Surviving Apocalyptic Situations and Being Prepared

Living in South Florida, we know the dangers of hurricanes. Andrew demolished us, we rebuilt and have been fortunate with the exception of a few storms.

In 2005, a small storm sneaked in from the west coast across the Everglades to the East coast and my area. We lost power for weeks, ran out of water, food disappeared from shelves in few hours. No, gas, no water, no food and no help for quite a while and this was only a small storm.

As I think about what happened up north with Sandy, I realize that they are far from being ok. I listened to a preparedness specialist talk and I realized many of us could use a refresher and possibly more discussion and tips.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qM8eMGnavWQ

The first 3 minutes deal with promotion of the book the next 9 minutes deal with preparedness, after that its a mixed bag with callers.

The Importance of Being Prepared

It's been a week since Hurricane Sandy, yet the aftermath continues to take a major toll and people are resorting to desperate measures...dumpster diving for food, panicking at the idea of using a payphone, looting, demonstrating angry violence, you name it, it is happening!

So what have we learned? The lesson is simple...Preparedness is crucial.

Hurricane Sandy was no surprise. We had been warned about it well ahead of it making landfall, so why all the panic? Well, the answer is simple... most people were unprepared. Being prepared in case of an emergency is of paramount importance for people living in geographically vulnerable places such as coastal areas, but being prepared both physically and mentally is important for people living everywhere. Disaster in the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis or even in the form of terrorist attacks can happen anywhere at any time. It is a dangerous mind-set to think that nothing can happen to you, and if it does, the government will immediately come to the rescue and your former life will be quickly restored.

We have become so reliant on technology and infrastructure, i.e. cell phones, internet, electricity, readily available gasoline, food and water that we have forgotten how to rely on our most important asset...ourselves. It is a worthwhile exercise to think about how the pioneers provided for themselves and their families living under the harshest of conditions. Make a list of what you would need if you were deprived of food, drinking water, gasoline, electricity, communications, etc. Have supplies and important documents "at the ready" and talk to your family about what to do in case of an emergency.

Being fully prepared in case of disaster is not fear-based thinking. Take control of your life and do what you can to prepare in case of emergency....you'll sleep better at night just knowing you've done all you can to protect yourself and your family.

You are so right. I've ran through most of my canned goods and excess water and I'm planning in restocking. It might be too I late if I keep putting it off.