PREPPER: Ten Prepping Habits You Should Be Working On!
The latest articles from the prepping world
Habits can be good or bad. They can be a
wonderful thing or a curse. However, I believe in having good habits as
a prepper. We need to be diligent in our personal growth as preppers
and habits do this for us. Habits keep us accountable and help us to
become better preppers.
Some of these habits may seem a little different, but I see prepping as a personal thing to improve us as well as make us better people in general.
Ten Prepping Habits You Should Be Working On!
1. Organization. Being organized is only for your advantage in prepping. In an emergency or crisis, you will know where everything is. That is key for good emergency management, good response time, and good decisions. You will be able to see what you have and what you need to replace. You won't have to guess where everything is. You can tell someone where to find a key item and get the item quickly. I can not stress being organized enough.
2. Being Proactive. You want to be a proactive prepper. You want to see problems before they occur. You want to take care of problems before they happen. Need more water in your storage? Buy it now instead of waiting until a crisis is looming. A window needs to be fixed? Take care of it now before a storm blows it out or a thief finds a way in. You can scale this down to simple everyday things. Dishes need to be done? Do them now before the power may go out or the well pump quits. Laundry piling up? Put a load in the washer every day so you don't have to worry about it later. Taking care of things now will save you a major headache later.
3. Good Health. Your health is key in prepping. If you are too unwell to respond to a crisis or emergency, you might end up dead. Every prepper should be working on good eating habits, being in good physical condition, living in moderation, and working on/quitting bad habits like smoking and chewing.
4. Skill Building. Always Be Learning. You are never done learning as a prepper. There are new skills to learn and to hone. There is always new information to learn, process, and/or implement. As a prepper, you need to keep up to date on the current news, new trends, new information, and new threats that may be on the horizon. You may need to learn new skills to adjust to the new information you have learned. As a tip, I know preppers that learn a new skill every month. They learn about that skill and start practicing the skill. This is something we all should be doing.
5. Good Communication. Being able to effectively communicate is key. You don't want to have misunderstandings in times of crisis. You need to be able to listen well and talk clearly.
6. Becoming Debt Free. Life is better when you are debt free. There are times in life where debt is unavoidable, but trying not to accrue more debts is key. If you are in debt, try to find ways to get out of debt. I personally like Dave Ramsey's system, but that may not be for everyone. However, you should be finding new ways to make extra money and putting in the overtime now so you can have financial peace later.
7. Establishing Routines. Do you have good routines? Do you check the house every night to make sure the doors are locked and windows are secured? Do you have your clothes laid out the night before so you can get dressed quickly in the morning or during the night if you need to? Doing the same thing every day and every night is good for you. You established routines so you stay proactive about what needs to be done, what gets done everyday, and what problems need to be addressed. Routines keep your mind calm and reassured that everything was done and checked. Establish routines now to keep the chaos in check later.
8. Practice. Always keep practicing. Whether that includes your skills, your routines, your talents, etc. Most things you learn should not be learned once and thought to be done with them. You should always make time to practice what you need to know.
9. Conservation and Sustainability. Recycling. Reusing. Live somewhat minimally. Reduce our wants and focus on our needs. We really need to learn to quit being wasteful. When times of crisis come, we need to learn to reuse what we have and focus on just what we need to survive.
10. Learning To Live Without. This may be the hardest habit for anyone, not just preppers. We rely on our comforts so much and can get really cranky without them. We expect instant access to information instead of having to look it up in a book. We expect to be entertained when we want to be entertained. We expect to have air conditioning at our fingertips. We really need to learn to live without. If you learn this now, that habit will serve you later when the power is out or you are stranded somewhere for any length of time.
Some of these habits may seem a little different, but I see prepping as a personal thing to improve us as well as make us better people in general.
Ten Prepping Habits You Should Be Working On!
