gas valve can be hard to turn, so make sure you have something with a long enough handle to give yourself a little leverage.  Here is one option.
• Sprouting supplies: Did you know it's really easy to grow your own fresh and delicious sprouts in 3-4 days? They are full of vitamins and are a good substitute when fresh vegetables aren't available.  I've tried several types of sprouting containers, including a mason jar with mesh over the top (which worked okay), but I have found this one to be the easiest. You can sprout seeds from the grocery store (lentils, mung beans, wheat berries) or buy a mix like this one.  Be careful with beans, though. Mung beans, adzuki beans and garbanzos are fine, but other types of beans have a mild toxin that is difficult to digest when the beans are eaten raw or as sprouts (it breaks down when they are cooked).   This site has lots of great info about sprouting.  
• First Aid Kit: Do you have first aid kits in your home and your car? Do you want to be a hero when someone else's kid gets a boo-boo at the park?   Target has a wide selection of pre-packaged first aid kits for homes and cars, or you can assemble your own.  It's not a bad idea to have a mini kit in your purse and diaper bag too.
• Water Storage Containers:  I don't like to be thirsty and I don't want to stand in long lines to get water after an earthquake breaks a water main, so I store water in several ways.  I like these 5-gallon mylar bags because they are cheap and can be put in a box that can be stacked.  Just make sure the box doesn't have staples sticking up out of the bottom that will puncture the bag, causing it to leak all over your kitchen floor, because then you will be sad.  And mad.  If you want to move your water storage out of your house and into your yard, patio, or deck, consider  15-, 30-, or 55-gallon barrels.  (If you find these cheaper locally, let me know!)  If you get a barrel, you'll need one of these to open it.  Keep in mind that a 55-gallon barrel of water weights 400 pounds, so you won't be moving it once you fill it up.  Of course, you can always store water in clean, empty, juice or soda containers squirreled around your house.  But don't use plastic milk cartons because they degrade and start to leak over time and then the bottom of your closet will be wet and you will be sad.  And mad.  And if you aren't that bright, you will think it was a fluke and do it again.  And then your closet will be wet again.  And then you will be really mad.    
• LED Lantern:  LED bulb technology has come a long way in the last few years.  LED flashlights and lanterns are bright and have great battery life.  I have this lantern, which runs for 40-90 hours on one set of 3 D batteries.  I also have my eye on these:  quad lantern with removable panels, folding lantern, solar rechargeable lantern.  Gas and liquid-fuel lanterns are generally unsafe for indoor use, so if you want multi-directional lighting during a power outage, an LED lantern is a good option. 
• Flashlights:  There are lots of inexpensive LED flashlights on the market these days, with bright lights and long battery life.  I have 5 or 6 little LED flashlights I bought for $3 each and they are all pretty flaky.  The more expensive ones I have work fantastically.  So you might not want to get the absolute cheapest thing you find, but you don't have to spend a lot.   I'm hoping to find this little guy in my stocking this year.  It's a good idea to have a flashlight in your purse, your car, and by your bed. 
• Light Sticks: After an earthquake, experts recommend that you don't use anything that uses electricity (flashlight, light switch) if you believe you have a gas leak, because a small spark could start a fire.  I'm not sure how likely you are to actually ignite a giant fireball of burning gas by turning on your flashlight, but these light sticks are an inexpensive and safe alternative light source and will be a fun distraction for kids in a real emergency situation. 
• Go Bag:  Put together Go-Bags for your family and pets.  A Go-Bag is a bag of supplies that can be grabbed and carried with you if you have to evacuate very quickly...it is part of your 72-hour kit, but less comprehensive, since a 72-hour kit which should contain more than you could probably carry  (like 3 gallons of water per person).  Click here for a sample Go-Bag list. 
• Notebook with waterproof paper and space pen:  The paper in this notebook repels water like plastic, but you can write on it with regular pencils and pens. The pen will write at any angle - even upside down.  Plus it works in zero gravity, and that's just plain cool.
• Pocket Chain Saw: Seriously?  You can chop down a tree with this thing?  I'm tempted to buy it just to see if it really works.  Update: I bought it.  And I will be sawing off a stump in the back yard this weekend.
• Inreach for Smartphones: Do you ever find yourself in Antarctica with no cell phone coverage?  Then this is what you need.  Also, it will allow you to use your cell phone if all the cell phone towers fall down in an earthquake.  It's not cheap, though, so you will have to be pretty committed if you want to keep posting those Facebook status updates during the post-disaster mayhem.  Thanks for the tip, Dula.