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In the event that all bridges and tunnels out of Manhattan are closed and you just have to get off the island, an inflatable raft is your best option if you don't own a boat. The best inflatable raft I've read about is from a company in Alaska called Alpacka Raft. Alpacka rafts are expensive -- the cheapest one is almost $800 without a paddle -- but they are extremely durable and compact. When packed the raft takes up only 9"x24" of space and can easily fit in a closet. I read about this raft in the November issue of Outside magazine. The article, Mission Improbable, was about two men who used them while traversing the wilds of western Canada. As for me, several months ago I purchased a two-man Coleman Colossus Inflatable Boat from Cabelas because it was cheap, less than $50, and I was planning to paddle to New Jersey with it as an experiment for this blog. I never made the attempt but if I was serious about it now I would try it with the Alpacka. I'm not going to buy one because my wife would kill me for wasting money and deep down I don't think I'm ever going to row off Manhattan. But the thought does reside in the back of my mind that it might one day be necessary.
Costco is now offering a waterproof Emergency Food Supply for about $75 (it's $85 if you order after Sept. 14th). Included in the plastic bucket are 275 separate servings of vegetarian offerings such as potato bakon (sic), corn chowder, Western stew, rice lentil, whey milk, blue berry pancakes and barley vegetable. While I can't vouch for the taste of these meals, the advertised 20-year shelf life makes it a good item to buy and forget. To order the Costco food bucket click here.
I just placed an order this morning from my new favorite store Cabela's after reading in HSToday about how "...federal catastrophic disaster preparedness is problematic across the board, especially in the area of mass-casualty medical care – which by many informed accounts is terribly ill-prepared..." I decided to upgrade my first aid kit with the following: For the emergency stitching of wounds, a Disposable Body Stapler Kit for $24.99 (it's on back order); and to stop bleeding, two packs of Biolife Sports QR Powder at $9.99 per pack. The third product I purchased is unrelated to first aid, but I'm hearing through the grapevine that there might be concerns in the future about our water supply. I already have an extra supply of water and water tablets, but since this has suddenly got my attention I also purchased this morning two Frontier Water Filter Straws for $9.99 each, though I will be upgrading my water purification capabilities when I get more information.
As I organized my Go Bag I had two first aid kits that were in cumbersome metal briefcases. While these looked nice on a store shelf, they weren't an efficient use of space and could not accommodate additional supplies. So I tossed the metal cases and put all my first aid supplies and manuals into a Mountainsmith Basic Cube, which I purchased for $12.95 at Backcountry.com. It is very sturdy and with 1600 cubic inches of space has plenty of room. The handle makes it easy to pull out and carry separately. I also bought one in yellow for all of my emergency cooking supplies.
I have five radios in my Go Bag (three are battery operated, one is a hand crank flashlight that also has a radio in it) but the Red Cross/Eton FR-300 is my Swiss Army Knife of radios and a great investment at $50 on Amazon.com. What I like most is that it can operate both with batteries and by charging it with a hand crank. It also has a cell phone charger, flashlight, siren, and individual knobs to select various weather frequencies as well as to receive audio from TV stations. Endorsement by the American Red Cross sold me on this model.
I keep three pairs of these DeWalt work gloves in my Go Bag because if you find yourself in a debris-filled environment and you need to either extricate yourself or help others, hand protection is essential. These gloves were cheap (just $6.99 a pair with a discount for buying three) and, like my boot recommendation, you can go with more expensive options but these do the job. I purchased my gloves from the Working Person's Store and was very happy with their service.
When I first saw the L.L. Bean Freeplay Rechargeable Crank Lantern in their Spring catalog I immediately ordered two. These units now complement several other lantern/lighting options I've purchased in the past. I believe that the Freeplay is the best and what you might call the pinnacle of my search for emergency lighting solutions. I began years ago with the purchase of emergency candles that were the size of small logs and would supposedly burn for weeks. Then I upgraded to a Coleman 8D Pack-Away Lantern which was good, but I didn't like the fact that it needed eight D batteries to operate. Wandering the aisles of Paragon Sports' camping department I came across the Uco Candle Lantern from Peregrine Outfitters. This is an elegant little device that works for nine hours on a single, small candle. But now if I have to take just one device with me in an emergency, it'll be the Freeplay from L.L. Bean.
I was shopping at Home Depot on Third Ave. and 59th Street and saw these 12-hour chemical light sticks for sale (orange only) right by the registers. I'm not sure how I might use them in an emergency but something in my gut said to get eight of them. Home Depot's web site doesn't sell them but you can get them direct from the manufacturer for $1.99 each by clicking here.
I've lived in Manhattan for almost 20 years but I'm embarassed to say that even now there are streets and avenues I've never heard of, and when it comes to the outer boroughs, forget about it. For this reason I rely heavily on the Internet to chart my course when I'm out of familiar territory. But in any disaster I'm expecting the Internet to be one of the first things to go down. That's why I picked up this particular Hagstrom Street & Road Atlas covering a 75 mile radius from midtown Manhattan. This should cover any place we might need to go for evacuation, emergency shelter, etc.
The most basic land line phone was something I realized we needed after the big blackout of 2003, when all cordless phones became useless. I got this phone on the left at Radio Shack for about $14 soon after. This exact model does not appear to be in stock on their web site but any cheap land line phone that doesn't require an external power source is invaluable when all other phones stop working. Mine is sealed in a Ziploc bag to ensure it stays dry.
Not exactly an emergency tool but probably the gadget I get the most use out of on a daily basis is the Victorinox SwissCard Lite. It's not something I would have ever considered buying, but my wife and daughters picked it out for me one weekend while shopping. It's the size of a credit card and just slightly thicker. Since I don't use a wallet it fits right in with the plastic and paper money in my pocket. It's got a scissors, knife, tweezers, pen, pin, red led light, magnifying glass (can't burn paper from sunlight with it though:(, multiple screw heads and a ruler (up to 3"). As I write this I'll admit I didn't even know it had the pin or led light for a couple of months. Very practical, very simple.
