BASIC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST

In the past several years, there have been no less than three major national events during which prudent and practical preparations were either necessary, or may have been necessary.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity for disaster readiness arose in the years and months leading up to the much-anticipated, but thankfully uneventful Y2K scare. This was an aberration as far as disaster readiness, in that everyone knew exactly when this event would occur. With a specific date in mind, people had ample time to stock up on food, sources for light and heat, and yes, even guns and ammunition. Y2k turned out to be a major non-event, but it did have the positive effect of forcing people to consider plans for their survival and well-being, if the country should face such major disruptions as the ones which were anticipated. Since most or all of the Y2K plans involved stockpiling of relatively non-perishable items, this readiness posture continued well past New Year's Day, 2000.

The second set of major national events that triggered serious readiness considerations were the dreadful events of September 11th, 2001. Following the horrifying terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and The Pentagon, people were gripped with a feeling of uncertainty. Many folks either began to develop some kind of disaster plan, or revived what plans they had in place for Y2K. The grim reality facing Americans now was that terrorists can strike here, and this new reality inspired many Americans to prepare for "the next time", whenever and wherever that may be. A Department of Homeland Defense was established which, among other things, urged Americans to plan and prepare for the next attack or disaster.

The third, and most recent "readiness inspirational event" was the Blackout of August 2003. A simple and relatively brief power outage, which affected perhaps as many as 50 million people, thrust into the public eye the need for individual disaster readiness and survival considerations. Scenes of unprepared people lining up to buy flashlights, bottled water, and gas, after the power had gone out, were common throughout the affected area. As the blackout occurred just before payday for a large number of people, many folks were caught without cash on hand to make some of these last minute purchases.

A simple starting point would be to look back upon those three events and consider what you should have done to be better prepared. Did you not have enough bottled water? Gasoline? Cash? Were you able to communicate with relatives and friends as well as you wanted to? Had you gotten enough practice with your firearms to be able to confidently defend your family and your home? Don't wait until the next blackout to address your shortcomings. Find your weak points. Now. Fix your weak points. Now.

With the threat of terrorism with nuclear, chemical, or biological warfare, we should consider some basic emergency preparedness. We cannot hope to cover everything in a brief discussion, so we will touch on some basic necessities. We will assume a complete power failure, and other normal services down too.

Should the power fail, chances are your furnace will, too. A fireplace or wood-burning stove would probably be the best alternative here, if you can find/stockpile enough wood. Kerosene heaters may work also, but again, you must have kerosene already on hand. None will be available in the event of a mid-winter power failure. Do not bring gas grills or charcoal grills into your house. You may wish to consider acquiring good, high-quality cold weather gear, such as cold-weather sleeping bags, for yourself and your family. Many fires have been caused by the use of alternative indoor heat sources, so use extreme caution.

Stockpiling food for emergencies doesn't have to be expensive. A plentiful supply of rice (preferably brown), beans, noodles, and peanut butter should always be kept on hand. You can still eat this stuff, even if there is never an emergency. Canned food will last up to a couple of years, so start buying canned vegetables, beef stew, and canned fruit soon. Many military style meals can even be eaten without cooking. You can also find military food, and other survival foods at the next gun show, or at camping stores, and military surplus stores. The time to start buying extra food is now. Rice and beans are cheap. So are Ramen noodles.

Recently, we have seen the emergence of of many "Power Bar" type of snack items. These are somewhat expensive, but less so when purchased in bulk quantities. They are great emergency rations to keep in your house, car, or locker at work. Instant breakfast bars, cereal bars, and even old-fashioned granola bars can all be an important part of any survival plan.

Make sure you have a way to cook your food. Do not bring a BBQ grill into your house. If you have to cook with a grill or other fire, do it outside, away from your house.

Food in your freezer can remain frozen for 24 hours or longer. A good way to help keep your food frozen is to keep several bottles of water in your freezer. Once meat begins to thaw, you CANNOT re-freeze it, so it will have to be cooked and eaten or dehydrated once it has thawed.

Be wary of using any dairy or egg-based products after even a few hours without power.

Ahead of time, stock up on bottled water. Buying it by the case at a local department store or even hardware store can be much cheaper than buying it one bottle at a time from a local quickie-mart or gas station. Buying several cases, and replacing each case as you drink it, will keep several cases on hand. If you have to purify your water, you can always boil it for at least FIVE minutes. To store water, add a few drops of regular bleach to each gallon. Filters are available at any surplus or camping store, and so are iodine tablets. Take some time to become familiar with water purification techniques. Save your milk jugs now.

