Don ’t panic. The world more than likely will not be ending. Human life will probably continue for thousands of years.
BUT being prepared for the worst case scenario is always a good idea. There has been a lot of hype about doomsday lately. Any hint of a problem or common natural disaster can send everyone into pandemonium.
Remember the Y2K panic? Being prepared for the world’s overreaction could protect you and your family.
Plus you never know when a crisis or disaster could happen. There are natural disasters, the threat of war, terrorism, alien invasion, chemical spills, solar flares, and yes, even a zombie apocalypse. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Taking the time to form an emergency plan with your family and put together a survival kit could literally save your life if the worst case scenario ever did occur.
So be calm and rational and prepare yourself for an emergency now with this guide.
Survival Tip
Work with your neighbors during an emergency. You can share resources such as generators,
food, water, medical or other expertise.
If your resources are pooled, you have a greater chance of
survival.
Make an Emergency Plan
What would you do if there were a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake, or a chemical spill? What if you were out of town when an emergency happens?
We can’t predict every type of potential disaster, but you should start thinking about what you would do in the case of common emergencies.
Write out an emergency plan and make sure everyone in your family has a copy. Plan for all kinds of disasters such as fire, natural disasters, war, and especially anything that is likely to occur in your area. If you live near the beach, make sure you know what to do in case of hurricane. If you live on a fault line, prepare for an earthquake. If you live near a river, plan in case of a flood.
Decide the plan of action. For example, if blank happens, Dad will load the car. Mom will load the kids. Timmy will load the cat. We will drive to this place. And so on.
Have a backup plan in case the first plan won ’t work in a given situation.
List places to meet in case you can ’t get to your home. Good places to meet are local shelters, which are usually in schools. Decide on meeting places outside of your town or city in case the city is shut down or evacuated. Don ’t count on having cell phone service during an emergency.
Know what your child ’s school or daycare will do in case of an emergency. If something happens while you are at work, do you know where your child might be sent in an evacuation? Bomb threats and school shootings are sadly becoming commonplace.
Make sure everyone in your family knows where supplies are kept, has a copy of emergency numbers and contacts, and knows the emergency plan.
Practice the plan regularly so that your response will be automatic in a real crisis. This will cut down on panicking and help keep everyone safe.
Make copies of your important documents to carry with you. Insurance papers, licenses, passports, birth certificates, etc. can be essential in a crisis.
Check out the link below for detailed checklists on common emergencies as you are making your emergency plan. There is also a link for an emergency plan form that you simply fill in with your information.
Survival Tip
Bring your dog with you if you are in an emergency situation. Dogs can alert you to danger nearby and can protect you from some predators.
Put Together a Survival Kit
Every home, office, school, and car should have a survival
kit. You never know where you ’ll be when
disaster hits. The kit doesn ’t
necessarily need to be expensive or elaborate.
A basic first aid kit and some water and food supplies for a few days is
a good emergency kit. There are even
survival kits the size of a sardine can that can fit anywhere. Keeping an extra change of clothes at work
and in the car is also a good idea.
To begin a more extensive survival kit and food supply, it
is best to start slowly. A survival kit
that would last your family for 3-4 days is a good starting goal. Put it together a little at a time. You can buy one thing each time you go to the
store. A few items here and there add up
and won’t cost so much at once. Look for sales and stock up on reduced priced
items.
You want items that are non perishable, that are essential
such as food and water, first aid supplies, and things that can be used without
electricity.
Once you have a survival kit to last a few days, start
thinking about a more extensive kit. It is a smart practice to have a survival kit that you can just grab quickly and another
kit that has more extensive supplies. Think
long term and short term. What would you
do if society as we know it becomes incapacitated for awhile or indefinitely? While it may not be practical or affordable
for you to invest in an underground bunker complete with supplies for twenty
years, there are things you can do now that could help you survive in a long
term crisis.
