Why you should Prep for anything

As I have stated before, I think it is the responsibility for each family to be prepard for about any type of nightmare scenario life may throw at them.  This is natural and man made disasters.  Let's face it, they will happen, and it will happen at the worst possible time for you and your loved ones.  Just some of the things off the top of my head include, chemical exposure from train or tractor trailer accident, extreme weather, power outage, loss of employment, flooding, fire, and a ton of other things.

It can be overwhelming when you start to think about all the risk involved in simply living life.  I think it also keeps a lot of folks from doing anything to prepare as they simply have NO clue as to where to start, should you start with food, guns, money/cash on hand, I mean just where do you get started at.  Well, I hope to shed some light on the basics.

One of the first things you need to do is to identify the risks you are most likely to face.  Weather, job loss, chemical exposure from wreks, flooding and fire are a few of the things that seem to always have my attention.  Once you you identify the risks, what do you need to get through those events?  Do you need a gas mask and something to cover your skin because of the chemical threat?  What about food stores and a way to heat your home in case you have poower loss in the middle of the winter?  It was -30 this morning when I got up, and took forever for my jeep to warm up just to get kids to school!  Do you have a indoor rated propane heater with propane in reserve so that you can last at least a week or more?  What about a stockpile of routine meds?  Do you have extra food stored because you cannot get out due to weather or emergency that requires you to stay indoors?

After identification of risks and needs, you need to start gathering them.  I will tell you now, DO NOT TRY AND BUY IT ALL AT ONCE!  Pace yourself!  Each trip to the store, buy a few extra of easy store and easy to prepare food items.  Dont buy crap, buy stuff that you and your family eat.  No one will want to dig into that wonderful can of spam unless it is something your used to.  Frankly, I have ate a lot of it, and hate it!  Identify what you can cook or prepare over a open camp fire in the back yard, and make sure you have water stores on hand to do it!  While I lived in Kansas, more than once when a tornado did a number on the power grid, boil orders went out, along with a notice that the water tower reserve was low.  That means you need your own water, or a way to purify it.  Wells are great, if you can get outside to them and they are not contaminated.  Do you have a small pack ready to go in case you and your family have to leave your home?  Copies of importanat documents?  Again, this is just a few of the things you will need.

In a worst case scenario, such as Katrina, do you have the ability to defend your home from looters and those who would do you harm?  Maybe you do, but have you resolved yourself to the fact you may have to take a human life?  A lot of baggage goes along with the pull of a trigger at another human.  Make sure your ducks are in a row, and know what your doing!  What about pets?  Seeing an animal starve to death is not pretty.  What will you do should you have to evacuate?  Do you have any regular meds they take, a first aid kit for them, a Merck Vet manual? 

This is not a be all end all list, rather something to get you thinking.  It is up to each individual and family to be able to support themselves.  Frankly, the scarriest things I have heard is "I am from the government and I am here to help!".  I know I can count on me, I will not count on the national guard to save me, or the coast guard.  It simply is not a realistic belief in the face of a mass casuality or disaster. 

I do hope this helps get the juices flowing and gets you to thinking.  Please feel free to email any questions.  Until next time, Keep it pointed in a safe direction!