Disaster Survival Information - How to Prepare and What to Buy
MAKE A PLAN
__The first step in forming a good emergency disaster plan is to include real
flexibility. Your plan must be capable of adapting to many different types of possible emergencies. For example, is your location prone to fire, flood, or tornadoes? If so, then focus on the one threat most likely for your area. Next, you will also need to develop a general broad plan, one which will cover a wide range of disaster possibilities. Its all about you and your family surviving.
flexibility. Your plan must be capable of adapting to many different types of possible emergencies. For example, is your location prone to fire, flood, or tornadoes? If so, then focus on the one threat most likely for your area. Next, you will also need to develop a general broad plan, one which will cover a wide range of disaster possibilities. Its all about you and your family surviving.
__Your general plan, should address the need to be prepared for many different types of possible natural and man-made types of disasters. Additionally, there are possible economic disaster scenarios along with the likes of a major pandemic and many other concerns. Ultimately, you will need to form both short-term and long-term emergency preparedness plans for you and your family. The majority of your preparation for a few disaster scenarios will also provide for the many other disaster possibilities as well. Because, much of the emergency preparedness preparation involves storing and providing water, food and shelter.
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Where To Begin
Determine what types of emergencies you want to prepare for. Next, you need to determine which of the two different planning scenarios you are concentrating on, at any given time. Namely, stationary verses mobility planning. As you prepare these two different types of plans, you will begin to gather the related supplies. You will find that the short-term plan and related supplies can also be used as the basics for your long-term planning as well. To clarify, you need both types of plans. When is comes down to long-term planning , ask yourself "what is your plan for a long-term disaster scenario?" Meaning, in the event of supply shortages and civil disorder, would you leave home or stay? Two Types Of Plans Are Needed There are two types of plans you need to consider and prepare for. Namely, both a stationary plan and a quick evacuation type mobility plan. Stationary: For stationary survival scenarios, you will likely wish to accumulate a substantial food and water inventory. By remaining in your home, you are able to accumulate and store greater quantities of food, water, equipment, tools and other vital supplies. See page "example supply list." Mobility: For situations where you may need to quickly evacuate, prepare some light weight backpacks. Your backpacks will include lightweight survival kits, clothes, shelter, food, water and other valuable survival supplies. See page "example supply lists." Planning for What Period of Time? You need to decide if you are only planning for a short 1-14 day emergency situation or if you will also include long-term emergency planning as well? We would suggest you try to plan for both the short and long-term emergency possibilities. See the example below labeled checklist 1-4 . Begin developing your own custom supply checklists. You may wish to review our page titled "Example Supply List" to get you started with some ideas. Then look through your own lists to determine which supplies you may already have on hand. Gather these items and put them into a cool, dark location for now. Storage containers are discussed on pages titled "Water and Food" and "Suppliers." Next, you will should write down the additional supplies you wish to accumulate. This is basically, your shopping list. You can start out with securing some 72-hour type survival kits, freeze dried foods and or MREs., a water supply, water treatment systems etc. Checklist Keep an updated checklist of your inventory (word processing works great). For stationary survival scenarios, you will likely wish to accumulate a substantial amount of food and water inventory. In contrast, for mobility planning, you will need lighter and more compact supplies. This is where the light-weight (long shelf-life) freeze dried foods can be very useful. See our example "Supply List" page for some ideas. Remember! To think about a plan for the types of disasters which concern you the most. Also, try to determine if you would likely remain stationary during a long-term crisis scenario? Build your kits and supply inventory with these thoughts in mind. Checklist Steps 1) Prepare a list of important contacts, phone numbers, medications, bank accounts, birth certificates, local and statewide maps etc. 2) Make copies of the important documents you have gathered. Store documents in plastic bags. Be sure to make a few copy sets of your lists. Then pack copies into different backpacks. This way, if any one within your party were to get separated, they still have access to the important information list(s). 3) Prepare an inventory list of needed supplies. Supplies such as food, water, flashlights etc. Below we discuss gathering your supplies in more detail. Also, there are supply suggestions provided within the pages titled "Example Supply List" and "Suppliers". Where freeze dried food, MREs, dehydrated foods, canned foods, water filtration, and storage topics are all discussed in more detail. 