How much preparation is needed, how much equipment do we need to have on hand, and what is more effective preparing or having stuff? The big unknown is how long we need to prepare for, what are we preparing for, and do we really need all of the equipment and do-dads we are told we need?
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| A pack could be part of your planning. |
It is of little use to gather a bunch of survival gear while having no idea of its use, why it was purchased or how to use it. On the internet, there is no lack of e-commerce sites in the "survival" niches telling us how much to prepare. That is fine, a lot of the information is helpful, a lot is folly, and a lot is merely marketing. How much preparation is needed? There are several levels, and a wide array of theories actually, I will discuss some in this article, it may help to make sense of a big and involved subject.
I am an advocate of keeping a one week's supply of water, food, and necessary supporting tools, lighting, and communications on hand. Most Government agencies and private non-profit organizations recommend 72 hours or three days supply. That is a good directive, a fine place to start, something is much better than nothing. For each person that has a plan and supporting supplies is one less person that may panic and end up in a bad situation during an event. Seven days seems like it may be a long time however it is shorter when we take into account these three ideas.
(Discover FEMA follow this Link)
The first one is if it is a widespread occurrence first responders may take a week or longer to find us. A case in point was Hurricane Harvey that swept through Texas last year. Some people were stuck in their homes upper floors for longer than a week. The community did throw in and rescue people in private boats, but the event was just so catastrophic and widespread it affected a lot of people and their homes. The victims needed a weeks supply, just water would have been a blessing for some of them. The locals performing the rescues in private boats may very well have been in the 33% of prepared citizens.
Second is if the event is not a week-long we may have a houseguest if a disaster strikes when relatives or friends are visiting most of us would feel responsible for their safety. In fact, during the planning stage of an emergency response, I suggest this be included. Many guests will have no idea of which natural events could threaten the area they are visiting, or have any information on what recourse they have. Emergency telephone numbers, evacuations routes, and basic knowledge of the City or towns layout are all bound to confuse them, it is up to us to keep the confusion to a minimum.
The third is at the onset of a disaster I prefer to be in a position of being a "responder" versus a "victim". If we over prepare, that is store more than what we need, it will benefit the small society that will be created once we all would have to rely on one another. It is prudent to remember 66% of us will not have any preparation set up at all, During a long-term event, which I classify as one week or longer, these neighbors, friends, and yes strangers will be looking to the people who are prepared for help. I want to have at least enough water for someone that is thirsty, and a means to purify more. We will most likely be the only people with the information needed for survival, muster sites for evacuation, local authority contact numbers, and an AM/FM radio which enables us to stay informed.
The first task for us to undertake is to make a plan, you have most likely heard that a million times, or so it seems. The fact still remains that we may have heard dire warnings of an impending doom and gloom event for many years. As the event creeps closer to happening normally we receive warnings from many different directions, Government agencies, Private organizations, and Television broadcasts. Still, we have a tendency to ignore the warnings right up until the catastrophic occurrence takes place. At that time many of us will proclaim the way we were surprised and exclaim how we never expected it Still after the lava cools, the smoldering is gone, and the flood has dried up, most of us will continue on with our lives starting the cycle once again. 33% of us will be prepared with written planning, a stash of supplies, and a lifestyle of living ready for anything to happen. There is a word for that and not the one you would guess.
Self-reliance, how self-reliant are we as a society? Just that a mere 33%, the rest are a mixture of two camps. One is those who just don't realize anything could possibly happen, the second do realize but are just too busy to plan, do not have the financial resources, or procrastinate to the point of inaction. Self-reliance, Self-awareness, and Personal responsibility could also be defined as "Self-preservation", each man for himself perhaps. What are some of the things we can do to become self-reliant in the face of an emergency?
Make a plan, the place to start is on the FEMA template page, (Link) There is a template in many different languages, templates for schools, businesses and even templates for large meetings. There is a lot of information provided by the Government to help us make it through the initial disaster period of three days. A plan to "cross those bridges when they come", is not a plan, it is an excuse for not planning, as is "everyone will be in the same boat." Most of us would prefer not to be in that boat, the idea of having not an inkling of what is happening does not sit well with the 33%.
The second step is to start a "stash", begin with water. the daily recommendation is 1/2 gallon a day per person. That renders down to one 24 pint package of water per person per week, a family of four would need 4 cases in reserve. Most of us have at least seven days of food in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer so that most likely is not an issue. Unless yours is a family that never eats at home and has bare cupboards which are highly unlikely. There are major precautions that should be adhered to once the power is lost, and during every event, we should expect to lose utility services. To me living without electric service is the least of worries, sure it will cause a considerable amount of discomfort for many of us, but we will, for the most part, live through it. Unless a family member is dependent upon life support equipment, in that case, extensive planning with input from experts is needed. It all depends upon how much we are committed to preparing for our own survival.