1. Organization. Being organized is only for your advantage in prepping. In an emergency or crisis, you will know where everything is. That is key for good emergency management, good response time, and good decisions. You will be able to see what you have and what you need to replace. You won't have to guess where everything is. You can tell someone where to find a key item and get the item quickly. I can not stress being organized enough.
2. Being Proactive. You want to be a proactive prepper. You want to see problems before they occur. You want to take care of problems before they happen. Need more water in your storage? Buy it now instead of waiting until a crisis is looming. A window needs to be fixed? Take care of it now before a storm blows it out or a thief finds a way in. You can scale this down to simple everyday things. Dishes need to be done? Do them now before the power may go out or the well pump quits. Laundry piling up? Put a load in the washer every day so you don't have to worry about it later. Taking care of things now will save you a major headache later.
3. Good Health. Your health is key in prepping. If you are too unwell to respond to a crisis or emergency, you might end up dead. Every prepper should be working on good eating habits, being in good physical condition, living in moderation, and working on/quitting bad habits like smoking and chewing.
4. Skill Building. Always Be Learning. You are never done learning as a prepper. There are new skills to learn and to hone. There is always new information to learn, process, and/or implement. As a prepper, you need to keep up to date on the current news, new trends, new information, and new threats that may be on the horizon. You may need to learn new skills to adjust to the new information you have learned. As a tip, I know preppers that learn a new skill every month. They learn about that skill and start practicing the skill. This is something we all should be doing.
5. Good Communication. Being able to effectively communicate is key. You don't want to have misunderstandings in times of crisis. You need to be able to listen well and talk clearly.
6. Becoming Debt Free. Life is better when you are debt free. There are times in life where debt is unavoidable, but trying not to accrue more debts is key. If you are in debt, try to find ways to get out of debt. I personally like Dave Ramsey's system, but that may not be for everyone. However, you should be finding new ways to make extra money and putting in the overtime now so you can have financial peace later.
7. Establishing Routines. Do you have good routines? Do you check the house every night to make sure the doors are locked and windows are secured? Do you have your clothes laid out the night before so you can get dressed quickly in the morning or during the night if you need to? Doing the same thing every day and every night is good for you. You established routines so you stay proactive about what needs to be done, what gets done everyday, and what problems need to be addressed. Routines keep your mind calm and reassured that everything was done and checked. Establish routines now to keep the chaos in check later.
8. Practice. Always keep practicing. Whether that includes your skills, your routines, your talents, etc. Most things you learn should not be learned once and thought to be done with them. You should always make time to practice what you need to know.
9. Conservation and Sustainability. Recycling. Reusing. Live somewhat minimally. Reduce our wants and focus on our needs. We really need to learn to quit being wasteful. When times of crisis come, we need to learn to reuse what we have and focus on just what we need to survive.
10. Learning To Live Without. This may be the hardest habit for anyone, not just preppers. We rely on our comforts so much and can get really cranky without them. We expect instant access to information instead of having to look it up in a book. We expect to be entertained when we want to be entertained. We expect to have air conditioning at our fingertips. We really need to learn to live without. If you learn this now, that habit will serve you later when the power is out or you are stranded somewhere for any length of time.
5 Quick Emergency Foods for All Situations
5 Quick Emergency Foods
- Beef Jerky/Smoked, Cured Jerky and meats: In general, you receive a lot with jerky and beef sticks…on average a 1-ounce portion or piece/stick is about 10-12 g of protein. Considering that it keeps for a long time and doesn’t need to be cooked, with just about a quarter of a pound, you are taking in 40-48 g of protein. This is very good, especially in a high-stress environment where you’re burning up a lot of energy. Please go back and refer to some of my articles on protein intake and how “cannibalism” (during the catabolic phase) to break down muscle tissue and use it for energy works.
