The V Spot

Rants, observations, and home decorating... from a woman with no time for a blog.


  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
    • Privacy Policy
  • All Blog Posts
  • Crafts
    • All projects
    • By Project
      • Accessories
      • Artwork
      • Before & After
      • Cheap & Easy
      • decor
      • Floral Design & Centerpieces
      • Furniture
      • garden & outdoors
      • Glass
      • no-sew
      • Upcycle – Recycle
      • Wreaths
    • By Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • By Materials
      • corks
      • epsom salt
      • fabric
      • Mod Podge
      • Paper
      • Spray Paint
      • Sticks
    • Round-Ups
  • Holidays
    • Halloween
      • Pumpkins
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • 4th of July
  • Food & Drink
    • All recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Side Dish
    • Main Dish
    • Desserts
    • Drinks & Wines
    • Tables & Decor
  • Real Life
    • Family
      • Grant
      • parenting
    • Tales To Tell
    • friends
    • Keepin’ It real
    • Tips & Tricks
      • cleaning
      • Health & Beauty
      • Let me help you
      • organization
    • Just Funny
      • No Mom wants to hear…
      • Exchange of the Day
      • Snarky
      • wacky strangers
      • Big Time Fail

Basic emergency supplies you should keep in your car.

September 5, 2012 12 Comments

I had a different post on tap for today, but I am feeling antsy and wanted to get this off my chest.  I do not panic easily…  I am not a hysteric, but I firmly believe in being organized and being prepared.

We have been having a lot of little earthquakes here in Southern California, and there have been several good sized quakes around the world in the last week or so.  With each earthquake I have been reminded that I need to check and update the emergency supplies for the car.

You don’t keep basic emergency supplies in your car…?  Oh, honey, let’s talk.

Obviously living in Southern California, I don’t have to worry about being snowed in or stuck in a blizzard, but I do have to worry about earthquakes, fires, and getting stuck in cataclysmic traffic jams.  
I keep my supplies in the back of my car, in what was designed to be a container to hold sports equipment in the car.  It holds just about everything I might need in case of an emergency.
You could use a bin, a backpack, whatever you like.

I keep first aid supplies in there…

Some of the items I keep in my first aid kit:

  • Cold packs
  • assorted sizes of bandages and butterfly suture strips
  • gauze, cotton balls and medical tape
  • Benadryl or other antihistamine (I’m allergic to bees. I keep an epi-pen in my purse)
  • Pain relievers (Advil or Tylenol) and Aspirin
  • Any OTC medicines you might need (antacids, etc.)
  • Hydrogen Peroxide, rubbing alcohol, Neosporin and Bactine
  • Maxi-pads and tampons (*updated: they aren’t technically “sterile” but are sanitary and hygienic and are good to staunch bleeding/fill a puncture wound  )
  • Sewing kit
  • Vaseline
  • Copies of insurance cards, emergency phone numbers, other medical information
You may wonder why I would have emergency phone numbers written down.  I mean, aren’t they easily accessible on your phone…?  What if your phone is dead?  What if you lost your phone in an accident?  What if you aren’t able to communicate and someone else needs access to those numbers?  As much as we rely on our phones, it’s always good to have a back-up.
I also keep items that might be helpful in case of a basic road-side emergency.
It’s definitely best to have patterned Duck Tape, but any ole’ kind will do. 😉
These are some of the things I keep in this container besides first aid supplies.
  • flashlights and glow sticks
  • sunscreen, lotion and bug repellent
  • an old pair of athletic shoes and socks. (Could you imagine being in an emergency while wearing flip-flops, strappy sandals or a pair of pumps?!  Not good.)
  • pad of paper and pens (Sharpies are good.)
  • Duck tape, painter’s tape, scissors
  • rope, bungee cords and zip ties
  • disinfecting wipes, Kleenex
  • lighter and matches
I also keep a case of bottled water and basic snacks that have a long shelf life like crackers, peanuts and peanut butter in the car.  Granola bars and other items that won’t be too affected in a hot car are good.
And since sometimes the emergency will include waiting for a tow truck, I also have decks of cards, dice and other things to keep us occupied.
There are things I still need to add to my emergency supplies, like a backpack in case I need to leave the vehicle.  I checked the expiration dates on some of the OTC medicines I have in there, and they will need to be replaced soon too.   It’s also a great idea to keep your gas tank full as well.  If there’s a loss of power (hello, Hurricane Isaac) you can’t pump gas and probably can’t use your credit card either (so try to keep a little bit of cash on hand as well)…

********UPDATED**********
Hubs reminded me of tools you should have:

  • screwdrivers (both regular and Phillips-head)
  • channel lock pliers
  • flares
  • small hammer
  • box cutter or a razor blade of some kind
One other thing we try to do is have an idea where we would go if there was an emergency and we needed to leave our house.  We used to have a cabin about 2 hours away (on the highway) and we made sure we had printed directions of various alternate routes that got us there via surface streets.
We need to figure out a new destination, but we still keep the basic “get out of Dodge” directions in our  supplies.
Obviously this isn’t a one size fits all plan… but they are some basics and a good jumping off point.  Please adjust your supplies based on the size and needs of your family (Extra diapers?  An elder family member to care for?)  Also take into account what weather will be most likely to affect you.

It’s better to have supplies and not need them, then to need them and get hosed  because you don’t have them.

I know I’m forgetting something… help me out: what am I missing?

 

Filed Under: emergency preparedness, Let me help you, medical, organization, planning ahead, serious stuff, Tip of the Day, travel

Comments

  1. ~PJ says

    September 5, 2012 at 6:18 PM

    Does the duct tape need to have candy corns on it, or is that a personal preference?

