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Recently, I was asked to head up my company's "Emergency Preparedness Program" and so I have been doing a ton of research on the topic lately.
I have been prepping in some form or another for virtually all my life, whether I was conscious of it or not. My parents, both being raised during and shortly after WWII in very rural communities, were very frugal and self sufficient and they instilled those things in me at a very young age. I learned to cook, sew, handle many different tools, conserve resources, and prepare for many different scenarios and disasters.
In the late 70's and early 80's, there was the great "Red Scare" and the threat of nuclear war. Dad never got to build the bomb shelter in the backyard, but we kept water, food, and other supplies stocked for the whole family and we had plans about what we would do if things ever got too bad.
After communism fell, the focus for our preps was on two things since we lived in Southern California - fires and earthquakes. This is something I have practiced ever since. What would happen if we had to evacuate quickly or, a scarier scenario, what would happen if something were to prevent me from getting home and reaching my loved ones. The aftermath of Katrina really drove it home that getting evacuated to a government run shelter or "rescue" facility is the last thing I will let happen to my family. When push comes to shove, I am of the mindset to strike out on my own and take care of myself.
I am in no way a big believer in the total economic collapse and the big **** Hits The Fan event a lot of people on the internet believe (and maybe hope) is coming. I don't think a zombie plague will happen and I don't think solar flares will wipe out all our technology and plunge us in to another dark age. However, I did get to witness first hand that the population in general does not need a reason to go bat **** crazy.
We had a power outage in Southern California last year. Wiped out most of the grid in Southern California and stretched in to parts of Arizona and even affected parts of Mexico. One little mishap in one little station caused a huge part of the grid to be out. Luckily it only lasted several hours, but in that time I saw fist fights at gas stations and road rage on the highways. People were nuts! This just strengthened my commitment to be as ready as possible.
I keep "Get Home Bags" (or "Bug Out Bags" depending on where I am at the time) in all our cars. I keep plenty of cash (small bills and coins) readily available because ATM's and point of sale card readers don't work when the power is out. And I keep plenty of water stored because, in my opinion, water is the most critical component in an emergency and it can be the hardest to come by in an emergency situation. I also keep plenty of "bullets, beans, and band aids" as well.
So, what are your thoughts? Do you prepare? What concerns you most and what do you think is the most likely scenario of an emergency event for you? If you don't prepare, why not? I would love to hear what others have to say.
I have been prepping in some form or another for virtually all my life, whether I was conscious of it or not. My parents, both being raised during and shortly after WWII in very rural communities, were very frugal and self sufficient and they instilled those things in me at a very young age. I learned to cook, sew, handle many different tools, conserve resources, and prepare for many different scenarios and disasters.
In the late 70's and early 80's, there was the great "Red Scare" and the threat of nuclear war. Dad never got to build the bomb shelter in the backyard, but we kept water, food, and other supplies stocked for the whole family and we had plans about what we would do if things ever got too bad.
After communism fell, the focus for our preps was on two things since we lived in Southern California - fires and earthquakes. This is something I have practiced ever since. What would happen if we had to evacuate quickly or, a scarier scenario, what would happen if something were to prevent me from getting home and reaching my loved ones. The aftermath of Katrina really drove it home that getting evacuated to a government run shelter or "rescue" facility is the last thing I will let happen to my family. When push comes to shove, I am of the mindset to strike out on my own and take care of myself.
I am in no way a big believer in the total economic collapse and the big **** Hits The Fan event a lot of people on the internet believe (and maybe hope) is coming. I don't think a zombie plague will happen and I don't think solar flares will wipe out all our technology and plunge us in to another dark age. However, I did get to witness first hand that the population in general does not need a reason to go bat **** crazy.
We had a power outage in Southern California last year. Wiped out most of the grid in Southern California and stretched in to parts of Arizona and even affected parts of Mexico. One little mishap in one little station caused a huge part of the grid to be out. Luckily it only lasted several hours, but in that time I saw fist fights at gas stations and road rage on the highways. People were nuts! This just strengthened my commitment to be as ready as possible.
I keep "Get Home Bags" (or "Bug Out Bags" depending on where I am at the time) in all our cars. I keep plenty of cash (small bills and coins) readily available because ATM's and point of sale card readers don't work when the power is out. And I keep plenty of water stored because, in my opinion, water is the most critical component in an emergency and it can be the hardest to come by in an emergency situation. I also keep plenty of "bullets, beans, and band aids" as well.
So, what are your thoughts? Do you prepare? What concerns you most and what do you think is the most likely scenario of an emergency event for you? If you don't prepare, why not? I would love to hear what others have to say.
