There are 5 items to have for every family survival kit but let me ask you a few questions first.

Do you live in a hazardous area? Are natural disasters likely to occur in your hometown?

If so, you should have a family emergency supply kit.

Different areas deal with different disasters. If you live near an ocean, you worry about hurricanes at certain times of the year.

The same is true if you live in a part of the country where wildfires are prevalent.

In my area, we have to worry about tornadoes. They're especially common during April, but we've also had deadly tornadoes during warm Decembers.

You just never know when you need to be prepared, so it's best to prepare in advance.

Why Is Family Disaster Kit Necessary?

A family disaster kit is necessary to prepare before disaster strikes.

First, if you're hunkered down at home, it's good to have all of your needed supplies in one area.

Second, if you must quickly leave your home, having a bag with your kit supplies is easy to quickly grab.

All emergencies are unique, so you will need different items depending on what applies to your situation.

But there are five items every family survival kit should include.

Family Survival Kit List

#1. Water is the most important thing your family needs in any emergency.

Clearly, your family needs to drink water to avoid dehydration.

If you're stuck in a closet or basement for a long time, everyone will need water for drinking.

This is also true if you have to leave your home.

But water is also helpful to have in emergencies for other reasons.

Water can be used to wash injuries or clean debris from the face or skin.

We recommend storing a gallon of water or more in your family disaster kit, along with some paper cups and a clean washcloth.

We also recommend a Sport Berkey to be placed in every family members bag.

#2. Snacks and other foods are definitely important during disasters, especially if you have children and you know you might be hiding out for some time.

Obviously, the best snacks to keep in a survival kit are items that have a long shelf life.

Keep in mind that high-protein or filling snacks are the best.

Some good suggestions are beef sticks, protein bars, and granola bars.

If you have to leave your home, it'd be helpful having these food items in your kit already so you don't have to stop for food or think of it at the last minute.

#3. Every family survival kit should include a first aid kit.

This will cover all the basic survival supplies you need in the event of an injury.

Make sure your kit has plenty of Band-aids, gauze, wrapping tape, antibiotic cream, and cutting scissors. Some first aid kits have many other helpful supplies.

Consider your emergency threat and find the best first aid kit for your family.

We recommend this small first aid kit to be placed in your kit.

#4. In any situation, you may need a flashlight, so be sure to have at least one (plus batteries) in your family survival kit.

For our area, it always seems like the tornadoes come during the night.

Several years ago, a tornado ripped through a town near us in the middle of the night.

My cousin's house was destroyed. Thankfully, his family was okay because one of the sons was awake and warned everyone.

When the power goes out, you need a flashlight.

Not only will it help you see, but if there's a situation where you're covered in rubble or debris, a flashlight can alert others to where you are located.

Another great item for signaling for help is a whistle. You may want to add that to your family emergency kit as well.

#5. A battery-powered or hand-crank radio will bring you peace of mind.

Add to your emergency supply kit some form of communication with the outside world.

You need to know what's going on at all times. How much longer will the threat last? Has it moved on or are you still in danger?

Cell phones are great, but if you don't have electricity, the battery will run out. What if the power is out for hours or days?

Keep a battery-powered radio so you can be informed at all times.

Best Family Survival Kit

We've talked about the most important items a family can have in their emergency preparedness kit.

For the families that just want to buy a kit already made up with all necessary items...this is for you.

All of these kits have been pre-selected by our family after much research.

• Emergency Zone Family Prep 72 Hour Survival Kit
• Ready America 72 Hour Emergency Kit
• First My Family 72 Hour Preparedness Kit
• JUDY Emergency Preparedness Dry Backpack

A Family Survival Kit can Include Much More

There are many items you can put in a family survival kit, but these are the top five most important.

Consider your natural disaster risks, though, to determine what should go in your kit.

Keep your family emergency kit in a safe place and make sure other family members know where it is.

Then, when disaster strikes, anyone can easily grab the kit, whether your family is hunkered down at home or must leave to escape danger.

Do you have a family emergency kit already? If so, what is in it? Did this list give ideas for more items to add?