How to Prepare for Emergencies

One of the things we know about the Proverbs 31 Woman is that she laughs without fear of the future because she knows she has her family prepared:

“Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared].”

– Proverbs 31:25 AMP

Did you know that September is National Preparedness Month?  I thought it was October because that is when ShakeOut Day occurs, so on the last day of September, I am writing this post just in time.

Why Prepare for an Emergency

International ShakeOut Day is the third Thursday of October.  It is a day to be reminded how to protect yourself during an earthquake, which can happen anywhere, at any time.  If the pandemic and the resulting quarantine has taught us anything, however, is that we need to be prepared for any type of disaster.

I was at the movies one November evening when a brush fire started, and I received an order to evacuate.  Thankfully, I had a Go Bag in my car with a change of clothes, a toiletry kit, and other essentials.  I was prepared for the unexpected evacuation even though it was thankfully called off before I went elsewhere.

When the pandemic hit, I was again thankful to have a Go Bag, a second one that I kept in my apartment.  I am grateful for the Red Cross because they really did think of everything. I had everything I needed in that Go Bag, including hand sanitizer, gloves, a mask, and even a roll of toilet paper they recommended to be included in an earthquake kit.

These are just a couple of examples of why you should prepare for an emergency.  Another is that, in certain emergencies, it could be weeks before outside help arrives.  During my research for this post, I learned that the three days of supplies we always hear about is for evacuation only, that to be truly prepared, we need to have supplies on hand to be able to sustain ourselves for two weeks in a disaster.

What Emergencies to Prepare For

According to The Prepared, medical issues and financial difficulties are the most common emergencies that we should all be prepared to handle.  Their recommendations include getting physically fit and creating an emergency fund before spending any money on anything but the very basic supplies.

See Related: 5 Fitness Tips for Staying Active

See Related: How to Save

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Here’s their fitness test.  How would you do?

You’re physically prepared for an emergency if you can:

1. Comfortably survive on 1,500 calories per day with high physical activity or stress.
2. Carry a 30 pound backpack on foot for 10 hours.
3. Lift a 7 gallon water container (55 pounds) and walk 100 feet.
4. Drag or carry a 150 pound person for 100 feet.
5. Hike 5 miles in the woods, kill a deer, break it down, and carry it out. 😟
6. Climb over a car or large obstacle.
7. Run/jog one mile over unpaved ground.
8. Swim across an average river.
9. Escape from or defend yourself against an opponent.
10. Spend the day gardening without destroying your joints or back.

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They also recommend preparing for not having power, water, gas for cooking or heating, communication, internet, or 911.  At this point, I already do not want to go on. 😩 My idea of roughing it is packing up a cooler and spending a day lounging on the beach.  Just the thought of having to learn how to treat dirty water with portable water filters, or even finding a place to store 15 gallons of water in my tiny studio apartment is overwhelming to me.

After this year though, with the exception of number five on that fitness test, I am going to do what it takes to be ready.

How to Prepare for an Emergency

Well the simple answer is to gather all of the supplies on the various checklists that are available, but that is not enough.  You also will need a disaster plan for various types of situations.  That includes having a plan for evacuation, a plan for disaster striking while you are away from home and it is safe for you to return, and one for when it is not safe for you to return.  In other words, you have to envision every potential scenario and plan what you will do.

First is prevention of personal disaster by taking good care of your health, and by saving money for an emergency fund.  While you are doing those things, acquire basic supplies (water, first and foremost).

Get a go bag, one for each adult.  A Go Bag, and buying extra of the groceries you already buy, can serve as your emergency supplies.  However, that is only helpful if you have power to cook, so you will need to be sure to stock up on staples and other supplies.

Finally, you will need a Get Home Bag, similar to a Go Bag but with supplies that can sustain the extreme temperatures your car can reach.   

Emergency Checklists

This is a condensed list of some basic supplies that you may want to have on hand in the event of a disaster:

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Other items that the Red Cross recommends that you can add to your Go Bag are an extra set of keys, any medications you are on (enough for 3 days), and an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses and solution. You may also want to add any printed photos that you want to keep safe.

Within the first few weeks of moving to California, a cousin brought me along to a Neighborhood Association meeting about earthquake preparedness. It was in September, so it was probably because it was National Preparedness Month. 🤔 Anyway, it was very informative. Did you know that your refrigerator/freezer are fireproof and therefore make a great place to keep copies of important documents? They gave me a couple waterproof ziplock bags for storing such documents in the freezer and a very handy list, which I referenced in part for this post.

I commit to working on these checklists, taking stock of what I already have and what needs to be replaced.  How about you? Are you able to laugh without fear of the future because you are prepared for it? Please comment below.

Blessings! 👸🏽🙏🏽

See Related: How to Have the Wisdom of the Proverbs 31 Woman

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