- Nuts: Peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and so forth, usually run about 7-8 grams of protein, about the same in carbohydrates, and double the amount in fat. They have a high-fat content; however, nuts are packed with resveratrol, a chemical that is a vasodilator that improves circulation. In addition, during a disaster, the extra fat content will not be harmful, as it provides satiety (feeling of fullness), as well as giving you some valuable electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium. These, too are readily available and easily “munched” down on the go. Dry-roasted, shelled pistachios are a good one with high protein and high Omega’s, as well as the minerals and electrolytes.
- Dried Fruits: will give you some simple sugars and carbohydrates for the body. Long-term benefits will be to provide some fiber. This is very important in a disaster, as peristaltic activity (the activity of the bowels in digestion) tends to slow down and become depressed substantially with stress. This results in constipation and hardened stools that can cause cramps and discomfort and even lead to a major problem, such as a blockage, as in the condition called obstructed ileus. Some examples of dried fruits good to pack with you are figs, apricots, raisins, cranberries, and prunes…the latter being the best for prevention of constipation when used in moderate amounts. Prunes are also extremely high in Potassium, a vital electrolyte.
- Fruit/Granola/Power “Bars”: These can be pretty good for quick energy and some carbohydrates and fiber. They are not necessarily high in the protein department, except if they’re specified for such. Keep in mind: they’re not meant to serve as long-term meal substitutes, but instead are for a quick energy food for convenience.
- Protein Powders – Milk and eggs are a few of the first foods to disappear before and following a disaster. We need supplements to make up for the lack of nutrients in our diets and also to “boost” our intake of needed materials. Nutrients such as amino acids and protein, which I have written extensively about in previous articles. These are critical for our upkeep, and they must be obtained from our food. A protein powder may or may not (or may partially) provide these amino acids. Of particular importance are BCAA’s (Branched-Chain Amino Acids), such as L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, and L-Valine. These guys are very important for tissue repair. Read more on protein powders here.
Clothing will not be optional in a post SHTF world, it will be critical!
Hello, my friend and welcome back! I watched a movie the other night about a disaster and half way through the movie the people were running around in rags or worn out clothes. When disaster hits and it all goes to hell, you will not only need clothing, but it will be a necessity to have the right kind as well. This is the subject of today’s post, so grab some coffee and have a seat while we visit.
Let’s start with why you need to keep clothing in your preps. I can tell you from experience that there is not much that is worse than being caught outdoors while being wet, freezing or both. It simply makes you miserable all the way to the bone. It can make a bad situation feel insurmountable. You should keep several changes of clothing, including socks and underwear, in a watertight container with your Preps at all times for you and each family member.Something many people don’t really give much thought to is to keep the right clothes as well. What do I mean by that? To start with, you will want to keep some clothing that is too small for you, maybe one or two sizes at least. You see when the SHTF, one thing is for certain and that is no one is going to be gaining weight for quite a while.
In fact, pretty much all of us will begin losing weight as we start rationing our food supplies and exerting much more energy than normal. Gone will be the days of sitting, looking at computer monitors or watching TV. This will be replaced with long days of busting your butt hunting, fishing and gardening not to mention maintaining security. You will lose weight whether you want to or not. This makes the need for smaller size clothing mandatory if you want to be comfortable while working your butt off.
What other things should be considered when selecting what clothing items to store up? You will need to plan for the fact that there will be no air-conditioning (in all likely hood), and no central heat as well. You need to dress for the extremes of each season. In the summer, you’re going to want to have lightweight and breathable clothing for working outside and inside. There are many on the market, as well as clothing that repels water and dries quickly. A summer hat that protects the back of your neck and you face should be in preps too.
I know a lot of people will be packing shorts, but be sure to add long pants and long sleeves to your clothing items because the presence of bugs and mosquitos will increase dramatically. With all of the dead animals and possibly human bodies lying around, flies will be caring germs and sickness and you will want to protect yourself from that as well. Will also protect you from sunburns!
