Emergency,
Survival,
Camping
And
Preparedness
Equipment
Preparedness 101 - The Basics
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We live in a crazy world where it seems that nearly anything can happen, but people have faced emergencies in one form or another for thousands of years. When we were more of an agricultural-based society, nearly everyone made it their business to be prepared by laying up supplies, and knowing a broad range of skills was necessary to one’s day-to-day survival. In today’s fast-paced society, we rely on others for many things, from supplying our food and drinking water to our personal security and safety. And that’s fine... until one day, for some reason, we don’t have the the luxury of relying on someone else.
Being prepared means being in charge of your own fate. When you are at least somewhat prepared for an event, you have some control over the situation. When you have some control, you are LESS likely to be frightened and MORE likely to succeed. Knowledge truly is power. If you’d like to become more prepared to face the challenges of coping with everything from inconvenience to downright disaster, and from whatever cause, this series of articles will help you. Don’t panic at the thought of running out and buying everything you’ll need at one time... preparedness is a process, not something that just happens!
Ask yourself if you might ever be affected by any of the following... tornado, ice storm, flooding, drought, hurricane, earthquake, civil unrest, terrorist act, fire, electrical outage, water boil order and/or loss of water, evacuation due to chemical spill or other hazard, loss of employment, or loss of a spouse. If there’s a chance that any of these may someday happen to you, you need to get prepared.
Worried that people may think you’re a "nut" if you become prepared? I can tell you from experience that those very same people who may think you’re crazy, and that have not prepared at all, will ALWAYS be the first to phone you or knock on your door when something happens. They will very sweetly tell you that they just KNEW you would have whatever it is they need, and ask if they can use or borrow it! Remember, being prepared equals being in control and a feeling of success... not being prepared equals dependence on others and a feeling of helplessness.
Some people feel that being prepared means large cash outlays for things that may be seldom, if ever, used. I prefer to think of being prepared as "real-life" insurance... we buy insurance on our homes, cars, and lives... but we also need the peace of mind that having "real-life" insurance can bring. That way, when a disaster happens, we can cope with it without fear. Huge expenditures are not necessary if you’ll use your most important survival tool.
Before you run out and buy any supplies, you should know that there is one tool that you absolutely cannot afford to be without... your brain! Always remember that your BRAIN is your most important survival tool, and you must keep it operational at all times. Calm, cool and collected thinking can get you through many hardships. If you can use your brain to improvise, to calculate risks, and to see the "big picture", you can likely make it through anything. Stuff as much information as possible into that computer in your head, because even the most trivial bit of information may someday be of great use. Know how to research and find the information you might need. In the survival game, redundancy (having a back-up, or something that can serve more than one purpose) is a good thing. Strive to be a "jack of all trades". Even the most macho, technically trained Marine knows how to sew on a button and make a bed, and there are plenty of seemingly delicate farm wives who can repair a hay baler as well as cook Sunday dinner!
There are a few things that are essential to keeping you alive, and taking care of these basic needs should be your first order of business. Use your best survival tool, your brain, to think of what you might need. Food, water, and shelter are indispensable. Communication with others, basic medical gear and training, and an intimate knowledge of your surroundings can be invaluable. You’ll need to be able to meet your and your family’s needs whether you’re at home, at work, or on the move. A basic plan of action for different scenarios will be of great help. Sit down now and try to map out on paper how you might supply these basic needs, then read the rest of the articles on the "Tips & Ideas" page for help with the details. Don't be scared, be prepared!