The Millennial Emergency Kit
Text & Images: Patricia May P. Catan
WHAT catches you off guard and visits you unexpectedly? It’s going to hit you hard like no other situation can because you may never get any notice when it decides to pay you a visit. Since these powerful forces of nature tend to strike anytime and anywhere, the last thing you’d want is to feel helpless and powerless when this happens.
This is why the importance of an emergency kit needs to be stressed nowadays, especially among millennials who tend to take serious events lightly. Having a standard emergency kit can help you survive unfavorable situations. However, preparing a “millennial emergency kit” means having extra items that standard kits don’t have.
So on top of first aid items and supplies in your standard survival pack, what else should be in a Millennial Emergency Kit? SunStar Weekend highlights five essential items that everyone and not just millennials must stash away to prepare for the worst and come in handy when the situation calls for it.
Extra power bank
Electricity can be a huge problem in the midst of a disaster, so keeping an extra power bank will actually benefit the carrier in so many ways possible. There’s going to be a shortage of electricity in succeeding days and an extra power bank may save a number of lives when used for the right purpose.
Fully Packed Wallet
Situations can go from steady to unpredictable and the best way get ready for the big one is packing a wallet containing cash and maybe some backup cards. It’s always a good idea to keep some money within arm’s reach when a calamity strikes because it’s either goods are getting expensive or evacuating is going to be costly. Also, keep government IDs you don’t usually use in this wallet, as well as a list of important contacts and pertinent information that you normally store in your cellphone (in case it runs out of juice).
Extra cellular phones
Cellphones are the life line of millennials, but during emergencies, they could prove crucial to one’s survival. While disasters might bring down the internet, chances are, phone signals might still be up. Whether its a low-end smartphone or an older model, this gadget is your best bet at communicating with your loved ones, if not in finding help. Keep extra fully charged cellphones in your kit because you’ll never know how long you’ll need one.
LED Flashlights
Sure your smartphone has a “torch” feature, but for emergencies, you’d want to conserve your gadget’s power as much as possible. Since natural catastrophes often destroy power facilities, which leads to days, even weeks, of blackouts, a handy flashlight or two should come in handy as you find your way through the pitch-black darkness. LED flashlights are ideal as these use up battery more efficiently. Just don’t forget to stock on batteries as well.
Munchies
It is during these times that skipping a meal is a bad idea. To feel hungry in emergency situations only adds to the feeling of helplessness. Travel-sized snacks are a good way to fight hunger when you get stuck somewhere, so it’s vital to pack munchies in your millennial emergency kit. Besides, a treat never fails to lift the spirits up, what more in the middle of a tragedy. Share whenever you can.