The winters will be hard if you’re not prepared with the right clothing. Staying comfortable in the winter will be just as much of a challenge as staying cool in the summer. Because you will be exerting a lot of energy outside, and sweating, that overstuffed coat of yours will not be what you want to wear. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to work up a sweat and then let yourself get cold in the winter. Once again, the common cold could become deadly. Wear clothing, that while still providing a decent level of warmth, will still allow you to vent the heat that your body will be creating. You need to plan for it because chopping wood to cook with or warm your home will be hot sweaty work. A warm hat that covers the ears, ski masks to protect your nose and eyes, all a good idea, not to mention WARM work gloves and wool socks.
Everyone being from different areas of the country will have to decide based on what their weather is like. Like here, the summers are the worse. My wife….can not tolerate the heat…pray for me! LOL Take the time to sit down and work through the different types of environment challenges you may face and then plan accordingly. Don’t leave to chance that you will have what you need when the time comes because it could cost you your life. Think and prepare wisely for any and all situations, and just maybe you will survive when so many others do not. I recently read where the President of Venezuela told the people to eat their pets to keep from starving. I guess he doesn’t get out much because those were eaten a while back… and it could happen here as well.
How Many Of These Vintage Skills Do You Know?
How many of these vintage skills do you know? Could you teach your family members or neighbors how to use those skills? This list is very short but it’s very important to make sure these skills are not lost or forgotten. Some people may call them pioneer skills, some call them vintage skills. It’s kind of like the phrase homesteading or a farm, is there a difference? I have never raised animals to eat on my homestead or plot of land. But I have raised a garden, sewn all of our clothes, lived on a budget, pressure canned food, dehydrated food, and water bathed foods. I cook from scratch and have my whole life. The largest lot we have ever owned was a 1/2 acre, but we produced enough fruits and vegetables to preserve for our family for a year.I can still remember hearing people tell us we had the biggest garden on the street in every neighborhood we have lived in. It wasn’t for competition, it was for survival and to teach my girls to learn to work. And work, they did. I could not have canned 4-5 bushels of peaches, pears, apples, apricots, spaghetti sauce, and salsa. I also couldn’t have snapped that many green beans or made all that delicious purple grape juice. We made apple pie filling, don’t you love apple pie? These are just a small amount of the items we preserved to feed our family of six. I guess what I am trying to say is, you don’t need 15 acres to be self-reliant, you can do it on much less land. I know the word homesteading has become very popular the last few years, but people my age have been doing these vintage or pioneer skills for over 60 years.
It is not new to some of us, it was a necessity as we raised our families. We did not have food drive-thru’s to pick up dinner. We made dinner at home. We did not have access to all the processed food available to families today. I’m hoping I can help a few families realize they do not need a lot of property to be self-reliant. We did it with a half acre and sometimes less acreage.
We made pancakes from scratch, made homemade cookies ready for the kids when they came home from school. We wanted to pay off our house instead of getting a soda around the corner every day. So, my question today is how can we get people to go back to what we have been doing for years. Here are just a few vintage skills we must teach our kids and grandkids. Ten acres isn’t going to help you much if you don’t know how to use these few limited skills.
Vintage Skills
Gardening:
If you can learn how to save seeds, plant seeds and balance your soil with good organic products you can grow anything, anywhere. Learning how to use different soils found in your particular neighborhood is critical to be successful with growing a garden. I have had many good years and very few years that I couldn’t grow some vegetables in this desert where I live. I had better soil up north, but it’s taken a few years to get this soil where I want it to be the most productive.Bread Making:
I know there are a lot of people with gluten issues, but try and make sourdough bread or natural yeast bread. Sometimes it’s not the wheat at all but the commercial yeast. Very few people in Europe have any gluten issues because they use zero commercial yeast, only natural yeast. It’s your gut and you must follow what is right for you, but I have families come to my house to get natural yeast and their gluten issues have disappeared.Sewing/Mending:
I grew up making my own clothes, so a sewing machine has always been a mainstay in my home. I remember dreaming about owning a Bernina sewing machine one day after I worked at a Bernina shop in Logan, Utah. It took almost 50 years but I finally got one, thanks to the money my mom left me after she died. I will never part with that machine, it means too much to me. I grew up using a Singer machine, even a Singer Treadle machine, then a BabyLock. They were great machines and served me and my family well for many years.