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| Don't forget the can opener. |
Just what do we need, how important are creature comforts to us? It's a decision that must be made on a personal level, including medical needs, and how committed to it a person is. Many times we are advised to purchase an emergency generator, for example, there are mixed opinions on that purchase. I take the stance of not needing one, I have several reasons for feeling that way.
One is the lack of use, the only reason I would want one would be to save the food in the freezer, but how many of us could justify saving $500 worth of frozen entrees with the purchase of a $1500 generator? I'd rather stock dehydrated food that is designed for long-term storage, but even at that, most events don't last over a week or two.
The second is I don't need one for life support equipment, and to make it without lights is OK, hurricane lamps and kerosene will work just fine. It won't be needed for heating, or cooling, our house is heated with wood, I can connect a car battery to the pellet stove and it will run. Charging cell phones with a solar charger are preferable to me, as is lights if I need electric lights. These being a few reasons I don't see a need for a generator, I mention them to inspire thinking on the subject. It may be comforting to not have the internet, television, or beeping, blinking things going on all day and night for a while.
The third is the maintenance and support equipment, most of us would buy a generator and store it in the garage, then after 5 years or longer attempt to start it. We are lousy at keeping up with preventive measures to make sure stuff still works. Gaskets dry out, gasoline degrades, and batteries are reduced to junk when ignored. Most of us no longer change the oil in our vehicles, it is unreasonable to think we would service a generator even though we think of them as "life-saving" equipment. Fuel would have to be stored for long periods of time in large quantities which I would describe as over 100 gallons. Fuel would have to be cycled through the household uses, as well as treated for water. I would rather rely on solar for the limited amount of electricity I would use. There are other more important issues to me.
Sanitation, someplace to use the restroom, wash up, and prepare meals. A sanitary station consisting of a privacy tent, porta-potty, and a means of taking a shower is paramount to me. It is something we take for granted, when we walk into our home bathrooms we flip the switch and a light comes on. Hot water comes from a faucet soon after we open a valve over the sink, and that chrome lever on the toilet performs a miracle every time we flush. If we suffer an injury cleanliness is the most important part of safeguarding from infection, and infection is a serious situation when isolated during a catastrophic event. It is impossible to deal with when a means of sanitation is not available.
Those are a few of the issues I have considered and included in my planning, yours will most likely be different for the most part. It all depends upon what type of disaster the area we live in is prone to. Wildfire, flooding, tornadoes, house fires, or any of the other many natural and man-made situations we may be confronted with. As we complete our written plans, and during our practicing to be certain it works more issues will arise that have to be included. Each will be unique to our various situations, one size does not fit all. One person merely needs a bottle of water and a flashlight, others need a fully equipped class A recreational vehicle, and you know what, it's all OK. It is all OK, the most important part is to have a plan that has been formulated with the entire family, and each household member having input, which encourages ownership, which creates buy-in, then success.
Plans are not set in stone, it is unreasonable to expect a plan to be executed 100% perfectly. A good bullseye is 80% if a plan or piece of equipment covers 80% of our needs it is a successful plan. A generator, for example, would take care of 20% of our needs, a sanitary station would supply 100% of our sanitary concerns. Our priorities are in the decisions as well, what makes sense to me doesn't make sense to everyone else. That is why we must all create our own disaster preparation planning, that is also why it is so important for each of us to have one.
After a disaster occurs it is too late to make a plan, it must be created and practiced well before an event takes place. After the plan is created and practiced, it will become part of your lifestyle. Some families will be satisfied with a 72 supply, others with a week, and still, others become proponents of long-term survival. Those are events lasting a year or longer, some having dedicated second homes (bunkers) to retreat to which is an entirely different set of convictions and have planning issues unique to them.
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| A photo of an abandoned ammunition bunker. |
Build a survival plan, sit down and think about the two or three scenarios you may face. Common sense mixed with reality will set you on a path for surviving the first three days, seven days or a year. Maybe you prefer one pack, maybe your preference is to grab a bottle of water and go. Whatever it is and how involved it becomes is up to each of us. We must also plan on the chance we may have to get up and go with no time to take anything with us. The planning will still pay off, escaping with nothing but the clothes on our backs should be part of our plans.
We can begin community organizations, one I have in mind is the CERT program. Often supported by local governments it is the "Community Emergency Response Team", It is a nationwide effort if you are interested in further information follow this Link. Some neighborhoods incorporate it into their "Neighborhood watch" programs, still, others start from scratch to create their own unique programs. The main idea is to have something set up for our own self-preservation, our own survival, and hopefully be in the position of being able to help others during the event.
Thank you for reading and sharing, give survival planning some thought, even a minimal amount of planning and equipment is better than nothing.
jacquesandkate emergencykitsplus.com
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