Prepping is smart, Not crazy

[mmckee1952]

The media portrays the lives of preppers and survivalists on our home televisions with regularity. They usually portray them as being a little off. Some of this is no doubt due to the behavior of the individuals, while the remainder is due to clever editing by the producers. While a portion of the media pushes the average American to think that preppers and survivalists exist on society’s fringes, the government and other parts of the media encourage all Americans to prepare their homes for a catastrophe. This contradiction exists amidst poor economic times, high sales in the gun industry, and raised feelings of insecurity among the general population. I will to go out on a limb and say that preparing for a potential disaster is a good idea. A practical amount of emergency supplies can’t be bad thing.

The first step in preparing for any disaster is to perform a threat analysis. Make a list of the most likely catastrophes in your geographic area. Since I live in North Texas, I am not too worried about a volcano erupting in downtown Dallas. However, North Texas is vulnerable to frequent tornadoes, hail, gusty winds, floods, grass fires, and even hurricane remnants. We also have small but steady earthquakes in some areas. If we get a winter storm and the roads ice over, everything in Texas tends to shut down—including the electrical grid. This makes planning for a disaster in my area particularly difficult, since we must be prepared to bug-in for ice storms, or bug-out for wild fires.



Disasters can be unexpected
At the bare minimum, residents in all parts of the country should have a 72-hour kit. It is not expensive to plan for a 72-hour long emergency and it may save your life. You may not be able to think of everything, but having the bare essentials can really help should the SHTF.

Water – one gallon per person per day
Food – ready to eat or requiring minimal water
Manual can opener and other cooking supplies
Plates, utensils and other feeding supplies
First Aid kit & instructions
A copy of important documents & phone numbers
Warm clothes and rain gear for each family member
Heavy work gloves
Unscented liquid household bleach and an eyedropper for water purification
Personal hygiene items including toilet paper, feminine supplies, hand sanitizer, and soap
Plastic sheeting, duct tape, and utility knife for covering broken windows
Tools such as a crowbar, hammer and nails, staple gun, adjustable wrench and bungee cords.
Blankets or sleeping bags
Large heavy-duty plastic bags and a plastic bucket for waste and sanitation
Any special-needs items for children, seniors, or people with disabilities. Don’t forget water and supplies for your pets.
A component of your disaster kit is your Go-bag. Put the following items together in a backpack or another easy to carry container in case you must evacuate quickly. Prepare one go-bag for each family member and make sure each has an I.D. tag. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work, considering what you would need for your immediate safety. Here are some ideas:

Firearm
Ammunition
Flashlight
Battery operated radio
Batteries
Whistle
Dust mask
Pocketknife
Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls
Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat
Local map
Some water and food
Permanent marker, paper, and tape
Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
List of emergency point-of-contact phone numbers
List of allergies to any drugs or food
Copy of health insurance and identification cards
Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
Prescription medications and first aid supplies
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Extra keys to your house and vehicle
Any special-needs items for children, seniors, or people with disabilities. Don’t forget to make a Go-bag for your pets!


Taken from Cheaper than dirt, CDT Bob

 

[sargedog]

I want to be as comfortable as possible during a SHTF situation (short or long term). So packing up the essentials ahead of time might just be the difference in being home safe or fighting the crowds for gas, money at the atm, water. I always fill the bath tub when there is a storm of any great force coming our way. Each member has their own bag of their stuff that is important to them, some have multiples in each bag.

It may something as small as a power outage for a few days, I just like being ready. I have been called crazy for a lot less.

 

[gunnerbob]

If we all took a trip back a just a few decades, we'd find families that would be considered "preppers" by today's society. When in fact those families were normal, probably lower income or country folk who knew that their next meal from the store might not always be there. They knew they may not be able to afford "X" whenever, so they bought "it" when they did have the money.

If we go back even further, say turn of the century or further, we'll find that the majority of homes were inhabited by "preppers". For the same reasons above... people knew how to do for themselves more back then(yes, b/c they had to). People knew how to farm/garden, raise livestock, make bread, make soad, repair items we would throw out today, and they knew the value of saving.

Our modern world has spoiled us(yes, I enjoy it all), it has made us forget a time not so long ago. I feel it's important to know how to be as self-sufficient as possible, while still enjoying modern luxeries. It's not crazy to want to know how to take care of yourself when others can't.

Don't ever listen to people who tell you being self-sufficient is crazy... I happen to think it's crazy to give a crap about IPads and who's in US Weekly or whatever it's called.