I thought I would write a list of must-have/must-do items for national emergencies such as natural disasters.
Water
Remember water equals life. You will need clean water primarily for keeping yourself hydrated and secondarily for hygiene. If you run out of the water I recommend collecting rainwater ahead of time and boiling it then running it through a filter.
Power
Having power will make your life a lot easier during natural disasters. You can prepare for long periods of outages by buying solar power kits or a generator or both. Stock up on batteries and fuel for the generator, cooking, lanterns, etc.
Food
Stock up on canned foods is safe places. You can either rent a storage unit or build your own one. Pay particular attention to calories as the average person should have approximately 2000-calories per day. This will help you estimate how long your food supply will last. If the environment permits it, it’s also a good idea to grow a vegetable garden ahead of time in case you run low on food. I suggest having one garden row approximately 10-12 feet long per person per week. Potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and carrots take approximately 60-90 days to grow.
Medicine
Stock on medications. It can be difficult to stock up on prescription medications but you can try and order bulk from mail order. You may also want to talk to your doctor and ask for a bigger prescription. Just let the doctor know that it’s difficult to travel and you would like a prescription that will last you for a long period.
You should also stock up on antibiotics and other medicines that stop infections. In the event of a natural disaster, it’s most likely the sewer system will not be adequate and anything that helps with infections are worth gold. Buy over the counter medicines in bulk like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, cold and allergy pills, chewable tablets like Pepto, etc. You may also want to stock up on vitamins and supplements to complement your food supply.
Protection
If you’ve watched what’s happened during Katrina or any other natural disaster, you’ll notice that law and order do not exist. You cannot rely on the police department because they will be busy trying to survive themselves or trying to help locate survivors. Buy a gun or taser with necessary parts. Take your family to the range and get them familiar with the weapon so they know how to load, reload, clear a gun, aim, and shoot their intended target.
Enroll your family in self-defense especially the females. Rapes are not uncommon during chaotic situations because the perpetrators know the police cannot respond in a timely manner if at all.
Just remember that preparation is the key. I hope this article gets you thinking about what you need to do for you and your family.