How to use plastic bags in an emergency?
Plastic bags help you in emergencies!
When you say “plastic bags” do you mean those plastic shopping bags?
Just for carrying things, right?
There are many kinds of plastic bags… Which ones do you mean?
Who invented the very first bag?! Or it was simply human instinct to make a bag from something?? Like maybe a big leaf? You can see bags absolutely everywhere in our daily lives.
Plastic bags are especially convenient, and they are not just for carrying things. They do have a downside, though: as more and more plastic bags get used and thrown away, they have a worse environmental impact. But if we use plastic bags conscientiously, I believe their usefulness will outweigh their downside.
Let’s try to stop impulsively grabbing new plastic bags, without good reason.
We might do more harm than we realize for the sake of “convenience”.
Plastic bags are convenient for any emergency. They are the epitome of convenience.
If you’re not in the middle of a true emergency, then you should avoid the frivolous use of plastic bags. But keep in mind, plastic bags are there for you in emergency situations. Don’t feel guilty about harming the environment, when your survival is at stake. Survival comes first. Serious emergencies can require a quick response and decisive action. Plastic bags can help a lot.
What are plastic bags used for ?
How bags help?
★ Carrying water / Water storage
When you need to get water or store water, use plastic bags as a bucket. (See post #14 for more info.)
I make a distinction between carrying water and storage. When you carry water, it helps to have a handle, it can’t be too heavy, and it’s OK if it’s an open container. For storage, it can be larger, and you want it to be protected or sealed.
I don’t usually use buckets, so I don’t want to stock a lot of buckets just for an emergency.
Plastic bags help me to save what little space I have for my emergency stockpile.
★ Cold-weather gear
Cut a big plastic bag to make cold-weather gear. (Check out post #60 for more info.)
Poke your head and hands through.
Cover your foot and wear shoes on top to keep warm, or cover your shoes entirely to make rain boots.
Recommendations
There are many kinds of plastic bags. You don’t need to go out and buy special bags for your emergency stockpile. It’s fine to simply keep some bags after shopping. I did go out and buy some big, new bags, specifically for clean water. If I fill up a bag with lots of water in an emergency, I want want it to be clean, especially if it’s for drinking. I have Reli’s 40-45 gallon plastic bags. These are a little big for water, but you don’t have to fill them up completely. And the big size will make them more versatile for things like cold-weather gear.
★Reli
Please continue reading about plastic bags in my next post!!
See you next time.
Remember, “Protect your life by yourself” （自分の命は自分で守る). You need to survive first, and then you need your emergency supply. No matter how well you prepared your emergency supplies, if you die, then all of your preparations will have been for nothing. First and foremost, keep your health up all the time. Build your stamina so that if you need to, you can evacuate as quickly as possible. Stay healthy.