An emergency product business in Utah has sent a couple of their marketing guys to New Orleans to demonstrate that their two-person 144-hour survival bucket has all they need to survive on the streets this week. They are calling their adventure the 261 Tour — that’s 2 people, 6 days, and 1 bucket.

In the bucket are 60 servings of vegetarian meals (to extend the shelf life of the food), a water filtration unit, cooking and eating utensils, handcrank radio / flashlight, 8-hour cooking stove, thermal blankets, supplements, and medical kit with whistle and compass.

Each day this week they will blog about what they encounter. So far, today, they are in New Orleans sleeping in their rental car.

OK, it’s a stunt, but it’s a smart stunt to see for themselves and show others how well their kit really works.

Who knew vegetarians have different survival needs than omnivores?

Vegetarians in Paradise, a Los Angeles magazine, asked readers to respond and make suggestions for vegetarian survival kit.  The only vegetarian-specific suggestions I find there are “powdered rice or soy powder” and “canned beans and bean-based soups, tetrapak soup (Imagine), individual packs of soymilk, vegan (Clif) energy bars and crackers. SELECT LOW-SODIUM ITEMS, AS YOUR DIET MAY CONSIST ENTIRELY OF THESE FOODS. Since you may not have access to fresh fruit or vegetables for a while, also keep some vitamins or (my choice) Emergen-C packets on hand.”

One reader suggested single-serving prepared foods from Dr. John McDougall.

What this tells me is that there is no one-size-fits-all list of survival supplies.  Whatever list you create, whatever you stock on your shelves, make sure your emergency supplies fit your lifestyle, your preferences, and your specific needs.

A simple kit helps us focus on the most basic elements of preparation for an emergency or disaster, but there is a big gap between a kit and skills to survive whatever difficulties we face.

I’ve been watching and listening to coverage of the Superstorm of 2006, including days of power outages in sub-freezing temperatures. Power outages create a double emergency of several days or more. A flare in your car kit, a couple of candles and a can of beans won’t get you through a storm like this.

I am concerned that my own perparations don’t become just a compulsion to buy kits and make lists. The important point is to learn to do for myself and my family what a wildly misspent period of industrialization has tended to do for us. Feed us, keep us warm, supply our water. After the kit is used, we still need to cross that gap to reach genuine preparedness.

What would you do during a week with temperatures in the teens? What else might you need to get or do or learn? Walk yourself and your family through your typical week to find the gaps. Add the fact of extreme weather and walk through again. Add power failure and walk through again.

Make sure that your preparations don’t stop with the gathering of a kit. We need to know how to provide for ourselves whenever possible.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Lao Tzu

An MSNBC this week suggests the following emergency kit in addition to 9 other steps to take to winterize your car. Very important point: don’t leave your car unless you know where you are and how far you need to go to get help.

I thought it might be interesting to compare the MSNBC kit to those of the sources for the article.

Ready.gov tells us our main concerns should be fresh water, food, clean air, and warmth. They recommend these basic supplies for an emergency kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps

They go on to suggest extras that might be relevant based on situation, but I’m still thinking about what are the most important basics for any disaster or emergency situation.

These items make a basic, no-frills emergency kit.

My most recent power bill came with instructions for “Outage Preparation.”

Make an outage kit

Have these items available in a bag or backpack in case of a power outage: flashlight, battery-operated or wind-up clock, extra batteries, bottled water, manual can opener, and ready-to-eat canned foods.

Batteries, batteries, batteries.  Ultimately, that misses the point, I’m sure.  Still, this is about as basic an emergency and as basic a kit as it comes.  It’s a start.