Ways You Can Prepare Yourself For Disaster

It’s always good to be prepared for an emergency. Whether you are worried about the current political climate, had a bad experience with not being well prepared for a bad storm in the past, or find yourself worrying about things that may or may not happen. Ensuring that you and your loved ones are ready for eventful situations is important. But how exactly do you ensure that you are prepared for a disaster? What steps can you take to make sure that you and your loved ones will be protected? We have a guide here for you that, while it may not be the exact guide you need, it will help push you into the right direction.

Investments For Your Home

Some of these steps can be expensive, however, they can also mean the difference between life and death for many people. For others, they are a matter of comfort, and that’s important too! Whether it’s flooding caused by a hurricane or chills from a terrible blizzard. Making investments in your home as a whole will always lead to better outcomes.

Check Your Insulation

Insulation is what helps keep the warm air inside of your home during the winter, as well as the cold air during the summer. It degrades over time so in preparation for a potential disaster we suggest checking on it every time you notice a spike in energy usage that could be related to heating and cooling, every time you move into a new home, and about every 15 years or so.

Invest in a Couple of Solar Panels

You don’t need an entire solar grid to help you stay efficient during a disaster. Unless you are in an area where you are prone to blackouts that could last nearly a month, a couple of solar panels, as well as a battery to store energy shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars.

Invest in a Generator

Just like with the solar panels you don’t need a gigantic one that will keep your home fully powered for weeks at a time. However, one that can keep your refrigerator running for a few extra days can make a huge difference for a relatively inexpensive price. You might consider a solar generator or power station to meet your basic needs.

Invest in a Security Cabinet For Your Guns and Ammunition

Having a gun in case of emergencies is a necessity for many people. However, that necessity is essentially useless if these weapons are not properly stored away as they should be. Whether it is to keep these items away from children or to ensure that everything is properly stored away in a place where it is easy to access what you need.

A security cabinet for your weapons is a necessity for disaster preparation.

Know What to Stock Up On

You want to stock up on a variety of items to ensure all basic needs are met. These things are all needed for personal health and well-being.

Foods

• Dry Goods

• Canned Foods

• Water

• Coffee And Tea
• Frozen Items

A note about food! Remember that even shelf-stable foods don’t last forever. Rotate your food stock into your pantry for daily use so no items go bad.

Toiletries

• Soap
• Shampoo
• Dry Shampoo
• Razors
• Conditioner
• Baby Wipes

Other Necessities

• Candles

• Medication
• Bandages
• First aid kit
• Matches or later
• Camp stove

• Blankets

Depending on the climate you are in we suggest having at least 2-4 blankets per person in your household. Maintaining body heat is an important step to ensuring you and your loved ones make it through a winter disaster.

Batteries

Flashlights, radios, certain medical devices, etc. All of these things run on batteries and it is important to keep a well-stocked supply of them around in case of emergencies.

Medications

Some medications cannot be stored for the long term. However, if you possess any medications that can be stored long term we strongly suggest keeping a stock of them prepared in case of emergencies.

Fuel

Keep a few gallons of gas for your vehicle, mower, and other necessary gear. Don’t forget fuel for oil lamps and for cooking.

Consider Who is Part of Your Home and Create Sheltering Kits For Them

Sheltering kits are packages of supplies, usually enough to fill a large plastic tote that holds necessities for them that aren’t necessarily shared with others they will be sheltering with. These can include comfort items, clothing, toiletries, and more. Our suggestions for sheltering kits may differ from your family’s actual needs and are meant to be used merely as a baseline for suggestions. Please keep this in mind as you factor in personal needs for each person such as medication, allergies, and more.

Children Age 5 and Under

For Children under the age of 5 we suggest packing up at least 2 weeks worth of clothing, diapers or pull ups, formula, bottles, lotions, and wipes. For children who have teeth also make sure to include a toothbrush as well as a couple of tubes of toothpaste. As well as a variety of comfort items and toys in order to help them stay content while sheltering during the events of a disaster.

• Diapers/Pull Ups
• 14-20 Outfits
• 7 Bottles
• 6 cans formula
• 2 bottles of lotion
• 6 packages of baby wipes
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• 10 comfort items/toys/books
• 5 Gallons of Water

Children Age 6-12

For children in this age group you can omit the diapers, formula, and bottles. However toiletries such as lotions, tooth brushes, toothpaste, and sanitary wipes can stay.

As well as the clothing. In fact for children in this age range, you may also want to consider grabbing a few copies of their favorite books, as well as keeping a battery-powered DVD player and a pair of headphones for each of them to help them stay entertained.

• 7-10 outfits
• 5-10 books
• 6 packages of baby/sanitary wipes
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• 4-5 DVDs and a DVD player with a screen
• Headphones
• Flashlights
• Crayons and Coloring books
• Variety of Batteries

Teenagers (Age 13-19)

The suggestions for a sheltering kit for teenagers and children age 6-12 are essentially the same aside from some minor differences. Items such as deodorant, menstrual products, extra sanitary items such as dry shampoo and leave-in conditioner not only help keep those going through puberty feel clean. But these items also help to maintain their mental and emotional well-being.

• 7-10 outfits
• 5-10 books
• 6 packages of baby/sanitary wipes
• Menstrual Products
• Dry Shampoo
• Leave in Conditioner
• Deodorant
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• 4-5 DVDs and a DVD player with a screen
• Headphones
• Flashlights
• Crayons and Coloring books
• Variety of Batteries

Adults (Ages 20 and Up)

Whether it is for yourself, or for the partner you met on your favorite divorced dating app, it is important to make sure there are preparations made for everyone you plan to shelter with. This includes other adults as well. A sheltering kit for adults is a lot like a sheltering kit for a teenager, except it may contain some items that might be shared more universally such as candles, fire starters, and lighters. While it is important to have these items in the emergency kit for everyone it is also important to ensure there is a backup in the personal kits for the adults just in case.

• 7-10 outfits
• 5-10 books
• 6 packages of baby/sanitary wipes
• Menstrual Products
• Dry Shampoo
• Leave in Conditioner
• Deodorant
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• 4-5 DVDs and a DVD player with a screen
• Headphones
• Flashlights
• Crayons and Coloring books
• Variety of Batteries
• Fire starters
• Emergency cards
• Matches
• Lighters
• Candles.

As you create your own lists of items and begin your preparation journey, don’t be too overwhelmed. Start small, Even having items on hand to get through a couple of days in a blizzard is an ideal start. Remember that you don’t need to be paranoid or a prepper to be ready for disaster to strike. That’s simply a matter of awareness and planning.