A level of readiness that will maintain you for 30 days is usually how most people will begin to define a “preparer”. The reality is that preparation starts long before this level, and not all trainers are prepared for 30 days (whether they are aware of this fact or not). Beginner preparers can start by storing non-perishable foods, such as canned foods and cereals. As with your water supply, you should aim for a 30-day supply.
Whether it's a hurricane or a zombie apocalypse, make sure you and your family are safe with our ULTIMATE GUIDE. In a nutshell, “preparing is about planning and training for an emergency that you might one day find yourself in. It is a broad term that covers a wide range of people, needs and abilities. It could be as simple as putting a shovel and de-icing agent in your car during the winter, or as extensive as building an underground bunker in your backyard in the event of a nuclear emergency.
Preparedness is essential because it improves your ability to survive when SHTF. Without the right survival mindset, skills, and equipment, overcoming a disaster and thriving after it will be next to impossible. Unfortunately, preparers face a lot of stigma in modern society. They are often considered “scary dealers,” doomsday obsessed, or our personal “crazy” favorites who wear tinfoil hats.
The truth is that preparers are ordinary people who want to be prepared when an emergency situation arises. They are people who recognize that the world is unpredictable and that it is better to go one step ahead than one step behind. So how can you start your preparation journey? Unfortunately, there's no training camp on how to become a MacGyver overnight, but you can definitely start by planning. The same principle applies to preparation.
While you may want to be prepared for everything, it's wiser to start by first considering the most likely scenarios. This may include common occurrences such as flash floods or being fired from your job, but it won't include a zombie apocalypse or nuclear rain (at least not yet). In the long run, you can definitely consider increasing your readiness to protect yourself against 100% of potential scenarios. But for now, as a beginner, we recommend that you focus on the 80% of the situations that are most likely to occur.
Before diving into the deep end of the proverbial prep pool, there are a few basics you should consider. Keeping these principles in mind will save you from problems and allow you to develop effective preparation strategies. At the Department of Homeland Security preparation site, you must have enough supplies to last at least 72 hours. Is it a good foundation if you've never prepared before? Clear.
Should you pack so much when you leave and carry all your supplies on your back? You can bet. But is that enough for a real-world scenario where you're crouching or meddling? Not at all. In fact, it barely scratches the surface. Many organizations, including the Red Cross, have embraced the idea that you should have supplies for at least two weeks in your home.
After the Washington National Guard and other military branches conducted a seismic drill in the northwest, experts discovered that preparedness systems were inadequate and that there was an urgent need for citizens to have supplies for at least two weeks in their homes. So, when you start preparing, accumulate at least two weeks of supplies at home. Then slowly build up supplies for a month, then for a 3-month reserve, and so on. If you don't use all of your supplies in an emergency, that's OK.
It's better to be overprepared with essentials like food, water, and fuel than to be underprepared. Later in the article, we'll cover more about the items you'll want to include in your disaster kit. Depending on the severity of the situation, you may need to get in your car and run out at any time. There are a few things to keep in mind here.
First of all, you must have a debugging vehicle (BOV) ready. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you need to evacuate but can't find a car. Make sure you have access to a vehicle large enough for your whole family. Don't have a Batmobile that can accommodate everyone? Coordinate with neighbors that yes.
Again, it's better to have this plan in place with your neighbors beforehand, rather than trying to fight at the last moment. When compiling items for your car, truck, or van, you must have at least 72 hours of supplies. Be sure to carry a separate car kit along with other essentials, such as food, water, and clothing. Don't forget to include a couple of gallons of extra fuel while you're at it, too.
Remember, if a natural disaster occurs, it is not known where the nearest gas station may be. And, even if you find one, the lines are likely to be long and prices will skyrocket. It's always best to be prepared with fuel when driving a vehicle. For more information on how to get out and prepare a BOV for evacuation, see this full article.
Once you know how much you spend on “necessary expenses” each month, multiply this number by six. Your goal should be to have an emergency fund large enough to support you and your family for at least six months. It's also best to start creating a rainy day fund instead of piling up debt while buying quirky items that aren't needed by beginning preparers, such as a bomb shelter or an equipped SUV. Finally, make a plan for your bookings.
Keep an inventory and be sure to rotate your supplies as needed. Need more help creating a prepper pantry? See this in-depth guide. Even if you accumulate the right materials, your preparation efforts won't save your ass if you don't have a plan in place. Where will you store your supplies? How will you communicate if networks go down? Where will you go if you are on the direct path of a natural disaster? What roads will you use in the event of an evacuation? Sit down and make an action plan.