4) Plan for a means of exchange, such as having various forms of currency. Credit cards or paper money may or may not, buy you much in the way of services or supplies during an emergency situation. Consequently, try to stockpile a little gold, silver coins, or jewelry etc., as an extra form of exchange. Note: you may have to protect your dwelling, family, and provisions from others who might try to steal from you or do you harm in volatile or desperate situations. So in reality, you need to strongly consider owning a few guns for self protection. Throughout history, people have become violent in times of civil disorder, food shortages etc. A major pandemic or economic crises scenario are just two examples of what could trigger such events. The Basics The supply examples presented thus far, only represent the very basics. There are so many more supplies and tools to be considered. Throughout this website, you will be provided with various product ideas. Remember, pack strategically! This way, if you ever need to evacuate fast, you can make some fast strategic decisions. Again, in cases of evacuation, you will need special lightweight packs comprised of essentials. While in other types of emergency scenarios, you may remain stationary (such as at your residence) and will have accumulated a larger inventory of equipment and other supplies needed for long-term survival. Long-Term Storage When building your supply inventory, in addition to purchasing and stocking dehydrated foods and freeze dried foods, you may also wish to secure certain types of foods locally through area retailers. For example, perhaps 25% or more of your food inventory may be comprised of local retail food. Product examples being bulk rice, beans, sugar and salt along with a variety of canned foods. These types of retail products (other than sugar, salt and canned foods) will need to be repackaged by you for long-term storage. Food you repackage and was originally purchased through your local suppliers such as Costco, should be stored in 5 gallon (food grade) plastic containers. This is done for several reasons, including protecting your supplies against water damage, rodents, and keeping the food sealed air-tight. How to Repackage Many Types of Foods Yourself - Place a special Mylar bag inside a 5 gallon food grade bucket. - Pack (or pour) food into the Mylar bag which is located inside the bucket. - Immediately insert a proper size moisture absorber packet atop the food (seal the bag quickly). - Heat seal the Mylar bag. To seal bags, you can either use a heat sealer tool or a household iron. - Apply an airtight bucket lid on the bucket. The method of storage detailed above, will extend the shelf-life of many foods for 10-25 years. In contrast, the advantage of the more expensive, prepackaged freeze dried and dehydrated food supplies is their long shelf-life, lighter weight, and far more compact. Making these food supplies both easier to store and haul if required. Especially, if you are able to leave your home by car or truck. In addition, the long-term shelf-life and customer convenience of receiving professional packaged foods is attractive to many people. Regardless of the food type or packaging, store all such supplies in a dark, cool, and dry location. There are many different types of containers and sizes which can be used with various supplies. The mentioned 5-gallon buckets are the most common type of container used and yet alternatives do exist. Recommended 5 Gallon Buckets and Seal-able Lids 5 gallon food grade plastic buckets are highly suggested for several reasons. Buckets have several advantages, including how these standard buckets can be stacked 2-3 high, the handles provide an easy means of lifting and moving supplies, and once empty the buckets themselves can serve many other useful functions such as water storage. When purchasing food grade buckets, you will also need to purchase some quality seal-able lids. You may wish to purchase some top-of the-line "Gama Seal Lids" as part of your lid inventory. Because, the Gama Seal Lids are the best for food resources which may need to be accessed multiple times. Because, the Gamma Seal Lids can be opened and easily closed (threaded). To reduce costs, we also recommend using plenty of the Regular Gasket Seal Lids for products which can be left sealed until needed. A combination of these two lid types works great. Tips about Gathering Supplies You can purchase ready-made survival kits to help satisfy your intial need to secure basic first aid supplies and the many other small handy survival items that come within a good survival kit. In addition, you should add additional supplies such as local road maps, extra clothing, foods, water, solar/crank radios, flashlights and other important items. See page title "Example Supply List" for some good ideas. When you are ready to start acquiring your supplies, understand that you will not fill your entire supply list within just a day or two, or through only one or two suppliers. Because, we assume you desire both quality and competitive prices, so you will need to do some shopping. Plus over time, your knowledge will increase and new product ideas will to come to your attention. Continue to build up your provisions inventory over time. Desired basic supplies include: water, medical kits, food, shelter, backpacks, sleeping bags, clothing, sanitation and personal hygiene supplies, medications, glasses, flashlights, batteries, MREs, freeze dried foods, dehydrated foods, and more. Bear in mind, many people enjoy the shopping and gathering process. Preparing can be fun, interesting, and rewarding. Of course, there are always outstanding items on most people's wish list. How Much Money Should You Spend? As for the question “how much to spend?” This is entirely up to your personal goals and budget. However, we must stress the importance of you forming an emergency plan, getting started, and sticking to it. This way, you will truly accomplish your goals. Just avoid procrastination! Getting started, lets say you wish to purchase supplies in phases as you can afford to do so. For example, say you could begin with an initial investment of between $100.00 - $500.00. If so, then consider starting by first securing one or more prepacked survival kit(s) priced between $75.00 - $140.00+ each. Then add a few extra backpacks to store the following items: freeze dried foods or MREs, water supplies, extra water containers, a portable water filtration system, clothing and so on... If on a budget and building your inventory up slowly, work in phases by continuing to build up at a pace you can handle. For example, say you were to spend an additional $20.00-$50.00+ weekly in purchases to secure vital supplies, this can work. Whatever the time-table or amount of money invested, follow your plan until your inventory level reaches your goal. Although over time, inventory additions may slow down a bit, they often continue indefinitely as there are always new items that will come to your attention. Conclusion Truthfully, getting prepared for long-term scenarios does require some dedication in terms of an investment of time and money. Consequently, seldom is the task accomplished within a one purchase scenario. Yet getting prepared to a point of what is reasonable and possible, does give many people some "great peace of mind and comfort." |