- Would you be ready if disaster struck? Don’t miss these five simple steps to prepare for a catastrophe or emergency….just in case.
I’m not really one for conspiracy theories, and I don’t generally tend to panic or automatically assume the worst. I wouldn’t call myself a “prepper,” and we don’t have a secret bunker built in our basement, an arsenal of supplies on hand in the event of a zombie apocalypse, or plans to go off the grid.
But I do know what it’s like to experience a catastrophe. In 2004 our home and town took a direct hit from Hurricane Charley. It was a strong Category 4 storm that demolished almost everything in its path and killed more than 20 people. And while the storm itself was terrifying, it was the aftermath that made my husband and I realize how woefully unprepared we were for a widespread emergency situation.
You see, Charley, in grand scheme of things, was pretty small. Within hours, the National Guard was on hand to help out, along with volunteers from the Red Cross and Salvation Army. For weeks they delivered meals and water door-to-door, provided shelter and generators, and helped clean up the mess.
But it was a sobering reminder of what could have happened if there were a bigger catastrophe. One that affected the whole state or region, or even the whole country, instead of just one small town. What if it had been a pandemic that suddenly swept the country like what has happened in Africa this past year? What if there were some sort of solar flare that caused an extended power outage? Would we be ready? Would we be able to survive and take care of our family and protect ourselves if necessary?
I certainly don’t wish for something like this to happen! I don’t even think it is very likely. But I do know that if something terrible were to happen, I would want to know I was at least somewhat prepared. Maybe that makes me a little nutty. I guess there are worse things. In any case, here are the 5 things I am doing—and that you can do too—right now to prepare for any number of major emergencies or natural disasters.
5 Things to do Right Now to Prepare for a Catastrophe
Stockpile Food
If you already use coupons or follow my strategy for cutting your grocery bill in half, then stockpiling food is probably something you already do to some extent. We try to keep at least several months worth of non-perishable food in our pantry, including lots of high-protein items like peanut butter and tuna. We also recently purchased a few buckets of emergency freeze-dried meals, which have a shelf-life of more than 20 years. We hope that we will never have to use them, but I feel better knowing that they are there just in case!
Secure Access to Clean Water
In the event of a catastrophe, water is the first thing you will miss. At the very least, it is important to keep a few cases plus several gallons of bottled water on hand in the event clean water is suddenly not available. (After Charley we didn’t have water for several weeks.) It is also a good idea to keep a few of these emergency reservoirs on hand. These collapsible water tanks don’t take much storage space but expand to hold 100 gallons of clean water right in your bathtub. You might also want to consider setting up a couple of rain barrels around your house or stocking up on some water purification tablets just in case.
Plan for Medical Emergencies
After Hurricane Charley we heard several stories of people right in our own neighborhood who were cut by broken glass during the storm and died waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Would you have the wherewithal to deal with a serious medical emergency in the event no one was around to help? Or, in the event of an extended disaster situation, would you be able to care for your family without access to regular medicine, doctors, or hospitals?
At the very least, make sure you have some sort of emergency medical kit on hand. It is also not a bad idea to research alternative medical treatments for your family’s most common issues. My husband and I have begun researching and using essential oils for a variety of ailments and have consistently been amazed by the results. (You can read more about that here.) We also bought a book called Surviving When Modern Medicine Fails that explains how to use oils for a variety of illnesses.
Know How to Protect Yourself
Preparing for an emergency situation mostly just means knowing how to take care of your family even in a worst-case scenario. Food, water, and medical supplies are important, but equally important is the ability to protect and defend yourself against outside threats.
The sad truth is that looting is all too common during emergencies, and the bigger the catastrophe, the more unsavory people there are around to take advantage of the situation. If nothing else, knowing you can defend yourself and your family will bring you peace of mind and the confidence to deal with scary situations.
Learn to Garden
Learning how to grow our own food is something my husband and I have been working on for quite a while, with limited success. While it makes a nice hobby and it is something we genuinely enjoy, our main motivation for mastering this garden thing is so that we would know how to do it if at some point we really needed to. I’d much rather learn now, while it is fun, then wait until my survival is at stake.
And so we are learning, slowly, what it really takes to grow our food. This, our fourth year, is our first year attempting Square Foot Gardening. We are fertilizing more, testing the soil on a regular basis, and tending to our little patch like our life depends on it. Because some day it might. (You can follow our progress on Instagram using hashtag #SoukupGarden)
I’ve mulled this post over for months now, wondering if I really should push the publish button, wondering if saying all this stuff out loud really does make me sound crazy. I know I can’t prepare for everything, and I certainly don’t want to live my life in fear of the unknown. That said, knowing there are a few things I can do right now, just in case, without much effort, makes me think I’d be a little crazy not to.
Have you done anything to prepare your family for a catastrophe? Why or why not?
