For preparedness situations ranging from hurricanes to civil
insurrection, you will still need the same things you needed the day
before the event. The difference is that if you do not have enough of
those things on hand, it will be hard to acquire them once other people
decide it is an emergency.
Last week, I was spending some time with a close friend who has been
in the firearms industry for 16 years. He was telling me that he has
never seen the market like it is now. People who never thought of
owning a gun, along with the regulars, have caused massive back orders.
We talked about how we hope these people are also preparing in other
ways.
Though I agree that everyone should be armed to protect themselves, I
would first urge them to take care of regular daily needs first.
Water- Storing water is good. Having an infinite source and a
way to treat it is better. More than anything else, the need for water
is what has forced people to move since time began. In a perfect
world, you would be within walking distance from a creek, river, pond,
or lake. If you are lucky enough to have this, take a sample of the
water and have it tested. Anyone who has spent any time in the woods
will tell you that there is no such thing as clean water. If it does
not come from your tap or a store bought bottle, it needs to be
purified. If you do not have an alternate water source, once your
stored water is gone, you will have to move and moving exposes you.
Last I checked, the cheapest bottled water at Wal-Mart was $.88 per
gallon. When the shelves are bare, it will be worth 5-10 times that much in the
evening in the beginning of an event.
Food- our sugar addicted culture gets cranky if it does not get
food every 3-4 hrs. If this describes you, now is the best time to
break your addiction to sugar laced items like breakfast cereals and
soda. Even during a short term event, you will likely have to go much
longer without food under more stress than you are used to. Try to
lessen the blow. Common wisdom is to store what you eat, not the stuff
that you donate during the can food drive because nobody in your house
eats it. Adults are not much different than 5 year olds in that we
like to eat certain things all the time. This not only allows us to
narrow down what we need to store, but familiar food provides comfort
during uncertain times. There are entire websites dedicated to food
storage, but the problem is that if your location is not safe or you
need to move for water, you can only take so much with you. So before
stockpiling 10 lb cans, consider stocking things like tuna, peanut
butter, Ramen noodles etc that are light and packable, require minimum
preparation, and provide energy. These things will allow you to shelter
in place as well as being able to take a large quantity of them with
you if you are forced to move. Learn how to cook over an open fire and
with propane stoves. Using tin foil, you can cook just about anything
in the coals of a campfire.
Shelter- this can also provide familiarity. You will probably not
be alone and depending on the severity of the situation, people around
you may be in shock and denial. Being in familiar surroundings can go a
long way in people feeling as safe as possible. Before planning to
bug out, first learn everything you can about the area in which you
live. Things like the aforementioned watering holes, neighbors you can
depend on, and nearby structures are more stable or easier to defend
than your home. A few large tarps along with rope can temporarily
repair storm damage or seal drafts during cold weather. Now is the
time to learn basic knots. Not when you need to tie them in the dark.
Clothing is your first line of shelter. Learn now about how to control
your core temperature in hot and cold weather. Everyone in the family
needs base layers, insulation layers, and a shell to complete a system
that can be adapted to deal with rapid temperature changes. Try to
remove as much cotton from your wardrobe as possible since it retains
moisture which in hot weather can lead to chafing and unpleasantness,
and death in cold weather.
Medicines- the ones you take every day. If you have an
understanding doctor, you may be able to store some extra. It is also a
good idea to ask your doctor what would happen if you did not have
those medicines for 72 hours, a week, or more. This will be an issue
for many people. Once these are taken care of, consider the ones you
take once in a while. Even simple things like antacids, OTC pain
relievers, and anti-diarrheal meds. Stress, strange water, and
unfamiliar food could make all these things as important as RX meds.
First Aid Kit- regardless of the event, there are only three
ways to traumatize the human body: burning, cutting, and crushing.
Typically, the worse the injury is, the less first aid there is to do,
but the more important it is. Learn CPR and how to deal with burns,
cuts, and broken bones.
Sanitation- no matter what else is going on, people will still need
to poop. Next to lack of drinking water, the toilet not working is
probably the next thing that will cause people to leave their home.
Keep some extra toilet paper on hand, but learn to use a sponge. You
can never have too much hand sanitizer.
Lights- everyone should have a head lamp. They are a necessity
for navigation and working with both of your hands. Once that is
achieved, you can worry about other flashlights, candles, and lanterns.
The best way to figure out what works is with trial and error. Make a
list of what you “think” you would need to survive a night of camping
by yourself or with your family. Then actually go camping and take
copious notes and make adjustments accordingly. Then try two days, then
three, and so on. You will figure out that keeping anything cold
except in the dead of winter is a losing battle so make your food
choices with that in mind.
Once you get good at it, type up a detailed checklist. Use totes or
Rubbermaid Safepackers to keep all your “camping gear” in one place.
That way it is all together to shelter in place and ready to load into a
vehicle if you are forced to evacuate.
After these things are taken care of, buy more guns and ammo.
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