Cooking From Scratch:
If we can teach our kids that a tube that snaps on the counter with premade biscuits is not cooking from scratch, we will win! If we can teach them that vegetables and fruits really are more filling than a drive-through hamburger or chicken nuggets we will win too!I know, I can hear some of you say “but that’s why I use coupons, they save me money.” In the short term, this may be true, but our health is at stake, I promise. I confess I eat way too much. Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is my favorite. Is my cholesterol, high? Of course, it is and I know better. It’s an addiction, I’m trying to stop, including eating unhealthy food.
Please tell me I’m not alone. How can we teach our kids and grandkids how to make things a white sauce, homemade pizza crust? I’m thinking it’s by example, maybe or maybe not?
Budgets:
I truly believe we need to teach people to budget their money. If they write down what the net is that they bring in and then make a list of expenses that have to be paid, then they are well on their way to forming a family budget. If you have to cut those daily sodas, then stop it. I love Starbucks, but I also want to purchase another car in a year or two. Mark and I live on less than we make, if we can do it so can others. Is it hard, yes it is. But, it’s been a way of life for us. I would rather eat at home, but I also realize I need to splurge to go on a date with Mark from time to time. But I try to use a coupon for a two for one. I tip on the REAL full amount because I know how hard those servers work.These are simple vintage or pioneer skills anyone can accomplish. We can’t depend on the government to take care of our families. We are responsible for feeding and clothing our families, not the government. I have known families over the years that have been on food stamps for over 15 years now and some still live in low-income housing. They have strong healthy bodies and could raise a garden or find more gainful employment, this needs to stop. I understand if they are going to school or have been out of work for 3-4 months, had some health issues, etc., but not 15 years. It’s become a way of life for them, plus they are teaching their kids that this is acceptable. In my way of thinking it is not. Okay, I will get off my soapbox. We need to teach people these vintage skills at the very least. Please teach these skills or have someone teach you, we will be a better world, I promise!
13 Reasons to Ferment Your Own Food: Introduction to Fermenting
There are a lot of reasons why fermentation is such a popular method for preserving foods. The health benefits include better digestion, tastier vegetables, value adding, and it is a method that is very easy to get right the first time you do it. This post is intended to educate fellow preppers on why they should start fermenting and what benefits it has to offer their household and health.We will also briefly cover what you need to get started and few basic recipes. In future posts, we will offer more in-depth information on the different aspects of fermentation and the equipment that is available to you.
1. Preserves without refrigeration or canning
Using a fermentation crock or vessel properly means you can store fermented foods without refrigeration. Storing in a cool place is helpful but as long as it isn’t in the direct sun you are fine. A large fermentation crock can replace a lot of canning jars and time spent.It is worth repeating this in any article on fermentation: Canning kills the beneficial bacteria and flora that you have created by fermenting.
Sure, it is tempting to do it for storage or for giving to friends but if you want small containers on hand so you don’t have to get into your crock as often to retrieve food, then get some mason jar lids equipped with airlocks and store in your kitchen where you can have it on hand.
2. Adds nutrients
It has been proven that the act of fermentation actually boosts nutrient levels in foods. This allows you to get a lot more out of vegetables and milk products than your normally would.3. Adds value to cheap foods
Cabbage can be found in North Carolina for about $14-$16 for a 70 lb bag. I can turn that into 5 gallons or more of saurkraut. With quality kraut in glass going for at least $4-$5 a quart at a grocery store, that $15 is easily turned into more than $100 worth of food.If you are new to canning and preserving kraut and pickles can be so satisfying because they are hard to mess up and the work is broken up into manageable stages for those that are really busy.
