fbpx

3 Steps for Basic Disaster Preparedness: For Normal People Too


by Richard Davis

All products and services featured on this site are independently selected by our authors and editors. If you buy something through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Bad things only happen to other people in other places, right?  You know, like the places you see on the news, but not in places like your neighborhood and certainly on your street.  Right?  If it something did happen on your street all you have to do is call 911 and someone will swoop in and save you.  Right?

Well, no, not really.  You will almost certainly experience a disaster in your lifetime.  Nearly 1.7 billion people have been affected by a disaster in the last 10 years alone according to a recent study.

If you think it is super-duper hard or super-duper expensive to prepare then, I’m sorry, that’s not really true either.  It is, however, a little more difficult and a little more expensive than avoiding preparedness.  So, let’s assume the person reading this is interested and willing to be just a little more prepared than many others.  And let’s assume that person is preparing a family of four for a mild to moderate disaster.

Here are three simple steps you MUST take today to be prepared.

First, for the sake of argument, a mild disaster is something that lasts 1-2 days and a moderate disaster is one that lasts 3-5 days after which everything returns to complete normalcy.  That way we are all on the same page.  Secondly, we will begin as if we are talking to someone who is 0% prepared.  Finally, we do not claim this will save your life or some other person’s life simply because you have read this, but that if you commit to becoming prepared for disaster then your odds have improved.

Step One: First-Aid

Take a CPR & First Aid class with the American Red Cross.  Afterwards, go to your favorite dollar or overstock store and purchase some basic first aid items.  Gauze, bandages, tape, antiseptic wipes, etc.  It will cost very little if you shop at those places. You can also buy prepackaged kits, although these are usually a little more expensive.

Step Two: Water

If you do nothing else written here, you MUST have water stockpiled.  You need at least one gallon per person per day for drinking.  In this case we are talking 8 to 20 gallons.  You can either buy that quantity in drinking bottles or in one-gallon jugs.  It will be less expensive to purchase 5-gallon containers like what you see in office water coolers.  It is a good idea to have water for sanitation too.  Without going into too much detail, if the sewer service stops you can flush the toilet by pouring water into the toilet bowl.  But you don’t want to use your drinking water for that.  My recommendation is to purchase five or six 5-gallon buckets & lids at Wally-world for $4 each and fill them with tap water and set them aside for that purpose.  Eventually you might want to look into an emergency water filter, but you won’t be able to get that at the one-buck store.

Step Three: Food

A lot of people think emergency food storage means having half a ton of rice, dry beans, and oatmeal.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Actually, I’m telling you right now do not buy any of that stuff.  If there is no electricity how would you cook that stuff?  Maybe on your BBQ grill.  If you live in an apartment that may not even be an option.  Think canned goods.  Stuff you can eat without cooking. Even if it would be your preference to eat it hot, consider it if you could eat it cold.  Things like canned chicken and/or tuna, canned pastas, canned veggies, canned beans, canned potatoes.  You get the idea.  A good beginning goal is to have four cans of food per person per day; 8-20 cans.  Oh, and, remember you need a manual can opener.

You need a place to put all that stuff.  I get it.  I really do.  You may not have much room where you live even if you do have the time and the money to collect all that.  That is a legitimate argument.  If it happens that you truly cannot follow these three steps for one reason or another then you absolutely must have a bug-out bag.  But that is a topic for another article.  Take care, y’all, and God bless.

About the author:  Richard Davis is a retired veteran with a degree in Emergency Management on a mission to encourage people and communities to be prepared for emergencies by demonstrating low cost and low effort ways to be stay safe.  His holistic approach includes physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs during a disaster.


If you have the basics down but want to go further, check out https://reddit.com/r/preppers for a community dedicated to being prepared before it is too late!

Next in our series:  Get Home Bag:  Are you prepared to make it home when disaster strikes?

About the Author 

Richard Davis

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

I read and replied to my email a few moments ago. Most bloggers who pitched me guest posts or sponsored posts balked

Read More
Do You Balk or Seize Opportunities for Growth?

Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Collins and Porras poured through the data and

Read More
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies – Our Book of The Month

Introduction The job of a great event planner is both rewarding and challenging. This is a job for a very specific type

Read More
How to Be a Great Event Planner

Reading and processing this post slowly may feel highly uncomfortable to your mind. In a world of users, people being used and

Read More
Do You Use Get Used Or Truly Help People?

Across the board, I finally learned this lesson: numbers mean nothing but generous, genuine, loving friends, fans, customers and clients mean EVERYTHING.

Read More
1 Lesson FINALLY Learned After 10 Years Online

I recall hearing that my mother-in-law would have 24 hours to live, back in May of 2020. She was in hospice. Her

Read More
Disgust: A Catalyst for Change

So, do you feel like you have been going uphill in 2020? For many this year has been an uphill battle. Whether

Read More
How Going Uphill Can Release Your Fears and Give You Confidence

Your journey looks different than my journey. Life had to teach you certain lessons during your stay on planet earth. Ditto for

Read More
Everybody Walks a Different Path: Stop Comparing Yourself

My mother in law passed away last night after a prolonged illness.  My uncle passed away a few weeks ago after an

Read More
Hug Change Because Flux Is the Only Constant

We asked thousands of people, “What would you change in your life right now if you could?” The responses are always interesting,

Read More
How to improve your finances, health, and relationships

This weekend I was playing soccer with my youngest son and daughter in the park. At first, I was running away with

Read More
Pass the Ball to Succeed on and off the Court

Human beings are an odd lot. Humans pass memes to one another. Most humans trust these memes solely because: some people experiencing

Read More
1 Meme Guaranteeing Your Failure

SUBSCRIBE

Get new articles and course discounts from leading providers every Friday in your inbox with your free subscription!

>