72 hour kit, Why 72 and not 80 or 67 hours?

I think this topic may blossom better from the comments than our original content.  Please tell us any thoughts, ideas or experiences that go along with this.

So why 72 hours?

Many churches and agencies give 72 hours as a critical window of time in an emergency.  They draw their conclusions from the many events that we see happen each year.

There are several reason 72 hours is the magic time frame.



#1 In general, it takes 72 hours, minimum, for help to arrive in a natural disaster.  In some cases it can take much longer.  So, we need to carefully look at what we will need for those 72 hours.  See Preparedness Assessment for more information.

Once help arrives, this is only the beginning of all the work that usually needs to happen to dig out and get life back to normal. So a "72 hour kit" is only the beginning.

#2 Again, in general, society starts to break down by 72 hours.   I will refer to the Carnival Cruise ship that had engine trouble and was afloat for over 5 days in 2013.  Society on the ship had almost completely fallen apart by the time help had arrived.  People saw what others look like when shoved out of their comfort zone and their basic wants were not taken care of.

They were on a Cruise ship!  They had no work responsibilities, they had to sleep out on lawn chairs. They mostly had fresh fruit and vegetables to eat. Boy I don't know if I could have handled that. (waving sarcasm flag here)

Ok, they did have to use plastic bags instead of toilets, the water was warm, no steak or lobster available, bathing facilities were limited, people smelled badly.  Sounds like how over 1/2 the world's population lives every day.

But a lot of the people became like animals.  They were awful to each other and the crew. I'm sure looting would have been really bad, if things weren't locked down like they were.

Once help arrived, their attitudes never changed.  They knew they would be in port within 4 more days.  In a real emergency, you don't know how long it will take for life to get back to normal.  But I have seen a lot of people fare WAY better with a house that was completely destroyed than those people on the cruise ship.

#3 The rule of 3's applies to the "72 hour" time frame. The human body/brain can survive:

• 3 minutes without oxygen 
• 3 hours without proper heat or cooling
• 3 days without water
• 3 weeks without food

Hmm, 3 days X 24 per day = 72 hours.  So they must be focusing on water, and proper clothing.

If the purpose of a 72 hour kit is to keep you alive, to physically survive for three days, then this leads us to believe, that food (although it will make the 72 hours more comfortable) is not critical in a 72 hour kit.

Proper protection from the elements is much more important than food in a 72 hour kit.  Let me say that again: Proper protection from the elements is much more important than food in a 72 hour kit.

If you have all the food in the world, but freeze to death the first night, the food really provided no value in keeping you alive.

Having said that, when preparing a 72 kit, food and the ability to cook that food is low on the priority list.  If you want to spend the time and effort to have it ready, that will be great.

BUT, we recommend that you have a list of clothing to grab for each person before you head out the door. (depending on the weather) boots, coat, gloves, warm hat for warm weather or thin, cool clothes for hot weather.   Then plan for redundant forms of heat, for cold, or forms of shade for hot weather.

Tell us your thoughts and experiences.