4. Helps with stomach issues by improving the digestive process
Fermentation preserves nutritional value but the process makes it much easier for you to digest the food so there is less chance of stomach troubles. Think of fermented foods as already being partially broken down. For example over the years I developed an intolerance for dairy products.I discovered that cultured and fermented dairy products like cheese and yogurt do not cause me distress. The process of fermentation breaks down the lactose that caused my trouble. Your stomach doesn’t have to work as hard when foods are a little bit naturally processed for you.
5. Fermented foods add good bacteria to your gut for an overall healthier you
We live in a world of very processed foods that lack a lot of the good bacteria that is essential to good health. Fermented foods contain natural live cultures and bacteria that help restore balance.Some people find that adding fermented foods has helped them overcome intolerances to some food products like lactose or gluten.
6. Restores enzymes to your body that are harder to come by the older you get
It is probably not that much of a surprise to a lot of readers that stomach issues get worse as you age. At least part of this may be blamed on your body producing less natural enzymes.Having a good level of enzymes is essential to digestion and your bodies absorption of essential nutrients. That’s right, fermented foods will help you get more out of your food.
Consider what getting more out of your food means in a long term survival situation or crisis? Anything that can help your food offer more to you is going to be a welcome thing in a long emergency.
7. Boosts your immune system
Fermenting foods adds valuable probiotics to your diet that can help you stay well. Getting ill, feeling down, or developing any type of medical condition can effect everything in your life.During a SHTF scenario, you especially need to be in the best condition you can be at the start of it. Natural immune system boosters can be hard to come by but fermented foods can help take care of you.
8. Fermented foods add flavor and variety
Even the blandest foods will taste better if you add something that is fermented. I know plenty of preppers that might have a lot of food put back but let’s face it, eating bland foods with little flavor is not going to make a survival situation any easier.Fermented foods add some zing.
Pickled peppers and some salt are going to make those beans and rice seem a lot better in a true emergency plus there is health and nutritional value unlike spice blends that have little or no value in terms of nutrition or health. Yes, I know herbs are medicinal but the amount in a bowl of rice and beans is not going to offer much overall.
9. Fermentation makes foods like cabbage more appealing
I bet you are not going to want to eat a cup full of raw cabbage straight from the head. Why would you? It lacks any type of salt and tastes quite bland. Now consider eating a cup of saurkraut.With the act of fermentation, you can take a food that doesn’t taste so great normally and make it appealing. Cheap foods like cabbage, carrots, and banana peppers are all good examples of foods that gain a lot from the fermentation process.
10. Easy and inexpensive food prepping
Getting started fermenting foods doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You can get the crock of your dreams for $60-$160 but you can also get started just using some airlocks and mason jars that cost under $30.Since the supplies are reusable, you get a big return for your investment over the years.
11. Adds variety to your diet
If you have found that you are always eating the same thing and you are a bit bored with your diet then fermented foods are a great new food avenue to explore. You can ferment practically any vegetable or you can co ferment many types of vegetables for a delicious treat.Most Popular Fermented Foods
- Saurkraut
- Pickles
- Kim Chi
- Garden Veggie Variety
- Garlic
- Okra
- Peppers
- Salsa
12. Helps get kids to eat healthier
Getting kids to eat healthy can be a challenge but fermenting foods can help both of you out in this situation. Plenty of kids love to eat pickles but getting them to eat a raw cucumber seems impossible!Kids like flavor and things like pickles can be made to be sweet, salty, or a bit of both! On top of that, you may find that your child is less prone to illnesses due to a healthy level of good bacteria in their developing body. Nutrient absorption is key to healthy kids!
13. Space efficient food storage
Limited space can be a problem when it comes to prepping. This means you need to find ways to maximize your space. Canned foods are great but fermented foods can be kept in a cool place and sealed for months at a time without using extra canning jars.The stackable square containers for storing fermented foods like those from Crazy Korean are especially good for maximizing storage space.
