Well it’s September again, so that means it’s National Preparedness Month, this is a reminder to take action to get prepared for the emergencies. Let’s not over complicate things, preparedness means having a plan for emergencies. It doesn’t mean you have to become a doomsday prepper, but if you want to go that far go for it (the show is pretty good). So far this year we have seen more than a few emergencies, Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Wild Fires, and Train derailments leading to chemical spills, to name a few.
Preparedness means have a plan to deal with disasters and emergencies, have some supplies, training, and gear that improves your chances of survival in these situations. Don’t become a statistic! Use your common sense, trust your instincts. So, take a minute and come up with a plan. The Government does have some informational resources available to you but as always, we recommend just get started.
Most emergency situations are binary choices and come down to stay or leave. In severe disasters there is a combination of the above two choices. The third option which happens especially in floods and hurricanes is first you stay and then you have to leave. The third one sucks because it typically means the disaster is so severe it sucks up all the emergency response in the state in a short period of time or the event was so big it could not have been foreseen, think Katrina in 2005.
One thing we recommend if you have to leave is a Go Bag. This is a bag that is always packed. We highly recommend this for everyone. This bag is for when you have to leave the house suddenly.
Here is a Go Bag list (this is not an exhaustive list so feel free to add to it)
- Essential Documents (Driver’s license, Birth Certificates, Passports, at a minimum a high res clear digital image of all.
- Clothes at least 1 extra set (you can go a long time in one pair of clothes… if you have too.)
- Medications you have to take or might need
- Water purification capabilities – tablets, Filters (sawyer)
- Fire Starting – lighter, flint and steel,
- Metal water bottle – so you can boil water if it comes to it
- Self-Protection tools
- Cash (cash requires - no internet, no wi-fi, it always works)
- First aid and trauma kits
Stay home package
- Food don’t have an empty fridge but also have MRE type food, preferably.
- Lots of bottled water
- Propane and propane grill – so you can cook and boil water if it comes to it
- Back up generator
- Candles
- Fire starting- lighter, flint, and steel
- Meds – this is a big one as people age if you live in areas prone to tornadoes and hurricanes keep a good supply of these on hand.
- Self-protection tools – cause looting does happen during these times
- Medical supplies and trauma kits
Again, these are not exhaustive lists but these lists are full of things most people agree you need to have on hand. Everyone’s situation is you unique and if you need help feel free to reach out. If we can’t help you, we can usually direct you to someone who can help you.
Stay Prepared and Alive
-Team Squatch