Weeks 8 & 9: Not a happy camper

Some might say I'm not a "true" Coloradan. Growing up on the Eastern plains, I never experienced skiing, hiking (in the Rockies) or camping. On occasional visits to my home state, I would like to eventually snowboard and hike the Barr Trail to the top of Pikes Peak, but I don't think I'll ever have an urge to camp in the mountains—or anywhere else for that matter.

It's not that I lack a sense of adventure, I just value the finer things in life, like, for instance, running water. We use it not only to drink, but to wash our hands, bathe, brush our teeth, etc., etc. These are all things to consider when building your disaster kit. Your favorite shampoo/conditioner, deodorant to keep you fresh (and so clean, clean) and a toothbrush and paste to keep the cavities and scolding from your dentist at bay.

While writing this post, I came up with a fabulous idea for collecting toiletry items for your kit. When you're not on the road, consider storing your travel kit in your disaster kit. This will save you cash and time when you're packing up to visit Grandma or to go on a weekend trip. You can also bring your multi-purpose kit along if you decide to go camping, you know, if you like that sort of thing.

Download 21 Weeks to Prepare Shopping List

21 Weeks to Prepare

When disaster strikes, there is rarely time to think about what you need to grab in order to survive. If you are lucky, your home and family will walk away unscathed. The next day you'll go back to work, chauffeuring to school and practices, thinking about what to cook for dinner. Others aren't so lucky. The disaster destroyed their home and memories. They don't have food, clothing or shelter let alone a car to get them around or a stove to cook meals.

At the Red Cross, we like to prepare for the worst. You might call us pessimists, but if our knack for getting the community ready for worst case scenarios helps one family recover following a disaster, or, more importantly, survive during a disaster, then we are happy to serve as your glass half-empty friend.

Starting next Thursday, September 1, we will kick off 21 Weeks to Prepare—a social media campaign to help families and individuals build their own emergency disaster kit. Originally created by a team of Red Cross workers in Bowling Green, KY, 21 Weeks to Prepare breaks up the task of building a disaster kit to help everyone prepare in a way that is economically friendly.

On Thursdays leading up to our 21st week (January 19, 2012) we will blog on a group of items you can buy to build your disaster kit. Our twitter page will also post items and tips. Please help us spread the word, and follow our blog and twitter page for weekly updates. Together, we can help prepare Kentuckiana!