An emergency kit is like a bicycle helmet- you may never "need" it, but when you do, it may be immediate and unexpected. Make one, tailored to your personal or family needs, and keep it up to date. For instance, if you place canned food in an emergency kit for home, "rotate" it once or twice a year. That means checking the best by dates and using the food in them at home before or around the best by date. Remember that this date, when applied to canned food, usually means that the nutritional value begins to decline around then, not that it suddenly becomes unsafe to eat. Also, don't forget the manual can opener in your emergency kit!