A Nurse Talks About Rational Preparedness

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I found out about a book called Rational Preparedness in sort of a backdoor manner. My friend Gerald writes pieces which I post on his behalf at The Last Robin blog. From time to time Jane of Virginia leaves a comment about a post.

In one comment a couple of months back she referenced her Rational Preparedness blog. I looked it up and discovered she’s Jane-Alexandra Krehbiel, author of Rational Preparedness and What I Learned from Daniel. The latter book is about the sudden, unexplained death of her 12-year-old son in 2008. We exchanged a few e-mails, and she agreed to be on DestinySurvival Radio with me to talk about preparedness.

The bio at the end of Rational Preparedness says…

On her blog she says, “My most important and my most challenging role is as a wife and mother to five kids…” That shows through in her book, too. You can tell she’s aware of what’s needed as a mother with children who happens to have a medical background.

A couple of years ago Jane hosted an Internet radio show for a few weeks. She’s no stranger to public speaking. You’ll hear from my interview with her that she’s professional in her demeanor.

The complete title of the book is Rational Preparedness: A Primer to Preparedness. It’s short, just over 80 pages. You can read it in a weekend. But it packs in a lot of practical information. You would be wise to add it to your survival library because it will nicely complement other books you may already have.

It was written because Jane saw too many preppers with a bunker mentality who weren’t taking things slowly and sensibly. She promotes rational preparedness, rather than irrational, reactionary preparedness based on panic.

Chapters cover such topics as…

A chapter near the end mentions other topics you might want to explore.

Jane gives good resources on where to find specialized medical and first aid items, including for those with diabetes or other special needs. The chapter on rehydration is especially good.

There are helpful suggestions on what to have in a bug out bag for adults and children. Pets, too. There’s a chapter on dealing with livestock, which is best suited for those with small farms.

Info is also included on documents to copy and keep with you. She advocates making more than one preparedness notebook.

Jane’s approach to her book is to give readers a starting point. But the information isn’t so basic as to be unspecific and useless. Whether you’re sheltering in place or leaving home, it’s necessary to take certain steps ahead of time.

It may not be wise to wait for an official evacuation order to leave your home. You’re the expert on your family. You know your family’s situation best and have to make that crucial decision.

Include children in your prepping activities, such as putting together kits and rotating food and medications. Make those activities a normal part of wraising your family in a loving atmosphere. That way dealing with disruptions and disasters won’t be as frightening as they are for the unprepared.

Taking responsibility to have proper documentation is essential. This not only includes financial statements, insurance policies, birth certificates, etc., but medications and medical records. Consider things you’ll need if you relocate and your children attend a different school. Or consider the needs of the elderly family members you may be caring for.

Becoming dehydrated due to heat or illness can cause critical problems for you or your children. You’ll want to put together they oral rehydration kit discussed in Rational Preparedness. There may be times when you can’t consult your doctor or go to the hospital. Believe it or not, Jane and I talked about pee and what it can indicate. Pay attention to the amount and color.

We talked briefly about nutritional and herbal supplements. Since our bodies react differently, Jane doesn’t recommend using things that aren’t recommended by a physician or nurse practicioner. She says doctors are becoming more knowledgeable about supplements.

As for long term storage food, she likes what Augason Farms has to offer. By the way, you can purchase their products by clicking on their ad wherever you see it on this site.

As always, we talked about more than what I can share here. Listen to all of our conversation when you hear DestinySurvival Radio for May 30, 2013. Check out both of her blogs at Rational Preparedness and What I Learned from Daniel.

Rational Preparedness is a DestinySurvival Amazon Pick. Order your copy by clicking on its image below. You’ll be taken to the page on Amazon.com where it’s featured. Add it to your cart to start the order process. You can also order What I Learned from Daniel through Amazon.

Feel free to leave a comment below and share any thoughts you have on what you’ve read here or heard in my interview with Jane. I’d love to know what’s on your mind.