    All kidding aside very good info. I have a little roadside emergency kit in my car but thats just your basic car jack, jumper cables and road flares.

    I will definitely be putting a first aid kit at least, in my car after this.

    Reply
  2. MiMi says

    September 5, 2012 at 6:52 PM

    Um. I need the candy corn duct tape TODAY!

    Reply
  3. Hailey @ Birth Utah says

    September 5, 2012 at 7:36 PM

    I like to keep a little cash for emergencies, too!

    Reply
  4. jrmahon says

    September 6, 2012 at 5:29 AM

    What are the Huggies changing pads for?

    Reply
  5. Janette Johanson says

    September 6, 2012 at 8:24 PM

    Great info.. can you give me your license number so I can flag you down as you drive past me so I can hitch a ride? I actually just bought a tote similar to that but its for the possible vomit that I’ve never been prepared for before and was only able to find a single floating sock to help clean my sick babies up– but looks like I need to think on a bigger scale. Diapers and wipes can only help so much. Great tips!!

    Reply
  6. Kim says

    September 7, 2012 at 1:18 AM

    Fresh batteries for the flashlights would be good too.

    If you have to leave home in a realy big hurry, one item that can be easily forgotten is prescription medicine. Copies of prescriptions should be kept with emergency kits. Medicines that you need but don’t normally carry around with you may be hard to get filled at your “get out of Dodge” location if you don’t have copies of the prescription on hand.

    Reply
  7. Saundra McKenzie says

    September 7, 2012 at 12:43 PM

    toilet paper, and stick a few plastice bags in a toilet paper roll or a paper towel roll. Great list!

    Reply
  8. Good Time Charlie says

    September 14, 2012 at 7:55 PM

    What a very helpful, and truly wonderful public service post this is. We are big believers in safety and emergency preparednes….with the emphasis being place on “believers”, the “doers” part is definitely falling short. We have things somewhat under control here at home, but my car is a sad state of disaster should a disaster strike. I especially love the list of phone numbers. I would never have thought of that for my car! Mark has his license in Ham Radio usage, in case cell phones go out, but this is the best tip I have seen and I am definitely sharing with my Mormon, emergency preparedness loving friends! PS printing your lists and forwarding to Mark who can share with others.

    Reply
  9. Good Time Charlie says

    September 14, 2012 at 7:56 PM

    Also, the food? Well that would be for me. I hate being starving and in the car. I hate to say I can’t go anywhere without a snack tucked in purse and a back up in my car. But, well I am always “packin”.

    Reply
  10. A.J. says

    January 26, 2013 at 11:10 PM

    Just a nit picky note. Maxi-pads are not sterile. They are certainly sanitary and hygienic and perfectly reasonable to use if you find yourself needing to bandage a large wound in a pinch, but they are definitely not sterile. It’s a misconception i see a great deal across the Web. It’s microbiological semantics I know but the health care provider in me can’t help but point out the difference. Otherwise, this is a really helpful post.

    Reply
  11. Denise Miller says

    August 24, 2014 at 5:56 PM

    Dog food, a bowl, a leash, & copy of health records (same for your kids: vaccine records & school records). Great reminder, V!

    Reply
  12. Vicky Poole says

    September 11, 2014 at 12:49 AM

    Great list (we live in a cyclone belt) – I have a backpack in my car with a lot of these items but have to actively prevent my husband from taking it out because “it takes up too much room”. I also had one for him but it is never in the car – he’s going to be sorry and I’m going to “I told you so!!!” sooo bad 🙂
    Great tip about the mobile phone numbers – I’ll do that straight away and also add some coins to the cash I have too.
    Hope we never need these though!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

you might also like:

Why stocking up on birthday gifts should be part of your back to school supplies…
Packing up Christmas (and ready for next year!)

The best way to store Fresh Produce via The V Spot Blog
How to store fresh produce – From A to Zucchini.
A simple tip to clean cloudy looking glasses.

Tip of the day: cutting corn off of the cob.
Freezing tomato paste: Use what you need and save the rest.

The easiest make ahead chicken, ever.
The secret to melt in your mouth steaks… (Make cheap-o cuts taste like prime.)

halloween, make-up, pumpkins
Using clearance Halloween make-up for your autumn decor…
A handy reminder about silica gel packets…

Recent Posts

  • Spooky porch decor and a Halloween Chair.
  • DIY Plaid Wine Glasses
  • Easy Sand-N-Sea Flower Pots
  • How to use an indoor chandelier outside.
  • Quesadillas made with slow cooker Carnitas. (Pork in a crock pot… nothing is easier.)
  • No Sew Project: How to recover your outdoor cushions using fabric and a glue gun.
  • Upcycle project: plain flower pot into decorative ceramic planter.
  • An easy Valentine’s Day globe.
  • Simple, winter themed decor. (Using what you already have, of course.)
  • Easy Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipe

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Vivienne Wagner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Popular Posts

  • Cleaning Stove Burners & Grates using Ammonia (The best...
    Comments (631) | Jul 07, 2011
  • Easy Dessert Recipe: Oreo Cheesecake Bites
    Comments (64) | Mar 04, 2014
  • How to store fresh produce – From A to Zucchini.
    Comments (111) | Jan 25, 2012
  • No Sew Project: How to recover your outdoor cushions using f...
    Comments (110) | Mar 03, 2018
  • DIY wine bottle crafts.
    Comments (10) | Aug 22, 2013
Privacy

Copyright © 2023 The V Spot · Website by Houndstooth Media Group