Preparing For The Future | 8 Important Items To Have Stocked & Ready In Case Of A Disaster
Did you hear about the devastating earthquake in the Irish town of Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll?
Relief workers are still hard at work trying to figure out what the town’s name was before the disaster.
Jokes aside, if we’ve learned anything from the past few years, it’s that disaster can take many forms, and strike at any time.
While that’s no reason to panic, it is an excellent reason to be prepared.
What could have been a life-threatening or deadly emergency, can often be no more than an inconvenience, if you’re ready for it.
But how can you be ready for a disaster, when you don’t know what the disaster is?
Luckily, most potential emergencies come with similar issues, and so similar solutions can solve them.
Here are a few essential items you may want to consider when preparing for a potential disaster:
- Food Supply
Sounds obvious, right?
Well, it is, but not all foods are created equal.
If you have 1,000 bananas, you may have enough calories, but they will all start turning to mush after a week or so.
Look for calorie-dense emergency food kits, with a long shelf life, so you can pack it away with no worries about having your rations expire.
2. Lighting
One of the most common occurrences during a disaster is a loss of electricity.
It’s important to have your own portable light sources, preferably with a way to recharge them, in case it takes a while for things to return to normal.
3. Solar Power
While you don’t need to cover your home in panels, a small panel or two for charging batteries, running a radio, or powering other devices is a good idea.
Gas generators and batteries are helpful, but they all run out eventually, while solar will keep going.
4. Camp Oven
Cold food is alright for a little while, but if the problem lasts more than a day or two, you’re going to want some kind of camp oven or non-electric cooking gear.
Don’t rely on building a firepit, because you may have to do your cooking inside, or in poor weather, where a firepit will cause more problems than it solves.
There are two ways to manage water in a disaster.
For a short time, it’s easy enough to manage with whatever you can have stockpiled from before.
For extended periods though, you will certainly need some water filtration gear.
6. Waterproof Containers
You can have the best survival gear on the market, but it won’t do you a lot of good if it gets waterlogged.
While some items may be waterproof, those that aren’t are just as essential, and it’s important to make sure they’re protected before it becomes a problem.
7. Faraday Cage
While you may not need a Faraday cage in the case of an earthquake, there are several disasters where you don’t want to be without one, such as a massive solar storm.
You can get these in the form of small portable bags, which can protect your electronics from strong electromagnetic pulses.
8. First Aid Supplies
If you’re planning for an emergency, you can’t forget emergency medical supplies.
The more well-stocked your kit is, the more problems you’ll be ready to solve, and the longer it will last.
Make sure it includes a good stock of bandage materials, emergency blankets, and an antiseptic.
Of course, it would be better if a major disaster that required this kind of equipment never happened, but it’s definitely an area where you would rather be safe than sorry.
When you’re planning your supplies, consider how long you would like to be prepared for, and make sure that your emergency food supplies will last at least that long, with a bit of extra — because of all the things you may need, food is one you cannot do without.
Thankfully today’s emergency food options can easily last up to 25 years and are available in a huge variety of delicious flavors.
As much as I like oatmeal, I wouldn’t want to eat it every meal for several months.