You could start stockpiling an extra food supply. You may not have the room for a year ’s worth
of food, but you can keep your cabinets fully stocked with as much food as you
can fit. Get a gallon of water each time
you go to the store. You will need a
gallon of water a day for each person.
If a long term crisis happened, you might start thinking about weapons and alternate sources of energy. Transportation that doesn’t require fuel is also a long term consideration. Bicycles could be a good investment.
Having emergency items handy can save you time in an crisis. If you need to evacuate
immediately, you won ’t have time to scramble around your house to find
things. Plus, you are much more likely
to forget something if you don’t already have things together.
See the checklists below to start supplying a first aid kit
and an emergency kit. Put the items in a
water proof container that you can easily access. You want a container that is also
portable. Put liquid items in water proof bags to prevent leaks.
Survival Tip
If you can ’t get to medical treatment facility quickly, you
can slow down superficial bleeding by spraying nasal spray on a bandage and
then placing the bandage on the wound.
It could stop someone from losing too much blood before they can get to
a doctor.
First Aid Kit SuppliesBandages of many sizes
Gauze
Adhesive tape
Ace bandage
Instant cold compress
Sterile gloves
Antibiotic wipes
Antibiotic ointment
Hand sanitizer
Hydrogen peroxide
Rubbing alcohol
Aspirin
Benadryl
Electrolyte replacement solution for dehydration or heat stroke (Equalyte, Pedialyte)
Ipecac syrup
Petroleum jelly
Eye wash solution
Burn cream
Quick clot
Space blanket
Thermometer
Scissors
Tweezers
Safety pins
Any prescribed medicine such as glucose or epipens
Emergency numbers – poison control, etc.
First aid manual
Survival Tip
Can your own foods now. Not only can it be more cost effective in the present, but canned foods will keep for many years. It can help you build up your food supply. Plus knowing how to can food is a skill that could keep you alive if grocery stores no longer exist.
Survival Kit SuppliesWater – at least 1 gallon per person for 3 days
Food – Nonperishable supply for at least 3 days
Can opener – hand operated
Sterno or other portable cooking source
Pet food
Paper or plastic plates, utensils, etc.
Weather radio that is battery or hand crank
Flashlight
Extra batteries
Whistle
Flare
Rope
Pocket knife or Swiss Army knife
Cell phone and charger
Local maps
Dust mask
Large sheets of plastic
Duct tape
Knife
Weapons
Space blanket or sleeping bags
Small tent
Rain poncho
Change of clothes
Shoes
Toiletries – especially ones that don’t require water
Moist towelettes
Sanitizing wipes
Toilet paper
Feminine hygiene supplies
Bleach
Trash bags
Matches or lighter in a waterproof container
Pad of paper
Pencil or pen
Fire extinguisher
Important documents
Cash – including change
Extra glasses or contacts
Any medications
Survival Tip
Sterilize and disinfect with regular, unscented bleach using a 9:1
ratio. That is nine parts water to one
part bleach.
Treat water with bleach by adding about 10 drops of bleach to one
gallon of water.
Boiling water for at least 10 minutes can also sterilize water if you do not have bleach.
Collect Survival Knowledge
Getting certified in CPR and taking a first aid course are great ways to prepare for an emergency. You could save someone ’s life
on a normal day not just during a crisis.
If a major disaster happened, you might not have access to
medical care. Knowing how to treat injuries
could be very helpful and could keep you or someone you love alive long enough
to get to a doctor.
Having a first aid manual could mean the difference between
life and death in an emergency situation where 911 may not be available.
Likewise, if the disaster is severe enough to alter society,
you may need to know other survival skills.
Collecting how to guides now can greatly improve your chances in a post-apocalyptic
world. You may need to know things like
how to sanitize water, how to build a shelter, how to build a trap, how to
build a fire, how to navigate without a compass, how to hot-wire a car, and
numerous other things.
