Dear Friends,
It seems to me, with the steady news of natural disasters and potential super disasters, along with the ever present threat of terrorism, preparedness is mere prudence. No one knows when or what kind of catastrophe will occur, but the one thing we do know, it that there will be some calamity in the future. The hit or miss nature of natural and man made disasters gives us a false sense of security, but when the reality intrudes into our lives, many times all is lost because, we didn’t take the few minutes to get together a bugout bag, we didn’t have a disaster plan or there’s only a day or two’s worth of food in our cupboards. Think about it, what would you do if power was out for a week because a substation blew up? How would your family eat if the city you live in was cut off? Where would you go if your house was destroyed in a disaster? All these questions can be answered by the person who is prepared, but the person who is not, will panic and maybe die.
What is called a bugout bag should be stuffed in a closet somewhere. All it needs to be is some sort of bag or backpack, that has the things you might need if your house was destroyed or you are forced out, for whatever reason. It should have a knife, water bottle, lighter or matches in a waterproof container, a tarp, some food that keeps for a long time, a ball of twine, hand saw, salt, aspirin, First aid kit, extra set of clothes, a book about how to get by in the woods, (topical to the environment you live), along with whatever else you might want to have in it, like a bedroll. This gives you the flexibility to go where it is best for you, like a family or friends house, and avoid the places FEMA tell you to congregate like the Superdome in New Orleans. Such flexibility might mean the difference between life and death of a loved one.
A safe room somewhere in your home is critical. Someplace where you can retreat to if there is a natural disaster coming through. A corner of a cellar with two means of escape is ideal in a tornado or hurricane, but in a flood… It is always best to have decided on where to retreat before you need to, to save valuable moments when they count. Everyone should have three months worth of food. Food is so important and today there are so many possibilities that will keep, like canned food, survival food with a twenty five year lifespan, and dried foods as well. We must remember to utilize First In First Out, or FIFO, unless we have survival food as our emergency backup.
Speaking of a safe room a safe can also be a lifesaver. Some silver or gold coins can be a preserver r wealth if there is another banking collapse or other credit/money disaster. You shouldn’t get carried away and put all your money into silver bullion, that would be insane, but it is definitely prudent to have some on hand just in case they are needed. In my opinion silver is better than gold. If there were to be some money disaster were people couldn’t purchase food and other needs, anyone who shows up with gold coins is going to draw a ton of unwanted attention. Silver bullion will still draw attention but nothing like gold.
The need for a plan for the family in case you get separated is paramount. Where will you meet if there is a disaster? What if the house is destroyed in that disaster? What if the school your children go to is put on lock down, and one of your children escapes, where have you told them to go? Show your family you love them and get them all together, have some snacks available along with some drinks, whiskey might not be appropriate for a toddler, so use discretion… and make a game of it. Have the family brainstorm catastrophes and then plan for them. The time you spend doing this will make the survival of your children in a calamity exponentially better.
It is the duty of every US citizen to have, and know how to shoot, a firearm. It is in our founding documents. That doesn’t mean everyone must have an arsenal, but it does mean that even in these modern times, we should all have a working knowledge of firearms. The national reason for every adult to be proficient in the use of firearms, was and is, so that a smaller standing army can be effective, the population being proficient with guns can be called on in an emergency. On an individual level however, even a .22 caliber long gun and sufficient supply of ammo can effectively feed you and your family, if the need arises.
Plan for the worst and expect the best and you will never be off balance. If the worst happens we needn’t panic, we have a plan and the stuff we have prepared for it, and if the best happens… hey, we expected it all along. We all hate to think of bad things, and whats more, we have very little time to. Our lives are so busy we barely have time to eat with our family let alone set aside a few nights to come up with a survival plan. Omitting taking the time for this is like claiming you are too busy to brush your teeth, then freaking out when you get cavities, it is a pathetic excuse. This is by no means a perfect list, if everything I suggest is done it still does not guarantee the survival of every member of your family in an emergency, but even doing one or two things on this list, makes it much much more likely you and your loved ones live, where others don’t. Let’s face it, would you rather be the guy that begs, or the guy people beg from?
Sincerely,
John Pepin