I love of all sorts of gadgets but since I live in Manhattan there are certain things not worth owning for lots of legal reasons. But something cool, in a disaster-preparedness sort of way, that you might keep in mind is the Henry Repeating Arms U.S. Survival Rifle. An older version of this rifle, known as the AR-7, was used by Air Force pilots. 
This new, improved version, which fires .22 long ammunition, breaks down into a waterproof stock and weighs only 2 1/2 pounds. It costs $230 and, go figure, it's made in Brooklyn! (Caveat Emptor, I do not own this and have never used this.)
This Surefire E2L Outdoorsman flashlight never ceases to amaze me. It's small, built like a piece of military hardware and is incredibly powerful. I took this on a vacation to Arizona and was able to illuminate the rock wall on the other side of a small canyon at night. Shine it in someone's face and it is blinding. Our favorite thing to do with the Surefire at home is charge the glow-in-the-dark eyes of a stuffed toy ghost. The glow afterwards from its eyes is bright enough to see by in a dark room. The flashlight runs on special Lithium batteries that I haven't had to replace yet (had it for a year now) but I bought a box of 12 from Surefire for $21. Best thing about the batteries is they have a shelf life of 10 years. Surefire sells a wide variety of flashlights but I'm quite happy with the one I got. This is a great addition to any emergency kit!
Putting all of my important documents and papers together was a big job (including one very long afternoon going back and forth to the Social Security offices) but my solution for protecting and keeping them in one place was easy. I chose an Ewa-Marine waterproof pouch, which claims to be waterproof up to 1000 feet deep. It is made of very heavy but flexible clear plastic. There are three knobs on top that you screw down to seal it tightly, making it impervious to water. The hassle of screwing and unscrewing the three knobs each time I need to retrieve a document or passport is a small price to pay. The pouches come in various sizes and are priced accordingly, mine cost $28. To see their selection click here.
Until someone convinces me that there is a better whistle, I'm keeping two of these Storm Whistles from the All-Weather Safety Whistle Company in my Go Bag. They have a brochure that goes into great detail on why these whistles are the loudest and the best. If you're curious, you can click to read it here (pdf). You can buy the Storm Whistle for $5.50 direct from the company as well as on many web sites.
I read about the famous Ka-Bar USMC Fighting Knife (pictured above) and its reputation as one of the most useful and indestructible 
tools a soldier could have. It can be used to hammer, pry open crates, and cut through most anything that is cuttable (sic). It is also inexpensive. I purchased mine (with serrated edge) on Amazon.com through the Ohio Knife company, which I chose because they had the lowest price at $47.99 plus $7.29 for shipping. I must also confess that I think it looked cool and I had no reason to own this except as an emergency tool to supplement my Leatherman Charge TTi Multi-Tool (on the right).
When I tell people about one of my more expensive Go Bag purchases they sometimes give me that "maybe you're taking this a little too far" look. But if terrorists ever detonate a dirty bomb in the city, a Portable Geiger Counter will suddenly seem like a brilliant gadget to have. That's because a dirty bomb would only contaminate a small area with dangerous radiation and it might be completely safe just a few blocks away. With a Geiger counter you can quickly know if you're in a danger zone. This is also a device that, when you do really need one, will be harder to find than the Wii at Christmas! I purchased my unit for about $250 from Edmund Scientific's, a company I have happily bought gadgets and toys from for decades.
One day my daughter brought home from school a Red Cross checklist of emergency first aid supplies. There were some things on this list that I had not seen before so I went out to upgrade my first aid kit. I realized after returning from my local pharmacy (where they looked at me a little strangely when I purchased syrup of ipecac) that I had no idea what to do with these things. So if you're not already a doctor, a book on first aid is definitely a smart purchase. The title I chose was Pocket First Aid. The publisher's description of this edition is as follows: Adapted from the most recent edition of the First Aid Manual, this pocket sized first aid guide is the only book available that is illustrated with photographs. Written in a clear, step-by-step format, Pocket First Aid covers many first aid methods, from resuscitation of conscious and unconscious choking victims, to how to deal with bleeding, shock, spinal injuries, poisoning, seizures, fractures, and bandages.
As for the syrup of ipecac, everything I've read says DON'T USE IT!
Here is a great bag from The North Face, an extra large (XL) Base Camp Duffel Bag, that I purchased from Backcountry.com for $149.95 incl. shipping. It is super strong and can be worn like a backpack. I could have bought it directly from The North Face but they didn't carry the color yellow, which I wanted, and I would have to pay extra for shipping. I was very happy with Backcountry.com's service.
In the event that all bridges and tunnels out of Manhattan are closed and you just have to get off the island, an inflatable raft is your best option if you don't own a boat. The best inflatable raft I've read about is from a company in Alaska called Alpacka Raft. Alpacka rafts are expensive -- the cheapest one is almost $800 without a paddle -- but they are extremely durable and compact. When packed the raft takes up only 9"x24" of space and can easily fit in a closet. I read about this raft in the November issue of Outside magazine. The article, Mission Improbable, was about two men who used them while traversing the wilds of western Canada. As for me, several months ago I purchased a two-man Coleman Colossus Inflatable Boat from Cabelas because it was cheap, less than $50, and I was planning to paddle to New Jersey with it as an experiment for this blog. I never made the attempt but if I was serious about it now I would try it with the Alpacka. I'm not going to buy one because my wife would kill me for wasting money and deep down I don't think I'm ever going to row off Manhattan. But the thought does reside in the back of my mind that it might one day be necessary.
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