Are You Ready For The Calamity? | Guest Post

Experiencing a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in the next 26 years is 62% likely to happen. The U.S. Geological Survey warned the public to be prepared for such emergencies that can cause towering buildings to sway and glass surfaces to rattle and possibly shatter. Indeed, the changing environmental conditions are causing commotions especially among people who have encountered such low blows for the first time in their lives.

As the number of victims of natural disasters reached 124.5 million in 2012 alone, the idea of being a prepper has morphed into a mindset and a lifestyle. Being ready for a calamity requires the right information, skills, and tools inside a handy emergency survival kit. To make your preparedness plan more manageable, answer these questions or at the very least, address these safety concerns:

Should your home or office catch fire, do you know at least 3 different entry and exit points?

Knowing multiple ways prevents the chances of panic that usually leads to being trapped. Study the floor plan and take time to look into the emergency plan of buildings that you frequent. Fire accidents are reported to happen during night time, so being familiar with alternate routes will surely make your escape faster and easier.

Do you have cash that you no longer need to withdraw from your ATM?

Economic collapse comes next to social unrest of natural disasters. Keeping a considerable amount of cash in a safe located in your home or office not only secures you cash. It saves you from having to brave a storm or a chaotic road only to discover your ATM is already useless, or worse, powerless.

Are your children aware of disaster warnings and unsafe areas in and out of your home?

Children are immensely vulnerable in the midst of an emergency. A good way to educate them is to introduce preparedness lessons via “what if” games. Give them visual stories that talk about hazardous spaces and potentially harmful objects like towering furniture that may topple over, a tree that is in a storm-stricken field, or even highly flooded streets.

Teaching your kids to be self-sufficient begins when they know the basics of disaster food kits management. Nothing is more disheartening than to see children cold and hungry. In an age where kids rarely have a good grasp of feeding themselves, cooking food is as good as learning to swim or climbing a tree.

During emergency encounters, adults tend to put their lives at risk in order to save younger members of their household. Sadly, these adults fail to see that should they lose their lives to disasters, the children they leave behind would be facing a higher risk of injury, or even death.

Have you kept your important documents and insurance in check?

While there is still ample time, make multiple copies of your documents and keep them in different locations. It is essential that these locations are varied since the magnitude of disasters is not entirely scalable. A good way to claim your insurance after the emergency subsides is to take photos of your belongings. Alongside these measures, backup all your files and slip your hard drive in your survival kit.

When faced with an intruder, what is your plan of self-defense?

Whether a gun or martial arts is your weapon against mass destruction, prepping for an intruder begins with having a confident yet calculated approach to your attacker. Kids and elder members of the family can get a boost in watching their backs and watching over others with handy pepper sprays that are readily available in a good number of alarm system stores.

Do you know what the most common injuries are? Do you have the first aid skills to address them?

The most typical injuries that you must be capable of handling are those that concern the head and the face. Properly administering first aid, such as stopping a bleeding wound or what to do when you find someone unconscious after a severe fall, saves people from worrying and worse, death.

Among children, on the other hand, scalding is the number one accident. When your child gets a burn, run it under cold water; while help is nowhere in sight. Pack ointments and medicines needed by each member of your family. Having to deal with an unaddressed medical emergency hampers evacuation time—an essential element in being calamity-ready.

Do you know the exact location of the water heater?

Did you know that the water heater container houses 30-50 gallons of your much needed emergency water supply? For people who don’t own their houses, knowing how to turn off this golden storage saves you and your family from water shortage.

What is your idea of a calamity-ready wardrobe?

Get your climbing gears on so that extreme weather conditions will not be your concern as you make your way to recovery after a calamity. If you don’t have the gears or the budget, wear long waterproof pants preferably in dark color, long-sleeve shirts that are lightweight and water-repellant, and a protective hat or at the very least a decent bonnet. Moving around with a compact emergency food kit backpack that houses water, medicines, protective rain gear and a blanket will allow you to walk better, and run faster, should the situation call for it.

Is your food storage piled in a secure, disaster-ready location?

During a calamity, the last thing you want to do is to pack with panic. With emergency survival kits that can last for more than a decade without contamination or pest invasion, you are sure that your effort and the money you invested won’t leave you empty-handed. During chaotic days and nights, rodents and insects also scamper for their own food sources, so tightly-sealed food items are your best options.

Do you have a good estimate of how much food your survival kit must have?

It is very crucial that you provide the nourishment of each family member. Take note of the special dietary requirements including food allergies. Pack milk for infants and toddlers. Plan meals for elders who may have slower digestion. Such little details make a great impact on your calamity-ready list. Go for survival food kits that have a wide range of food choices. More importantly, during emergency, survival food kits are wisely packaged in accordance to the right portions that are sure to replenish energy loss.

Are your family and friends within a 200-mile radius from your home?

After minding your family’s survival food supplies and other survival measures, it is time to track your relatives and friends that might need your assistance. Make it a point to share your calamity plans with them. When moving from one place to another, it is best to travel with a group. As a rule of thumb, you must know how to get to your network within a 200-mile radius.

How fast can you switch to a “calamity-ready” mentality to a “recovery-ready” mindset?

As your emergency survival kits eventually make it with you through a life-threatening calamity, the next step is to put your recovery hat on. Families and communities that get back on track are those who look beyond the damages and losses they experience. Remember, a calamity brings out the better or the worst in its victims, so make your choices wisely and consistently.

About the Author: Roger Gallager is a Marketing and Sales specialist and a Communicationist. He has written a wide range of articles from marketing strategies to home and community improvement. Know more about him by following him on Twitter.