What's in your emergency box/bag?

[KateyCuckoo]

After an incident today, I've decided we need an emergency box or bag for things like power cuts, hospital trips, general emergency moments!

I bet you lot have one..... what's in it?

So far I have
Torches
Power banks
Phone numbers written down
...

What else?

Blanket x

Radio with batteries, bottled water, snack bars.

A few spare of any regular medications you might normally take/pain relief, tissues, feminine hygiene items (if there are females in the family of that age).
Maybe a few basic first aid items such as a couple of bandages/gauze/plasters? A couple of toothbrushes and toothpaste as well perhaps.

My own actual emergency/go bag also doubles up as a weekend away back and has much more though, as I'm a bit fussy/like to be extra prepared, it also includes:

A few changes of t-shirts/PJs/underwear/socks
A couple of power banks and charging cables for it and my phone and a multi usb charger plug
Crisps/chocolate bars/salt/sugar and teabags
Toothbrush/toothpaste/mouthwash
Deodorant, toothflossers and cottonbuds
Several small bottles of water
Shampoo/conditioner/shower gel in travel-sized smaller bottles

Passports, certificates (education, birth, marriage,) contact details for electric etc, family contact details, insurance, several types of currency, credit card. Spare phone with sim.
When we lived overseas embassy contact detsils

I have my handbag, has everything i need - packet of ibroprofen, packet of tissues, San pro and my credit card. Everything else I can acquire.

Upstairs is my overnight bag though which has toiletries, power bank, underwear, camping towel and other bits I use for motorcycle trips. Would take under 5 minutes to pack to leave

Wow you lot are organised! I'd be hard pushed to find anything useful in an emergency. At least my phone has a torch on it.

Our OFRS has
Torch
First aid kit
Cash
Power banks
Batteries
Copies of bc/passport
Biolite stove (runs off wood and has a built in charger)
Essential meds and paracetamol/antihistamine/ibuprofen
Knife
Water purification tabs
Spare pants/san pro
Longlife cereal bars etc
Spare keys

and a few other things

My emergency bag is the one I take to hospital. So pyjamas, dressing gown, knickers, phone charger, meds including paracetamol, book, snack, bottle of water, toothbrush, toothpaste, wet wipes, tissues and, at the moment, haemorrhoid ointment and wipes!
I do have some emergency stores at home though, I always have a good supply of dried goods, salt, sugar and loo roll, plus a first aid kit, sterilizing tablets, antiseptic, torches, batteries, candles and matches.

You lot are organised. Takes me 20 minutes to find my car keys most mornings.

I do have a breakdown bag in the car, mainly in fear of being stuck somewhere for any length of time with an autistic child who will only eat about 5 different foods, only drink vimto and only out of a specific colour cup!

I have 2 kits - one to “grab the bag and go” in case of evacuation/imminent threat and one to bunker up inside the house awaiting assistance. Both are based on guidance from https://www.ready.gov/kit
Both kits are with 72 hour estimate. I also have 2x10l water packs stashed in utility room, from Highland Spring - very handy for camping and renovations, too.

Wow some of you are ultra organised! Have you ever found you need all that stuff? I'm just trying to think where I might keep it, we have a small house.

I had an ”Oh fuck bag” when I was having chemo and many operations.
Clean nightwear, toiletries, meds, power pack , extra long leads, silk pillow case, warm socks, totes slipper socks, basic make up, comb, mirror, small towel, wipes, emery boards.
I now have a drawer in spare room that would take me 5 mins to throw together.
I keep meaning to do car bag but get lulled in a sense of security as we live where there is rarely snow or even icy roads.

In the car:
First aid kit, Blankets, emergency triangle, phone charger cable, fuel can.

At home: First aid kit, rehydration salts, medical thermometer, paracetamol, nurofen, antihistamine. Candles, matches, torches, electric lanterns, Solar phone charger. Tinned/dried food & UHT milk for a week. Fuel for the log burner. £50 in cash.

But I live somewhere power cuts and snow are not that unusual.

People have an emergency bag..???

People on Mumsnet (allegedly) do.

I don't have one but I really should. I live in very seismic region and our local council often warns us that we should have at least 5 days of supplies plus an emergency kit in the case that we are cut off (all roads into the region have bridges)

It has never crossed my mind to have one

Remember that not everyone lives in the UK. Plenty of people on here could live in countries or regions that are prone to quakes, hurricanes, wildfires etc

I suppose even having a list of these things is a good start, thanks OP for starting the thread.

@GreyCarpet my city of roughly 72,000 or so was evacuated in 2016 for a wildfire. We were notified to prepare to evacuate but the notice to GTFO came much sooner than expected. Some folks had no opportunity to grab anything. All gas stations ran dry. Some didn't have enough gas (next gas station after leaving the city is 250km).

I would recommend taking a video of each room, with open drawers and cupboards. Makes it much easier to make a list for the insurer of your belongings. Luckily we didn’t lose our home but many of my friends did. Totting up what you have makes many realise how under insured they are.

And save copies of your documents (insurance, passports etc) somewhere you can access them online or on a USB etc.

Gin and cat food.

DH has been ill so many times over the last 17 years that he has a hospital bag permanently packed and I basically always have my emergency kit in my handbag!

Hey, having an emergency box or bag is such a smart idea! It can really come in handy for all sorts of unexpected situations.
In mine, I've got similar stuff like torches and power banks, along with some snacks, water, and a first aid kit. I also keep some extra cash, a multi-tool, and copies of important documents like IDs and insurance papers.
If you're still looking for ideas, you might want to check out the first aid kit. It's a must-have for any emergency kit. You can find a good one at https://risenmedical.com/collection/standard-first-aid-kits

It's not such an insane idea.

Think about what you would do if the police knocked on your door now and said you had 2 minutes to pack up and leave because there was a gas leak on your street.

Having a basic idea what you would do and need to take with you would stop you wasting that 2 minutes flapping about in a panic.

I work in emergency response and a gas leak is one of the more benign and common scenarios. Most of the things we practice for probably won't happen, but it's useful because less extreme versions do and we can cope with them much better because we've thought about it in advance.

I have a power cut box with torches, candles, matches & batteries in a cupboard with National grid & power company number on. Has come in handy many times. We had a period of time with regular power cuts due to car accidents & failures. Everyone knows where it is. Also have copies stashed of important documents, camping stove & stuff that if needed could grab in moments but not in a bag, more in case of flood. I keep a few bits in the car too, just in case. I did an emergency planning course a while back and it was eye opening.