Try to imagine a couple of different scenarios and alternatives to them. Suppose a Category 3 hurricane approaches and you are forced to evacuate your home. You immediately grab your insect bag and hit the road. However, due to the storm, the GPS on your phone no longer works and the main road outside the city is obstructed with other people trying to flee.
Where are you going to go? What paths will you use to avoid dodging? What are your contingencies if your initial plan is not met? Another thing to consider is whether you will coordinate and share your plan with neighbors or not. If you want to work together with your neighbors, you need to make sure that each member of the community bears their weight. Each individual or family should be responsible for gathering their own supplies. You don't want the neighbors to make fun of your things.
Once you have developed your plan of action, discuss it with your family members. Do you have small children? Make sure they understand every step of the plan. You should also take the time to review your plan and practice it by doing a drill. Drive around your area and search for at least three routes to your safe location.
Go hiking with your insect bag and test its weight, fit and the supplies you will include. This way, your survival plan can go smoothly. Since preparation is your primary goal, you'd better run out of trouble early. The other critical part of preparation is the storage of items.
It doesn't matter if you stay at home, travel by car, or travel on foot, space will be limited. It is essential that you only carry items that are critical to your survival. Every coach should have a travel bag with all of these essentials, stowed in an easily accessible location. This way, you'll know precisely where it is and you can pick it up in a matter of seconds.
Below are the essentials you'll want to start accumulating as part of your kit. Remember that you'll want to have at least two weeks of these supplies if you plan to stay home, and at least 72 hours of these supplies if you're running out of power. You'll have a lot of tools in your prep kit, but if you don't know how to use them, they're practically useless. In a survival situation, you won't have time to learn how these tools work, so it's important that you know how to use them like a pro.
Take the time to master the necessary survival skills before attempting to expand your knowledge. Remember, the more you know, the less you need. You can go years without experiencing an emergency situation, so make sure you keep your skills up to date by practicing regularly as well. If you've never prepared for an emergency before, now is the perfect time to start.
Don't Wait for Disaster to Strike Before Taking Action. Preparing involves dedication, but it doesn't have to be too complicated. Take One Step at a Time. As we described, start preparing by doing your daily activities and considering the area in which you live.
Then, spend 20% of your budget covering 80% of the most likely scenarios. Over time, you can continue to prepare, learn new skills, and acquire useful equipment to help you survive. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your feedback data is processed.
How can I start preparing? Effective preparedness begins with a personal risk assessment to determine the threats you are facing and where you should focus most of your time and resources. Once you know what you're preparing for, it's a good idea to focus on the basics of water, food, housing, fuel and sanitation. My approach to preparation is simple. After you first discover your particular situation, apply my layered approach (for the first 3 days, then 3 weeks, 3 months and more than 1 year).
Start with level one and don't move to the next until you've completed it. Most basic preparers have a supply of at least 3 days or a week of food, water, and daily essentials to use if needed. This publication is designed exclusively to guide a new preparer through the process of preparing for natural disasters (such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods), man-made events (war, civil unrest, economic collapse, etc. As you can see in the preparatory pyramid, this level is still quite broad, since they are things that we all experience in life.
If children were encouraged to continue thinking this way into adulthood, they would undoubtedly be preparers, since being prepared is essentially the motto of any strong coach and survivor. For some, the plan is a luxurious family home in an underpopulated part of the world, an underground rain bunker, or a well-thought-out backpack with insect supplies. So how can we define a coach? I have been writing about preparation for quite some time now, and I have been referred to as a preparer in several media sources. Third, when it comes to a food supply, most preparers diversify into sustainable methods of food generation, in addition to having an emergency food supply.
However, most preparers would say that they are practically preparing for levels 1, 2, 3 and this level, as they seem the most practical, and the worst case scenario would be a flood or a major natural disaster. While there is a basic preparation plan for the wide range of things that could happen, there is one thing that many preparers have in mind that they prepare for, and no, it's not a zombie apocalypse like what movies would like to think. If you're working your way to complete this list of preparers, then great, that's the perfect way to start preparing. As a broader meaning, I feel that preparation is being prepared in the event that, one day, I may need a backup plan.
That's why skills such as gardening, sustainable practices, power generation and water supply are crucial for preparers. The fifth level of the preparatory pyramid involves being prepared for the worst-case scenarios of sh-t hits the fan (SHTF). . .