Buying survival manuals can give you the information you
need in an emergency. The internet might
not work after a natural disaster. Instead
of buying manuals, you could also print off how to guides from the
internet. The benefit of this is you don ’t
have the bulk you would with books. Stick
them in your survival kit for quick access.
If you know someone who is very handy or who camps a lot,
you can ask that person to teach you some of the most important survival
skills. This way you will be prepared
for any long term disaster situation.
Brace Yourself Mentally
Most of us have seen end of the world movies or shows. Think back to old episodes of the Twilight Zone
where the character wakes up one day and finds himself the last person on earth. The person usually goes crazy with the burden
of it.
The destruction of everything we know and love can be
devastating. But the reality is that everything
is transient. We may think society could
never be destroyed, but that isn ’t true.
If something happened globally, the disaster could completely alter our
way of life.
Can you handle the ramifications of that mentally?
You might have to fight or even kill to survive. Loved ones could be lost. Running water and electricity could become a
thing of the past. You might have to
scrounge for your next meal. Natural
disasters or the climate could become hazardous. The world could become a very scary
place.
To prepare for that mentally, start thinking about how you
would feel and cope with disaster situations.
Watch apocalyptic movies and read apocalyptic books and imagine yourself
in the place of the characters. How
would you react if you were in their situation?
Just as players mentally prep themselves for a game in order
to play better, mentally prepping yourself for disaster can help you to cope if
the real thing ever were to occur. It is like bracing yourself before the impact.
Prepare Yourself Spiritually
What if a major disaster does happen? Are you prepared spiritually?
If a calamity strikes, many people could die. Someone you love could be one of the casualties. You could be a casualty in a disaster
situation. A lot of our fear of disaster
comes from the fear of death. If the
world is going to end next year, are you prepared to face death?
Prepare yourself to face the end of your life and what might come afterwards. Don ’t live with regrets or leave things
unsaid.
Be ready to leave the world when
your time comes.
Survival Tip
Luxury items such as a carton of cigarettes will be good things to barter in a long term crisis. Smokers may not be able to get cigarettes. Other luxury items will also be good to trade for other things you may need.
Handling Doomsday Hysteria
There has already been hysteria about the end of the world lately because of the multiple doomsday theories associated with 2012, wars, the economy, the weather, and other turmoil happening globably. The attention the media has given to mass animal deaths and natural disasters recently has caused even more alarm.
The Mayan calendar cycle ends December 21, 2012, the day of the winter solstice. The Mayans didn ’t predict anything cataclysmic on that day. It simply marks the end of the current cycle they used to count days. There were cycles before this one and there is nothing to suggest a cycle couldn ’t begin after this one ends.
So is the world going to end in 2012? Who knows? But even if the world keeps spinning just as it always does, there is very likely to be mass panic at the smallest crisis, especially as December approaches.
The best way to survive 2012, regardless of what happens, is to start preparing now. Work on your emergency preparedness using the information above.
Expect that people will be afraid. There could be runs on the stores, especially grocery stores and gas stations. Keep gas in your car and your kitchen well stocked in case you are without supplies for awhile.
If something strange, like an alien invasion, does happen, you will want to avoid large crowds of people. Go somewhere sparsely populated and use your wits to figure out what to do in each given circumstance.
If you are afraid of what may happen on December 21, stay in that day. Get somewhere you know is safe during an emergency. Or plan to be with family and friends. That way you won ’t have to worry about those you love.
Here and Now
We can ’t possibly predict every calamity that could happen
to us. We don ’t know what the future
holds. That is part of the joy of
life. Each new day bringing something
unexpected. Will we have bad times in
the future? That is an almost guaranteed
yes. Life is full of bad times and good
times. The best we can do is prepare for
the bad times and enjoy the good times.
The world may end tomorrow or it might end in 3 million more
years. Make an emergency plan and put
together and emergency kit. It could
save your life one day. But don ’t waste
what life you have now worrying about something that might not ever
happen.
Be prepared, but don ’t forget to
live.
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