5 Disaster Preparation Tips

The world is teetering on the brink of another ugly war in the Middle East. The economies are countries around the globe continue to stagnate or tumble. Closer to home, we’re in the onslaught of fires raging and destroying homes and land.

If you were in a recent disaster and found yourself unprepared, then you’re likely already taking steps to make sure you’re better prepared next time. It just might save your life.

Preparedness

At least one Arizona resident is preparing in the right way for any natural disaster that comes his way. Iraq War veteran Joel Johnson of Phoenix has prepared his home with what he says is ‘a plan for just about every situation.’ This includes three bugout bags, a generator tent ensconced in a small trailer and enough food-water supplies to survive for a few months. Johnson keeps most of these in an Uncle Bobs storage unit near where he lives.

What does it mean to be prepared? The US Federal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA) has laid out a mission plan and practical steps for Americans to be prepared against any possible terrorist attack, natural disaster, man-made disaster, pandemic disease or other threat to our survival. As survivalists, we often find that our own ways are more instinctive. But FEMA’s tips have been well tested through many disasters over the years, so they worth heeding.

Steps to Take

Here are a few tips from FEMA.

1. Emergency Supply Kit: One of the most fundamental aspects of disaster survival is preparing and building an emergency supply kit for you and your family. This is the kit that should include necessary items like dry food items, water, freeze-dried items, flashlights, batteries, portable radio (battery or crank), breathing masks. You might even want to have two of these, one more portable for the car and the other in a home-based emergency kit.

2. Local Emergencies: In your town or city, find out where to go in case of a natural disaster. Are there designated local shelters, like high school gyms, churches, city sports arenas and other fortified buildings to move to in case of fires, hurricanes, tornadoes or other storms? Check these in your districts and make sure your family members have directions. Stay on top of radio alerts for up-to-date information if a disaster strikes.

3. Family Communications: Disasters don’t wait for convenience, so it’s likely you and your family won’t all be together during a crisis. So make sure everyone has cell phone contacts for each other, or better yet, a few pre-paid phone cards, in case cell service goes out.

4. Home readiness: Make sure that your home is prepared in all cases. To ward off fire disasters, clean up all the loose branches and remove dried-out or dead trees in your immediate vicinity. If floods are coming, fortify your basement walls with sandbags. Also, elevate everything in the basement to higher levels. In the case of extreme winds, try to secure loose items like bikes, kids’ toys and other patio furniture, so they are not blown into your home when disaster strikes.

5. Post-storm insurance claims: If the disaster is fierce, you may be filling out a lot of forms for FEMA or a state agency to refund claims on your insurance policies. So before disaster strikes, move your insurance policies to a safe, dry location to have those documents ready after a storm.

By Andrew Parr