At the onset of a power outage, in hot weather, soak a few washrags in cold water and keep handy to wipe yourself down with. This has a decent cooling effect. You might also wish to fill your bathtub, washtub, and other containers with water for washing or flushing purposes.

You should have a transistor radio with spare batteries. A CB is good to have also. You can run it off of a car battery, and use a trickle charger to keep it charged. There are also hand-crank radios available; check the gun show, or electronic stores. It would be a good idea to get your amateur radio license, and get an amateur radio, to send and receive in the two-meter, and 440 megahertz range. Radio Shack may have information on this. Or contact your local Militia.

Certain brands of FRS radios also have AM/FM capability. These can be used in addition to a larger, battery powered "boom box" type radio. Large boom box radios require lots of "D" batteries, so keep enough extras to reload this radio at least once.

If you need batteries for your smaller radios or flashlights, you can always consider raiding all of the remote control devices that you have lurking around.

During the Blackout of August 03, many phone services remained operational. Having an electric cordless phone did not enable everyone to take advantage of this service. You should get an older style back-up phone, that only plugs into a phone jack, and does not require the use of an electrical outlet. Many cell phones were operational. Consider getting a cell-phone, and a battery charger for your car.

A gas powered-generator will only work if you have gas, but they would keep the lights on for a few days, at least.
There are gasoline additives (such as Stabil) that will help keep gas from going bad, if you want. Solar and steam generators may work, but they are an expensive and time-consuming option. Buy rechargeable batteries for your radios and flashlights, and get a small solar recharger, at an electronic shop. Keep flashlights, candles, and kerosene lanterns for emergency light. Chemlights (light sticks), which are available at military surplus stores, through mail order suppliers, and even in the camping section of some department stores. Check the expiration dates on your chemlights, because they don't last much longer beyond that.

Keep a source of light in your vehicle, in your home, and in your locker or desk at work. Keep your batteries fresh, and keep a spare set or two (or more) on hand. Know where your flashlights, candles, chemlights, and lanterns are BEFORE a disaster hits. Even keeping a small keychain flashlight with your keys is a good idea.

It would be best if you took a Red Cross First Responder Course. They are taught at some community colleges, and private ambulance companies. The commercially available first-aid kits will work, but bear in mind that you may not be able to replace anything that you use. Stock gauze, bandages, antibiotic ointment, and whatever medications you normally use. Pain-relievers, anti-diarrhea medicine, and cold and flu medicines should be kept handy, too. Keep plenty of reference books on hand, and learn some first-aid BEFORE A DISASTER HITS.
Avoid buying expensive surgical kits, unless you are a surgeon.

All of your disaster preparedness will be a waste if you can't protect yourself and your family. Buy a gun. To protect your home, we suggest a good pump action shotgun, like the Mossberg 500. Buy plenty of shells, preferably 00 Buckshot. If you want, buy a good military type rifle, like an AR15, or something similar, and LEARN HOW TO SHOOT IT. Get plenty of magazines (clips), and plenty of ammunition. If you can, get a handgun, too. LEARN HOW TO SHOOT. YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND UPON IT IN AN EMERGENCY. Your local Militia people will be happy to teach anyone who wishes how to shoot, and they are more than happy to offer advice on which guns to buy, and which to avoid.

You will survive any disaster better if you are in good shape. Take some time to evaluate your diet and exercise routines. Start getting in better shape now, and it may very well pay off if there ever is an emergency.

Fire-extinguishers, tools (axes, saws, and shovels, too), extra blankets, plastic sheeting, extra plywood, good boots, extra sets of eyeglasses, plenty of duct tape, rope-string-twine, fishing, camping, and hunting gear, good heavy cooking pots, plenty of salt, cold-weather socks, rain gear, a sewing kit, a wash tub, and any number of books on survival and first aid, can all come in handy in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. The best survival tool you have is your mind. Careful planning and preparation will help you through almost any situation. The time to prepare is NOW, not when the lines are long at the market, and the shelves are empty, and the power goes off.

Additionally, you can find links to survival-related web sites, and links to companies that sell gear, first-aid equipment, and other supplies on the following pages:

Blackouts and Other Disasters: A Readiness Guide

Heat:

Food:

Water:

Communications:

Electricity/Light:

First-aid:

Protection:

Fitness:

Other: