Emergency Preparedness Week

So, it’s Emergency Preparedness Week. I was going to do a post a day on this, 7 everyday tips to easily get you prepared for whatever may come your way. However, I only found out today that it was this week, so, that’s not going to happen! What I’m going to do is do a few tips here, and then a few tips later on. Trust me, these are really easy to do, and if the shit hits the fan, you’re one step ahead of everyone else. Possibly a few steps!

They say you should be prepared to be without assistance for 72h. Aside from water, you can easily make a small kit that will last you for a week or more, which is the far more likely scenario. I would prefer to have a day or two of rations left when being rescued/assisted than be without for a day or two.

Food

This is exceptionally easy. Find out what you, and others you are caring for really like in terms of canned/dried food. Next time you’re out shopping, buy a few extra and set those aside. Once your regular supply runs out, buy more. Only this time, move the ones you’ve set aside into the ‘regular pile’ and put the new ones aside. This way, you keep your stock rotated so that you don’t suddenly find yourself with expired food. Which may still be good mind you, open it to see if it is spoiled, if it is then throw it away. Otherwise, a few days or even a few months and it’s likely still edible, may not taste as good, but that’s why it’s a BEST BEFORE date!

Keep rice on hand. It’s easy, and can be made quite simply if you’re also without power. It takes a little longer, and you can’t cook as much at a time, but it can be cooked over a candle! Those heated butter dishes for lobster are great for cooking ‘just a little of something’.

Energy bars are also good to keep on hand. Try them before you stock up on them. Some of them are good, some are not. You don’t want to be stuck with food you don’t want to eat should something happen. Try to get something that doesn’t have a lot of sugar either.

Water

This is also quite easy. If you buy soda in 2L bottles, when you’re done, rinse them and fill them. Fill them as full as you can, then, before the final turn of the cap, squeeze the sides to expel just a little water. This gets rid of the air that’s left in it. This water should be replaced every 6 months to a year. I find this is a lot more convenient than say a 55 gallon drum of water. It’s convenient, it’s easier to ration if need be, plus easier to move around and distribute. Another thing that I do is have one or two bottles (smaller than 2L) of frozen water in the freezer. Not only do you have some extra water, but if the power goes out, you have some extra freeze time until it comes back on.

“Stuff”

If you camp, you’re pretty much set. There are a few other things I would recommend, but you’re probably good. One KEY thing though: Re-stock your supplies when you return, versus when you leave as you probably do now. This accomplishes two things. It gives you all that you need for survival in case the worst happens, and you don’t have to go out buying things when you should be on the road to the campsite!

Any Questions? Post them in comments and I'll get back to you!