Most disasters are minor in nature effecting fewer than 250 volumes or 150 cubic feet of records. A roof leak, broken water line or backed up floor drain could result in a minor disaster. Sealed drums are recommended for two reasons. Nothing is more upsetting than opening a disaster cache expecting to use item that has been pulled from the drum for some other use. The second reason for using a sealed container is to protect the recovery cache that you will want to use to recover from a minor disaster.
Most disasters involve some source of water.
Rain leaking from a roof, water used by the fire department to extinguish a fire, or standing water from flood conditions. A sealed drum will keep moisture away from the recovery items and will float during a flood. When most needed your cache of supplies will be available and dry. Sponges 2 pkgs. Flashlight 1 Batteries for flashlight 2 pkgs.