What You Need To Start Fermenting
- Non Iodized Salt
- Crock Or Food Grade Bucket
- Chopper, Food Processor, Knife, whatever you have to cut stuff up with. A cheese grater works well for cabbage if that is all you have! I prefer a cheese grater to a knife beyond quartering heads of cabbage.
- Spices (This will vary based on your recipe)
Avoiding The Smell: Enter the Airlock
One thing that prevents some people from venturing into fermenting foods is the odors that it can create. This is one reason to use an airlock to ferment. After using crocks without proper lids for many years, my husband suggested using a brew bucket like that used for beer or wine and an airlock.While I think the fermentation goes a bit slower this way, the buckets are a lot cheaper than a crock and you never smell it so you can make a big run of kraut anywhere you have just a tiny bit of room.
Crocks that have proper weights and lids don’t smell like the ones I used that were not sealed well. There are a lot of different vessels out there to ferment in. If you live in a small space then make sure you get one that you can handle any smells from. Again, check out Crazy Korean Containers for ultimate smell reduction.
10 Preparedness Thoughts After the Disasters
My hometown is Houston, Texas, so Hurricane Harvey hit close to home, even if I don’t live there. Very little of my family still resides there but many friends and their families still call it home. I’ll be honest it took me a few days to break my summer Facebook fast and brace seeing the posts of friends facing the storm and flooding.
Nothing shakes you like seeing posts of your family in their interior bathroom under their third tornado watch, or the church where you had your wedding reception under 6-8 feet of water.On its heels came Irma, Jose, and then an earthquake in Mexico. Here in Oregon, I’ve watched as the place we camped this June turn into a 34,000-acre forest fire. I’m pondering all this amid the smoke coming over the mountain and wondering how the Columbia Gorge, one of Oregon’s most well-known sites has been devastated.
I’ve experienced many moments that taught me, humbled me, and surprised me. Most brought a greater depth of understanding and detail to things I thought I knew, or suspected, but didn’t fully value. Today I’d like to share my “ah-ha” moments with you in hopes we all learn from them.
Social Media Can Help
1- Social media can be more successful in getting help than calling 911. While it’s not the best thing to rely on in an emergency, I think America was surprised to see how effectively its addiction worked considering the general chaos. I for one found gratitude and pride in watching how friends and strangers were able to connect help needed with help givers.More than one disaster can happen
2- Prepare for more than one disaster, not just the most obvious one. Maybe I just missed it in earlier Hurricane coverages, but I didn’t know tornadoes could occur during a hurricane. Although after seeing friends post about tornado warnings and pictures of subsequent paths it made perfect sense they’d be there. Hurricanes really can create the ideal micro system for tornadoes.This is something to consider in your family emergency planning. You should plan for the possibility of landslides after an earthquake, flooding after an earthquake or tornadoes during hurricanes. Do you really know what the worst case scenario is, so you can prepare for it?
Ready to shelter in place?
3- Does your plan account for sheltering in place? Sometimes we have don’t have enough warning to safely evacuate. I do believe Houston’s Mayor made the correct decision in not evacuating. Having lived there I know their roads flood incredibly fast and with traffic from evacuating that would have been a catastrophic loss. Have you considered what you would do if sheltering in place was really the best option? Are you prepared to do so? There is a shelter in place possibility that differs with every disaster. Take some time to imagine what yours would look like and what you would need.Entertainment
4- Don’t go stir crazy! Missing a week, two weeks or more of school with minimal available space to run around, and not much time to safely be outside, is a recipe for a breakdown, especially if you have kids. Even without kids, if could possibly be torture if you’re on your own and isolated. Do have plans and means to stay sane and in good spirits while sheltering in place?There’s a reason they test astronauts before space. Most disasters, man-made, biological, and natural all have a strong ability to force you to shelter in place.
