Giving the Gift of Preparedness

With hospitals overflowing and grocery stores selling out, now is the time to give the gift of preparedness. Here are our experts' top recommendations for items your loved ones NEED to stay safe. They make great gifts!

A warm and hearty hello to our Emergency Essentials family, and let me be the first to wish you Merry Christmas!

If you find yourself struggling to come up with presents for your family this year (we’ve all been there), may I humbly suggest what is, in my opinion, the very best Christmas present of all.

The gift of emergency preparedness.

I know, I know, we don’t always love giving “practical” gifts around the holidays, but hear me out… 

COVID Spikes and Grocery Stores Sell Out

I don’t have to tell you that this fall has been one for the ages, and that winter is lining up to be even worse.

As COVID keeps grocery stores sold out of many essential items and millions of us shelter at home, now is the time to ask: is my family prepared?

As grocery stores continue to sell out of many essential items, now is the time to ask: is my family prepared?

Since March we’ve heard from thousands of customers who all say the same thing. Their food supply is saving them from fear, frustrations, and potential exposure to the virus. 

“I’ve got all the food I need at home,” one customer said. “We make a very rare trip to the grocery store, but otherwise this virus isn’t affecting us at all.”

This year—of all years—is when the gift of preparedness will count most for keeping your family safe.

RECOMMENDATION ONE: 21 DAYS TO A MONTH FOOD KIT PLUS WATER

We hear people saying that every American should put together two weeks of survival food. And while, sure, this is better than nothing, it’s a little thin for a major emergency. To be safe, we strongly suggest bumping that figure up to 21 days to one month of food, minimum.

In fact, during Black Friday weekend you can get our 21-Day Balanced & Hearty Emergency Meal Kit at huge discount—it's $83 off (through 11/30/20)!

Our experts love the Emergency Essentials 21-Day Balanced & Hearty Emergency Meal Kit as a starter preparedness kit for families.

When it comes to food kits, the most important thing to look for are ones high in calories. A solid kit should give you 2,000 calories per day. Also look for high-protein kits with at least 40 grams per person, per day. Our high calorie, high protein food kit options easily give you both.

Beyond that, look for kits with complete, ready-made meals. During a disaster, you may not have reliable access to utilities, so being able to just pour in a little water, heat, and eat, makes a big difference.

And then there’s water. The simple rule to remember is that every member of your family needs one gallon of clean water per day for hydration, cooking, light hygiene, and more. 

There are two types of water supplies that fit the bill. First, find a nice, large, easy to access water filter.

Our Alexapure Pitcher Water Filter is currently discounted for Black Friday weekend (through 11/30/20)—it's $51 off!  

It filters 99.9% of contaminants and is super easy to use. You may never see it this cheap again, so don't miss!

For water, go with at least a half-gallon filter like the Alexapure Pitcher. It's affordable ($51 through 11/30/20) and super easy for anyone to use.

Whatever you get for water, you want to make sure it can hold about a one-half gallon and has an easy-to-replace filtration system that can be used by adults and kids alike. This will cover you when your water supply goes out for longer periods of time or when it becomes contaminated and dangerous to drink.

Second, we recommend portable, pre-packaged water. You can go with the standard plastic, grocery-store water bottles—they’re better than nothing.

But if you’re able, you should really pick up canned water like this Ready Hour 30-Year Emergency Water. Buy before Black Friday weekend ends (11/30) and get a case half off! 

Pre-packaged water like these 30-year shelf life cans are a great option for 72-hour kits and go-bags.

These are generally longer lasting, more durable, don’t deteriorate in the sun, and don’t let chemicals in. They’re the perfect water solution if you need to get up and evacuate quickly.

RECOMMENDATION 2: EXTRA FOOD AND WATER FOR YOUR OWN SUPPLY

Whether you’re able to contact your kids or not for the first few days after a disaster, there’s a good chance they’ll end up sheltering at your house if they live anywhere nearby. We’ve seen it a thousand times.

That means they’ll end up living off your supply along with you, in which case we recommend buying a few extra months of food to add to what you may already have. Here’s how much you might need: 

If you've got a family with a few adults and want to take care of all your food needs at once, your best option might just be our 1-Year Emergency Food Kit. It's currently $598 off for Black Friday weekend (through 11/30/20).

You may also want to choose some extra foods you know the pickier members of your family will gladly eat. Check out these just-add-water entrees for yummy meals like mac and cheese, chili, and more.

As for water, you’re going to need a whole bunch, which means getting a barrel. You’ll also need a siphon and bung wrench to fill and access water. Something to purify the water (it can grow mold and bacteria over time) is also recommended.

The chart below will help give you an idea of how much you might need:

IT MIGHT JUST BE THEIR FAVORITE GIFT OF THE YEAR!

So go ahead...make the move and give your children the very best Christmas gift of all. You may be surprised at how much they love it. They’re smart—they are your kids, after all.

Best wishes,

Cameron Pipkin

Emergency Preparedness Pro