Surviving an Emergency
Is your family prepared to survive an emergency? As I have been writing the first draft of my family survival and emergency response plan I got to thinking.
How many of us know what happens to our school age child if there is a natural disaster or terrorist attack? What about a school shooting or fire? How many of us know what to do when our spouse is at work, and we are at home but we need to evacuate, or worse we need to seal the house up to shelter in place from a chemical or biological attack?
Preparing for an emergency is actually quite easy. It is a simple change in attitude to include a few new things to talk about at family gatherings and items to pick up when doing regular shopping. Preparing for an emergency should be a natural activity of responsible adults. It is to often that we see people who stockpile food and water called crazy people. It is almost as though most of us have just never thought it through.. or may be we just think that is “not going to happen to us.”
The reality is that natural disasters, war, famine, economic collapse, and civil unrest have been a part of every society since the dawn of man. These are normal things that will and do happen. It is the attitude of people who do not like fear that keeps many from planing and preparing correctly. These kinds of events are like death. The American culture does not like to think much about these things because they are enough to make anyone feel powerless.
In fact our response to these issues should not be one of doom and gloom, but instead happy preparation and awareness, knowing that should something unexpected happen we are probably more prepared for it than our neighbors.
While I would never argue against having a ten year supply of food and water, that seems like a mountain to most people. To the average American it seems like major overkill, and extreemly expensive for something most feel they will never need. I will not argue that issue here, but I will say that most of us are not prepared for any major catastrophe, and should one arise the images of Katrina victims holding trashbags with looted food in them comes to mind. Preparation is not only the cornerstone of good survival skills, it is the difference between those who wish to keep their morals and values intact when the rest of the world is breaking theirs to survive.
A few days of pre-stored water can mean the difference between looting, stealing, and possibly even fighting or killing. As a responsible adult I want to make sure that I think through how to protect my family in extreem situations without becoming an alarmist, or getting scared.
The truth is that you do not have to dwell on these issues if you have a plan, and prepare for them in advance. Personally knowing I have long term food and water storage within distance i can get it, and short term food and water in my vehicle makes me sleep easier.
This thought really stuck me when I heard that my brother and his wife were stuck for hours trying to make their way through a big snow storm. Gladly they did not have to go to a shelter, or shelter in their vehicle, but if they had needed to, would they have food and water at hand to make the situation easier? In that same storm hundreds of motorists were stranded on highways and had to be taken to safety by police.
The other key fact about being prepared relates to the relative ease at which you can prepare for multiple types of events. In the end we all need shelter, water, and food to survive. Having extra food and water could help you live in your house during a pandemic, terrorist event, blizzard, earth quake, etc. The basics are always the same in most cases, and thus it is easy to prepare for all events by preparing for the big ones that are most likely in our region.
Another misconception is that survival plans need to relate to surviving in the wilderness. While wilderness survival is highly valuable for hikers, campers, hunters, and fishermen, it will not do you much good in the heart of downtown NYC. Beyond this if civil order was to break down and cause a famine set of conditions the woods would be empty of deer and wild game of all sorts faster than you can blink. Unless you need to hide from infected people, the woods are not a safe place to live for ordinary people. Most people could not survive even a few days in the wilderness, and even well trained people would find it hard to survive for months. I don’t care how experienced a hunter you are, even world class survivalists would not live even a year in the woods without luck, preparation, and community.
The truth is that community is a requirement for survival for modern day people. We do not do well living on our own, as we are social creatures. There is also a huge advantage to having other people that are skilled at things you are not on your side. This is where the family environment can really do well. Having members of your family, or even close friends willing to put together a plan with you could provide far more security and effectiveness for you all should the time arrive that you must put your plan into action.
It is everyone’s first instinct to want to run away from big problems. This is the flight instinct we are all born with. This could one day save your life, so hold onto that instinct, but keep in mind you are far more likely going to need to stay put for a long period of time. In situations like a pandemic travel may be dangerous or forbidden. When bridges and tunnels collapse it may be hard to drive where you would want to go anyhow. When you think about survival, think about survival in the community where you live. That being said if you live an hour from a remote cabin in the woods thats well stocked with firewood, fuel, and ammo.. don’t let me stop you from planing to go there.
I would urge you to put together a plan for your immediate and long distance family. Just knowing ways to communicate, where to evacuate to, and what to do in the case of common emergencies is enough to help people survive and keep in touch.
I would also urge you to think strongly about food and water storage. How hard is it to buy a little extra food with each shopping trip? You do not have to go crazy and buy a years supply of dehydrated food all at once. You can buy canned goods and things you know you will eat and then rotate them into your everyday menu. Water is even easier as you can often fill empty plastic or glass bottles that can be resealed. You will be amazed at how quickly you can store up enough food and water for a week, and then a month, and then six months, and even years. If you want to can your own food look into the mormon church. They are likely to have a food stock nearby that you can purchase from, or use to can your own food.
The last step I would urge you to consider is a bug out bag, in case you need to bug out of where you are. This should contain at least 72 hours of food and water, clean underwear, socks, hiking boots, a first aid kit, identification, money, medications you require, and possibly a host of other things you might want like a handgun, maps, radios, and even a small tent. You can put a kit like this together over time, and many of us already have much of this in our house.. its just not all in one easy to grab and go place.
Here are some government websites that are suggesting exactly what I just said. In fact most major government agencies have been telling people to do this for decades, people just don’t take it seriously enough.
Ready.gov (put together by fema)
Be careful when you see sites like this one. There are a lot of people out there making “survival kits” that are not worth the bag they come in. Don’t get me wrong even this kit could be a great stating point for a bug out bag, and a good thing to keep in the car.. it is by no means complete. In my personal opinion you are far better off buying a case of MRE’s and hand picking the rest of the items for your kit. I personally include things like a high quality hunting knife, 550 paracord, a canteen, sun glasses, multiple fire starters, and a high quality flashlight. I try not to buy trendy brightly colored things that could draw attention. These are popular with hikers who may become lost or stranded and need to be found by search and rescue. Having a fold up orange vest is a good idea.. but not your entire bag.
One last word of caution. If you decide to store food and water in your home, do not tell your neighbors. You neighbor may be one of your best pals right now, but should something terrible happen you do not need anyone knowing you have what you do. This is for your survival.. not your water cooler conversations.