Plan for possible water disruption
5- A formal warning about water contamination may not come. Having a way and plan to quickly supplement your water supply (the area we most often fall short in) is vital. Keeping a tub sized water bladder or just a plastic sheet to line your tub before filling with clean water at the beginning of a disaster situation can really come in handy.This has also been a motivating source to increase my water supply and my understanding of water purification. Boiling contaminated water or adding bleach may kill microbes, but it’s still not going to make all that water clean from backed up sewers, chemical spills, and who knows what that’s been swimming in it. Do you know how to distill water? Trust me when I say we’ll have more on that soon.
Turn off utilities
6- Knowing when and how to turn off your electricity and gas is important. We naively think that water and fire can’t coexist but they can, quite well actually. Houses often burn to the ground during floods, mainly because people forget to turn off their electricity and gas.Water is a great conductor too, so that’s a bit scary if you’re standing in a home with two feet of water in it. Even with 8 feet of water, some homes in Houston still had lights on! I didn’t think that was possible but some of those wires can handle a lot. Be sure to put a note and instructions in your emergency kits to remind you to shut off the utilities to your house if you have to evacuate.
Financial Impacts
7- Disasters have a huge impact on employment and financial stability during recovery. Many of my friends will get out of Harvey with little to no personal damage except they are indefinitely unemployed. Due to loss of business, customers, and/or because their place of employment sustained damage they are now finding themselves in serious financial difficulty, or will be soon.Having savings and a financial plan for recovery is vital to surviving the recovery phase. Don’t just think that FEMA or insurance, although they certainly can help, will be enough even if you experience damage.
If the only damage is to your job status there may not be any help for you.
To get prepared, start a savings plan now, so you will have 3-6 months of emergency income to use after a life altering disaster. Also, consider donating to organizations that help businesses rebuild so their local economy can recover and jobs increase.
Schools suffer too
8- Families aren’t the only ones affected. Most school districts in the nation are standing on a relatively unstable financial footing. The impact of having a school flood or receiving damage is substantial. However it is teachers that pay the real price, many personally invest hundreds of their own dollars to create special learning environments for their students. Now it’s an investment that’s gone down the drain. Sure governments help to restore schools, but who restores the special items in a classroom?Donate if you can. Look at outside organizations that help individuals when considering donating to help. There are many organizations that help get teachers set to bring students back into the classroom.
Prices will increase
9-
A major disaster can or could have an impact on the entire economy of
the nation. There’s a reason cyber security is considered the number one
threat. One well-placed hit can shake the wallets and livelihood of the
nation.Harvey had an effect on gas prices, which can really hit most Americans pretty hard. Houston is one of the main capitals of the oil and gas industry in the US (it’s what took me to Texas to begin with). As recovery continues we will probably feel the pain with them, especially towards the holidays. There are loads of other ways our national economy can be affected outside of gas prices. Use your imagination and I’m sure you’ll be able to start connecting dots soon. It’s another reason being financially prepared is so important.
Communities have power when they come together
10- The biggest realization I had was seeing the true power of community and its vital importance before, during, and after a disaster. It was the community on so many levels that came together to help and serve where needed. Neighbors helping neighbors, whether down the street, another part of town, another city, and even another state.We often focus on the individual in preparedness but the truth is we can’t do it all without each other. Even with incredibly dedicated first responders, it still comes down to neighbors. The strength of your community determines your strength. So get involved in your community, meet your neighbors, and serve one another.
It sure seems like these disasters are coming bigger, faster, and stronger than ever before. All this pondering leads me to one final conclusion- it’s not going to be someone else affected for much longer. The likelihood that you or I will be affected by something big is quickly increasing. I have my theories for why but we don’t focus on why’s, we focus on doing.
Do something to get prepared, to get better prepared, and to be prepared to help others. Bring your friends, neighbors, and family along with you. Don’t wait until it gets closer to your home, or is knocking on your door.
Go, Do, Prepare!
Our hearts and prayers are with all those everywhere whose lives and livelihoods have been affected. God bless you, and those rescuing and rebuilding with you.
TradCatKnight Radio, Nick Rosen "Off-Griding"