To recap, here are 5 Things to do Right Now to Prepare for a Catastrophe
1. Stockpile Food
2. Secure Access to Clean Water
3. Plan for Medical Emergencies
4. Know How to Protect Yourself
5. Learn to Garden
Other related articles:
- 48 Life Skills Everyone Should Learn
- 10 Essential Pantry Staples to Always Keep on Hand
- How to Stock Your First Kitchen
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In addition to these things we have a file that housed emergency money as cards birth cert and any other extremely important documents so that in case of emergency we van grab that and go.
Having gone through the Joplin tornado back in 2011, I totally agree with the point about the water. Water was the very first thing we missed. We didn’t have any at all on hand and it was a big challenge trying to get water initially. Ever since then, while I don’t consume bottled water on a regular basis, I ways keep some on-hand for emergencies. Having cash on hand is VERY important too, I totally agree with Tiffany’s comment above. Pretty much every store around us only took cash for the first few days after the tornado. And if you’re a homeowner, having a generator is a really, really good idea. Our next-door neighbor had one and it was truly a lifesaver.
Great list! This is one of our goals, too, as we prepare for the “what ifs”. I have a good supply of food, but am working on building up candles, matches, flashlights and batteries. We’d like to get a generator, too. That’s on the big ticket list.
We have a large generator, purchased used at a great price, but we also have to remember to keep the gas cans full- the generator is no good once your gasoline runs out.
Once a month grocery shopping also helps with a stockpile- and it is so nice to spend less time in stores with children! I do love to have them with me to pick large amounts of fruit and then can it.
Also, all us ladies would probably hate to forget to stockpile feminine hygiene products!
And consider keeping knowledge of your supplies and piles of cash at the house on the down-low. While it is nice to share with family and friends, we do want to stay safe.
Not crazy at all. Have been thinking of these things myself lately. I am more inclined to to believe we will have a natural disaster or pandemic than anything else. So yeah, trying to make sure we have the basics covered like food, water, medical and safety. Thanks for a great article.
personally I think that those who don’t prepare are the crazy ones. You never know what will happen be it a nasty storm of some sort or some major event. Even everyday life, job loss, house fire, sick family member, you get the idea.
The red cross and FEMA recommend a MINIMUM of 2 weeks worth of non perishable foods that can be prepared and eaten with little to no fuel and water. Also at least 1 gallon of water per person and animal per day. Think about that, how much water does it take you to make your meals, clean yourself, hydrate yourself, and use the toilet. One gallon is a joke. We often have water issue where I live (community well lots of line breaks and boil notices) I have averaged my family of 6’s water consumption excluding bathing and toileting at about 3 gallons per person. That’s not accounting for other liquids we drink like sodas, milk, coffee etc.
my suggestions are items that won’t require refrigeration, take little water and fuel to prepare and store longer.
Make sure these are foods you will either eat (to rotate and keep a fresh stock) or be willing to donate (I get a lot of health food advocates are highly opposed to ramen and canned meat)
Think full meals not snacks. 2 weeks of breakfast, 2 weeks of lunch, and 2 weeks of dinner, these don’t all have to be different but variety helps a lot. Consider than during most crisis you will probably be burning more calories than normal so over estimate the amount you will need. Account for growing children and likely guests (parents, friends etc that may need to stay with you) encourage them to keep a supply as well.
Have a way to purify water aside from boiling in the event more water is needed and you aren’t able to drink from your tap. Back up fuel source, it’s possible you may not be able to use your gas stove even with a match, you may not be able to use your outdoor grill either. Consider an alcohol stove, propane camp stove or look into rocket stoves.
For those that do not want commercial foods and prefer organic, try canning and dehydrating your own. Anyone can can and dehydrate, meats, fruits, veggies, soups etc can all be canned (check out the Ball Blue Book for an excellent guide to getting started) great for people with food allergies so you know EXACTLY what is in your foods.
In the event the emergency happens and you have to leave home quickly, (fire, gas leaks, mandatory evacuations) have a grab and go bag ready to go. This should contain, a change of clothes, 3 days of food and water, a first aid kit, a weeks worth of any medication you require, a multi tool, a good pocket knife, tarp, duct tape and a kit to start fire, and a light (head lamps keep your hands free to do what you need to do). If you have room and time it would be good to have your two week supply quickly accessible, store it in small totes or duffel bags you can grab and throw into your vehicle.
Along with jugs or cases of water (the gallon jugs suck and deteriorate and split at the seams too quick imo)
Thus far my family has tried many types of freeze dried meals and more type meals for our emergency storage. Mountain house makes the best tasting ones and you can find them in the camping section of most stores. It’s usually about 2 servings per bag but for the 6 of us we would need at least 5 bags for a meal. (Kids are 12,8,7,&3) so I buy 6 per meal. These are the ones I put in our grab bags (commonly called bug out bags, inch, get home bags etc)
Check out ready.gov for suggestions if you are just starting and feeling overwhelmed.
Sorry to hijack the post!!! I could go on forever (we are preppers NOT the doomsday kind)
This is wonderful and EXACTLY what I was looking for, thank you for the hijack! lol