Video:History of the 72 Hour Kit

Transcript:History of the 72 Hour Kit

Quick, a disaster has occurred and you only have sixty seconds to pick up items for your survival! What would you bring? Many would grab their most valuable possessions and forget the survival essentials. However, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have been taught to prepare for economic strife and emergency situations for the survival of their families and their faith.

Hi there, I'm Blaine Pennington for About.com and today we're going to learn about the history of the 72-hour survival kit and why having one in your LDS home or community is so important.

Basic History of the 72 Hour Kit

According to Acts, Book One, Verse 11, followers of Jesus Christ should prepare for his descent onto Earth from heaven once again. The LDS community refers to this occurrence as The Second Coming of Jesus Christ. LDS leaders and prophets instruct their congregations to prepare for this by having emergency supplies in their homes and plans for sudden evacuation. LDS doctrine holds that Jesus' second coming is a fact. So, LDS followers use this knowledge to their advantage by intense preparation.

Additional History of the 72 Hour Kit

In the Mormon faith, family is the most important part of life under God. By preparing a 72-Hour Kit you can ensure the survival of your family. In addition to the 72-Hour Kit, leaders encourage LDS members to keeping a three month supply of food and to save money so that in case of financial woes an LDS family can survive.

You may be wondering, "Why the 72 hour kit and not the 24 hour or 32 hour kit?" After an emergency situation, it usually takes approximately 72 hours for an outside party to reach victims. We have gone over the history of the 72-Hour Kit.

Items Found in 72 Hour Kits

Now, here are some items that should be in your 72 Hour Kit should you decide to make one:

• A supply of water, 1 gallon per person per day, for drinking and hygienic needs
• Non-perishable food for 72 hours like: granola bars, Vienna sausage, canned foods
• Fire starting device
• Cooking supplies
• First aid kit
• Flares
• Map of the surrounding area
• Standard camping equipment
• Weather appropriate clothing
• Sleeping materials
• Batteries
• Flashlights
• Medical records and copies of photo identification
• Medicinal needs
• Knife or blade
• Rope
• Tape
• Cash

Remember these are only some of the essentials. If you feel like you need more items in your 72-Hour Kit for survival, definitely put them in. It is common to find forms of entertainment like toys and books; and survival plans and meeting places for the days after a disaster. Once you have put together your 72-Hour Kit, remember that some of the items like medicines could expire before an emergency. Replenish your kit every six months to make sure that all batteries can be used or are. Now you know the history of the 72-Hour Kit and how it could help you survive the days after a natural disaster, a financial crisis or the Second Coming. If you haven't already, hopefully with these tips you will be able to prepare one for your family and your ward.

For more survival and LDS tips like this, visit us at About.com. Thanks for watching!