An emergency event can include just about everything out of the ordinary: A hurricane, severe thunderstorm, blizzard, tornado, forest fire, earthquake and of course, a man-made emergency event.

In light of that and given that the list covers almost the entire country in one form or another, the Red Cross has recommended the following as a 72 Hour Emergency Survival Kit.

Basic Supplies

•    Water: One gallon per person, per day.

•    Food: Non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items

•    Flashlight

•    Extra Batteries

•    First Aid Kit

•    Medications

•    Multi-purpose tool

•    Sanitation and personal hygiene items

•    Copies of personal documents – birth certificates, social security cards, real estate contracts, insurance contracts, bank records and passports, immunization records and any other important personal documents

•    Cell phone with chargers

•    Family and Emergency Contact Information

•    Extra Cash (Small Bills and Coins)

•    Emergency Blanket

•    Maps of the area

•    Hand-Crank Radio

Obviously, if you are an experienced survivalist, this list is grossly inadequate; your survival kit likely has all this and a lot more.

But if you are not an active survivalist, this is a basic list of fundamentals you should start with.

For more information and other suggested 72 Hour Survival Kit items, check out Seattle Refined.