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wear your glasses as contacts can present a bit of a hassle. Sanitation itself can be a sticky problem so be sure to stock plenty of toilet paper. Latex gloves can be a useful item also. Place a few bottles of water in your BURK also in the event that you need additional drinking water. The shelter will normally supply you with sufficient food and water however; an extra bottle or two will not hurt. Maintain a small container of water purification tablets in your kit as well. In addition to the extra water, add a few cans of food such as fruit in a can, tuna and the children's all favorite treat Pop Tarts.

A point to keep in mind is that if the power goes out you may not have means of opening cans of food. No electric means no can opener so be sure to maintain a manual opener in your BURK. The old military P-38 can openers are ideal as they take up literally no space and work well.

No emergency shelter will allow you to bring in any sort of pets so leave additional food and water available for them. In emergencies, they can fend for themselves.

Include in your BURK extra matches and even a clicker lighter or two. If possible, include about fifty weatherproof matches in a waterproof case. You can purchase small butane cigarette lighters at the local Dollar store in a bulk package. Keep an unopened package in the BURK.

On the subject of money! Although money will not be as important as supplies or food, it is recommended that you keep a small amount in your BURK or on you at the time. Keep it in small bills definitely no larger then fives or ten dollar bills, ones are preferred.

Make sure to keep a few rolls of the all popular do everything Duct tape. My wife swears by duct tape and she is a firm believer you can mend anything with it. Once again, these can be obtained at the local dollar store.

Include a supply of clean socks for three days, trash bags and a healthy supply of sanitary products as well as a means of disposing of them. I have heard it said that a film canister could hold several used tampons if pressed in hard enough. There are hundreds of uses for safety pins so be sure to load up on these. Bug repellent is an excellent item to pack, as you never know what the conditions will be in an emergency. Situations like flooding tend to bring an army of insects out so be prepared. Hygiene items like toothbrush with a small tube of toothpaste, dental floss and a small bar soap can tend to boast your spirits. Occasionally you may need a Chap Stick and once again,

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