Perhaps the greatest reason why some people never plan for disaster is that they view the need to prepare for the unexpected as too complicated and costly. They imagine the back yard being dug up for construction of a massive bomb shelter and the basement crammed with row after row of dry grains and large containers filled with backup water.
The truth is survival preparation is modestly affordable. Under most circumstances, the ability for individuals to remain mobile for a few days to a couple weeks by simply grabbing an inexpensive “survival kit” and heading out is more important than silos filled with long-term storage foods.
Many of the items vital for a good survival kit can be found at your local shopping center: an inexpensive poncho, a basic first aid assortment, nylon cord, canvas for temporary shelter, duck tape, a whistle.
Other items necessary for an effective emergency kit are a bit trickier to find and may need to be acquired from one of many online emergency preparedness companies. These include five-year-shelf-life food bars, five-year-shelf-life water boxes or pouches, paper-thin thermal blankets designed by NASA to retain body heat, special hand-crank combination flashlights with radios and emergency signals built in, and so on. My personal favorite is the “Transformer 4 in 1 Radio Flashlight,” which requires no maintenance, no batteries, no bulb replacements, and can even power your cell phone.
When it comes to preparedness, this is good advice. All of us must take personal responsibility for preparedness in an age of growing uncertainty. Dramatic lessons over the last few years have proven that we cannot depend on government agencies such as FEMA to save us if we need them. In fact, a report last month found that five years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the government still isn’t fully prepared to respond to a major public health emergency such as bio terrorism or a pandemic flu outbreak.
1. If you haven’t made or purchased an emergency survival kit, do that right away. If you build your own go-bag or survival kit, make sure to include five-year-shelf-life food and water (most store products will spoil over time or require refrigeration), thermal blankets, and a radio-flashlight combination that does not require batteries. You should include enough of the basic survival products stored in a single safe place at home to cover each member of your family for at least one week. I also suggest you place a “walk-out kit” in each vehicle that you or family members might use for long trips. If you do nothing else, at least do this.
2. Consider your particular situation. Do you live in the country or city? In a home or apartment? Do you have kids? Pets? Specific medical needs or prescription drugs? Think about what it would take for each member of your family to have the things they need besides food, water and shelter, to stay healthy. Create a list of these items and where they are located in your home. Place that list in several safe places as well as each survival bag and the glove box of every vehicle.
3. Finally:
* Place copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, birth certificates, deeds, photo IDs, etc.).
* Have an extra set of car and house keys.
* Think about credit and ATM cards and cash. Have small denominations on hand as banks may be closed or not functional during disaster.
* Medication for each member of your household for at least one week and other essential personal items. Keep a list of their dosages or copies of prescription slips.
* Child care supplies or other special care items.
* Personal care items and hygiene supplies.
* Contact and meeting place information for your household if you should become separated, and a small regional map with several routes out of your area by vehicle or on foot.
* Sturdy, comfortable walking shoes, bandannas, sweatpants and shirts, spare coats.
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