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Prepping for beginners

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Prepping for beginners

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Here are just a few ways to help you start prepping

1. Have an emergency plan

Ask yourself this: “What would I do if there was disaster that affected my home and my family?”

Think about the risks inherent to your geographical area and your own vulnerability when it comes to those risks. Once you do that, come up with a plan for preparing, responding, and recovering if the worst should happen.

 

2. Put together an emergency kit

Assemble the items you will need to get through an emergency safely. In addition to flashlights, batteries and an emergency radio, you are going to need other basic gear plus hygiene items, medications, cash and some extra clothing.

Your kit should be portable and light enough that you can handle it on your own.

 

3. Store plenty of water

Clean water is something we all take for granted. We turn on the faucet and there it is. It is plentiful, it is clean and it is drinkable. Learn where to find it, how to store it, how to purify it and how to filter it. We can only survive 3 days without water. So whether you are a prepping newbie or an experienced survivalist, water should be pretty high on your list of prepping priorities.

 

4. Have emergency food supplies

Did you know that most people in the United States have less than 2 weeks of food stored in their home?!  If this includes you, it’s time to make a change!  Take a look at your food supplies and estimate how long you could survive on it – for most beginners it’s pretty scary!   Your first goal with food should be to have 1 month worth. It varies from person to person on how long we can survive without food, but the average person can survive from 2-3 weeks starvation then die. Check out survivalcavefood.com for some great deals on long term food storage!

5. Plan for your pets

Don’t forget about your pets. Be sure plan for their food and water needs. In addition, recognize that they may or may not be able to stay with you if you are forced to move to a shelter. Luckily, the Red Cross and other agencies are recognizing that people may put themselves in danger because they will not abandon their pets. As a result, they are beginning to set up “pet shelters” alongside the people shelters.

6. Be a good neighbor

Learn to be a good neighbor so that you build a solid foundation of folks that will be there to watch your back and help you out if you become incapacitated or need post-disaster assistance. A good neighbor will be there to help you long before the government or the first responders.

 

7. Remember those with special needs

Perhaps a family member is handicapped, elderly, and medically dependent or has other special needs. Be prepared to deal with these special needs as you build your kit and your food supply. In addition, be prepared to help those with special needs during an evacuation.

 

8. Learn how to safely shelter in place

Identify, outfit and prepare an area of your home that is suitable for a “shelter-in-place” emergency. If possible, select a room that is isolated from exterior doors and windows, and outfit it so that you can remain there in relative comfort until the emergency passes. Keep in mind that if you shelter in place, you will rely upon supplies in your emergency kit as well as specific shelter-in-place items such as sheets of plastic and duct tape.

 

9. Prepare to survive without power

One of the most common emergencies does not need to be an emergency at all if you are well prepared. I am referring to a grid-down, short term power outage. As recent events have taught us, a freak storm can bring the power grid down for a few days, a week, or even longer. Learn to cope with plenty of light sources as well as cooking and heating facilities.

 

10. Have an emergency fund

If you have ever been shopping and realize that you left your credit card at home you will understand the need to have some spare cash on hand. But what about the bigger emergencies? Perhaps the car needs to be repaired, or like me, you are faced with an $800 refrigerator repair bill. The need for an emergency fund goes beyond short-term cash needs. Unemployment and a medical crisis may also require you to dip into emergency funds.

Building up an emergency fund when you are barely scraping by may be difficult but it is not impossible. Go slowly and you will be surprised by how quickly those dollars add up.

 

11. Stay fit and healthy

I have always been health conscious and even more so now that I realize that staying fit and healthy are the cornerstones to long-term survival during stressful situations. Even if you have six months of food storage, six months of water, a sustainable food garden, and a fully stocked first aid kit, you will have a tough time coping if you were not strong, fit and healthy.

Granted, age and time take their toll and many illnesses and infirmities just happen through no fault of your own. Still, eating healthy foods and getting regular exercise will go a long way toward insuring that you are a physically able to withstand the rigors of a disaster.

 

12. Live a strategic life

Living strategically – by my own definition – means living a life full of abundant adventure while embracing the tenants of simplicity and sustainability. It means being healthy and reaping the benefits of bounteous friendships and caring relationships. It means living a life full of happiness and readiness, without the burden of wanting to be someone else or someplace else. It means liking yourself and moving forward with this business of life with animated spirit and optimism.

 

13. Have a survival mindset

Even though it is listed at the bottom of this list, having a survival mindset is of utmost importance to your ability to prepare and stay focused on this all-important journey we call family preparedness. Reading this blog and others like it is the first step toward establishing a survival mindset. That and having the will and the perseverance to keep going is what it takes to be an awesome Pepper.

 

Our world is ever changing and we must adapt to, and overcome the challenges that arise with these changes if we are to survive them.  If you wait until the last minute and don’t plan for the unexpected, you may find yourself unprepared to face the potentially life altering, or life threatening circumstances you may encounter.  Better to be prepared and not need to be, than to be unprepared when necessity strikes!



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