#beready.gov

I've never really had a blog before and it is rare if I post anything online so please forgive me if anything sounds off or strange.

For context, I live in New Mexico and the weather here is strange. It rarely snows here and winters can very from mild to moderate. Spring brings lots of pollen from mulberry trees and pecan trees. Severe allergies, asthma, and sinus infections are common this time of year. Summer brings extreme dry heat. It's common for temperatures to be 100+ degrees F for days at a time. Mid-july brings the monsoon season lasting until August and sometimes into September. Lightning storms and flash flooding are common at this time. There is rarely an actual Fall season. Since winters can be mild, summer usually blends into winter. It will be warm and from one day to the next there will be a "freeze" and all the leaves will have dropped.

Apart from weather/climate, I do live about 1 hr away from the mexican border. Political ideologies aside, this area is politically tense right now.

Watching the news somewhat regularly has gotten me into the mindset that I need to prepare for an emergency situation. Whether it's political unrest or natural disaster, everyone should be prepared.

With this in mind, I began researching information and what I would need for an emergency kit. Most people, including myself, live below the poverty line. Knowing this I gave my self some criteria to help focus my efforts.

First criteria, the kit had to be portable in case of evacuation. Second, it has to be reasonably priced and the items must be easily accessible. Third, it has to cover everyday problems and ones that might happen but are not common (ex: broken arm, sprained ankle, etc.). Finally fourth, it needs to be enough for 2 adults (my husband and I).