The Basics: A foundation for Preppers
Most people do not think of needing to be prepared outside of basic needs for the week. Usually most that think of needing to prepare have had something happen that has made them think of the “what if’s” that life can bring. Many events can cause one to think about needing to be more prepared. Here recently it has been the political and cultural climate in the United States that has caused a major surge in world of prepping. No matter the reason for the thought, you are here and most likely looking into how to be more prepared. This post is to help you do just that, begin preparing. I will direct you to some sites that will help you and make some recommendations of my own in separate blogs as each subject can be lengthy. In no way do I recommend relying only on these sites, they recommend the bare minimum! It wasn’t too long ago preppers were considered “odd” and “Weird”, but even the “experts” recommend a level of preparedness! So, what do the “experts” recommend?
THE RED CROSS
The Red Cross recommends having around two weeks of survival supplies including, water(1 gallon, per person, per day), food, 7 days of medical supplies, flashlights, extra cash, paper copy of personal documents, first aid kits, along with various tools. Pretty basic items that most households will contain. The also advocate that you have a plan and to stay informed. You can find their full list here:
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html
THE CDC
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a plan very similar to the Red Cross, however they recommend being prepared for at least a 72hour time frame. The idea is to survive until help arrives. There’s of course a plethora of information and data on pandemics and biological survival needs. You can check out their plans here:
https://www.cdc.gov/prepyourhealth/takeaction/index.htm
THE DHS/FEMA
The Department of Homeland Security takes a little different approach, and one that is quite debated among preppers. Overall the departments goal is to prepare communities and not induvial households. In 2003 the DHS absorbed FEMA. Their plan is centered around idea of a “Whole Community” with a “National Preparedness goal”. The National Preparedness Goal is a 29-page PDF document that goes into detail about how to prepare your community for natural disasters or a catastrophic event. Based around 5 “mission areas” the plan is rather involved and even states conducting “systematic processes involving the entire community”. It goes as far as mentioning tactical exercises under several of the mission area. The five mission areas are Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. You can download the “National Preparedness Goal” and read more about their plans here:
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/goal
By now you can see that the experts provide decent advice for short term emergencies and most households contain most of what they recommend. I will elaborate and go into further detail in future blogs. In no way am I insulting or saying that the information above is wrong or incomplete! I’m simply saying that there is a big difference in preparing for short term 72 hour or weeklong events, and preparing for long term events and catastrophes such as widespread civil unrest. I want to help you be as prepared as you feel you need to be!
So why do you need to do more?
The “experts” have given a decent base for short term events. I recommend you start here and get prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 7 days. History has shown that it doesn’t take long for things to go very bad, very fast! Civilizations, governments, ideologies etc. change often and are more fragile than most think. Most civil wars or widespread civil unrest lasts on average 5 years or longer. Examples such as Iraq, Bosnia, Germany, Ukraine, and most recently Venezuela are just a few examples. The aftermath of hurricane Katrina lasted much longer than 72 hours. An EMP, attacking our nations electrical grid, could be catastrophic and would leave millions without power for months or even years! If you have read my other blog “Before you begin”, you know by now that you should be preparing for what your most likely to endure. Your location matters greatly!
There are 5 main and critical areas that each prepper should focus on to begin. They are, in order of importance, Shelter, Water, Food, Health and Safety, and Defense. I will describe each, and why I put them in the order that I did, in my next few blogs!