Are you curious about prepping? Well, you better be, because anything can happen! And, if you’re not prepared, you’re relying upon others. If nobody is there to help, then you’re all alone and will be in trouble if you’re not prepared.
In this article, we will cover the basics of prepping for the inevitable.
Leep reading to learn more.
Table of Contents
How Long Do We Prep For?
The variety of disaster relief organizations, such as the FEMA, Red Cross—recommended in the past to stockpile enough emergency supplies to last you three days. Now, they have updated that number to two weeks.
However, we think even that number is being modest. Having at least one month’s worth of emergency supplies is what you should be striving for.
Why? Well, you need only look at past occurrences of disaster.
For instance, Hurrican Katrina was completely abysmal, but it wasn’t wide-scale. It took several days for aid to reach the victims. The rest of the world was unaffected, so while it took FEMA days to get into gear, the rest of the world was already gathering supplies and sending them off to the ravaged city.
In Hurricane Katrina, it took several days before aid reached victims. The hurricane landed on August 29th but there were no large-scale deliveries of supplies until midday on September 2nd.
So if it takes many days for aid and supplies to reach victims of a localized disaster, what would happen during a nation-wide or worldwide disaster? Well, basic supplies might not be available for weeks, and even months.
In the Indian Ocean, it took 3 weeks for victims to receive aid after the tsunami. Haiti is still recovering from the 2010 earthquake, months went by without aid.
So how long should you prepare for? At least a month.
Prepping Water Is Essential
You can go without water for a long time, but it will dwindle upon the entire capability of your system. Long before you pass from dehydration, you will be dehydrated that you will suffer from hallucinations.
For this reason, water has to be at the top of your list. At least 1 gallon of water per person per day, aiming for the earmark of 30 days. But if you’re not used to being modest with water consumption, 3 gallons per person per day is reasonable.
In an ideal world, the water should be stored in barrels and jugs. You can also store water in plastic bottles, but they are bound to leak at some point. You will also need a water purifier of some sort, such as tablets or a filter.
And keep in mind that not all methods remove all of the threats. For instance, boiling water will kill parasites and bacteria, but it will not cleanse it of chemicals. A Berkeley water filter can be brought with you, and help filter running stream waters to make it drinkable.
Food is Important Too
To be honest, food is not as important as water, but it still matters. You can easily survive without food for 30 days. For instance, heat sources in the winter and supplies for removing rubble are more important depending on the situation.
But food is easy to prepare, it’s also great for keeping the overall morale up. You’ll be able to handle long outages and emergencies if you have warm meals and snacks to cheer you up.
However, developing a comprehensive pantry of food can be daunting. You will need to figure things like how many calories will each person needs per day, how you will prepare the meals, which foods can survive a disaster, their shelf life, where you will keep them, and much more.
However, it does not have to be complex. It can be as simple as buying a bunch of non-perishables and canned foods. Or if you have a greater budget, just buy emergency food kits and MREs. And if you think an allergy or dietary issue will prevent you from eating this, there are plenty of options to accommodate for that too.
Nonetheless, the biggest mistake is not thinking about food preparation. People who stock up on beans might think they got it together, but beans take a long time to cook. How will you prepare them without power? What fuel will you use?
You should also consider storage because some foods are better placed in oxygen-absorbing mylar bags to avoid condensation and rot. So even though a learning curve exists, it’s simple to navigate around.
Hygiene Matters
When we hear hygiene, we instantly think of showers and baths. However, that part of cleanliness can be a challenge in a disaster. You will have to find extraneous solutions for going to the bathroom or when you need to wash your hands.
With this in mind, it makes sense that disease outbreaks are often part of the aftermath of a major disaster. The outbreaks will often kill more people than the disaster itself. People in Haiti are still dying of cholera after the earthquake, and that was 10 years ago.
And don’t think that the western countries are exempt of these outbreaks. Do you remember Sandy and Katrina, the hurricanes? Well, after that, hundreds were affected by cholera and typhoid, and various other issues.
Issues that might come up after a disaster are sewage flooding, human waste disposal, infectious disease susceptibility, toxic materials, trash building, etc.
It makes sense that people don’t want to think about these things, but it should be prioritized nonetheless. It doesn’t take much time or money to build a 2 bucket toilet or to buy tampons.
You might also need rubber boots, trash bags, hand sanitizer, sturdy glove, and other accessories that will protect you from environmental threats.
First Aid & Health
Another important thing to have in a disaster is first aid. You never know when you might have an accident, not just in a disaster, but from regular household chores.
Disasters cause injuries. For instance, an arm can get crushed by the rubble of an earthquake. With roads being inaccessible, ambulances will not be able to reach you. While you’re waiting for the savior, you might die.
Even if you made it to the hospital, it might be so overrun and filled with diseased people that you will have to wait a long time before you get help.
A single disaster will increase hospitalization tremendously within the first 72 hours. Why? Well, disasters exacerbate any and all pre-existing conditions.
For instance, people might forget to take their medications during an evacuation. Or the patient on dialysis will not be able to receive treatment. Home medical equipment might fail. Disease outbreaks might occur from floodwater, so on and so forth.
A large part of disaster prepping has to involve taking care of medical needs and first aid. It’s an ongoing process and requires deliberate research. The more you know, the better you will be prepared for medical issues.
Survival In the Wilderness
In a real disastrous situation, people might be forced to survive in the wilderness. Even though it’s very unlikely in most disaster occurrences because most people will end up in shelters and have access to basic aid.
However, knowing how to navigate the wilderness with a variety of skills is critical to your survival. For instance, a refuge camp is overcrowded with people, you’ll be better off if you know how to create a tarped hanger.
Wilderness skills are not attainable through a list, it’s an ongoing process of development. Once you accommodate yourself with the basics, you have to regularly practice and see what else you can learn from them.
In the wilderness, one thing leads to another. A great way to learn is to take your family camping several times throughout the year. Not only do you get to relax and bond, but you get to practice building shelter, navigating, and foraging wild edibles and herbal medicines.
You might also need firearms to protect yourself against the animal kingdom. In that case, Volquartsen is a great option.
Prepping Done Right
Now that you know about prepping, and how to implement it into your life, you are well on your way to becoming ready for the disasters that are inevitable.
As long as you consider all angles, you will be 90% prepared for all occurrences. Even though not every disaster can be prepared for, it is still worth a try, because it might be the bridge between life and death.
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