We live in a world where natural disasters happen all the time. There are earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and more. As our population increases and time marches on, it is inevitable that there will be an increase in these types of events. It only takes one disaster to change everything for you and your family, so it’s important to understand disaster preparedness now before it’s too late.
When you are a busy professional or a parent, it can be difficult to find time for yourself. The to-do list to maintain a household is ever growing. So to help you, I created this article to begin your journey on disaster preparedness. This quick read will focus on large natural disasters, which are happening with increasing frequency and intensity.
I’m glad you’re here and investing your time into learning more about this invaluable topic. Taking easy action now can prevent massive pain later.
What Is Disaster Readiness?
Disaster preparedness simply means being ready for an emergency. The term can be used for two types of disasters: natural and man-made. Natural disasters are those that occur naturally, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, while man-made can refer to mass trauma or explosions.
Here in Texas, natural disasters include tornadoes, heatwaves, and hail. For each one of those, there are preventative measures your family can take to feel safer. In your area, you might encounter blizzards, floods, or some other disaster. There are products and emergency kits to help prepare for these as well.
Some emergencies are small and cause a short disruption while others have a massive impact and can take weeks, months, or even years for a community to fully recover. Even spending a small amount of time discussing and preparing can help you sleep better at night knowing that you took action to keep your family safe in case of disaster.
Disaster readiness means taking steps to prepare for any of these emergencies, thereby reducing the impact the disaster has on your family and home. In most cases, help cannot get to you as quickly as you would like, which is why having a discussion with your spouse and children is so important.
Prepare today for peace of mind tomorrow.
Get occasional tips about keeping your family and home safe — delivered to your inbox.
Emergency Supplies
At one point or another, we’ve all watched in horror as neighborhoods have waited for the Red Cross or FEMA to help them after a disaster, like a hurricane. Unfortunately, help can’t always arrive quickly, and people are sometimes left to wait for days, weeks or even months, which means each family must be prepared to take care of their own needs.
The US government has a list of items that will help you through a disaster, but for now, let’s go over some of the basic supplies everyone should have on hand:
First Aid Kit
If you have children, you know how important it is to have a box of bandages in your medicine cabinet—they can almost instantly turn tears into little giggles. Making sure you have a well-rounded kit in your home, like MyMedic’s Advanced First Aid Kit, is an essential first step to take.
Food
A three-day supply of food is a perfect start. I started with a trip to the Dollar Tree and purchased beans, rice, water, cookies, crackers and some cans of tuna. A mechanical can opener can also be useful. With just 20 bucks I was able to start my emergency food supply. If you don’t have the time or energy to assemble your own food storage, we recommend purchasing Nutrient Survival’s 72-hour food supply.
Flashlight
I recommend one flashlight per person in your family so each adult and child can have their own. This provides children with a chance to be personally responsible for an item and feel less scared at night when the electricity is out. A great option here is the Streamlight Pro Tac HL-X, which we selected for its durability and reliability.
Moist Towelettes
Moist towelettes are perfect for grubby hands and can also be useful for bathing.
Entertainment
Do you have books and games on hand to keep you and your children entertained when there is no more Netflix, Disney+, Minecraft or Instagram? Although it’s nice to believe everyone would be calm and take a nap, that’s not going to happen. Restless minds will crave entertainment.
Planning
Along with communication, planning is essential to be prepared for any disaster. A disaster plan that includes the necessary knowledge and skills will help individuals, families and communities prepare for a potential emergency. The plan can be developed in various stages based on your needs.
For a family, it might be as simple as having a first aid kit for those small bumps and bruises, as well as deciding on a meeting place and practicing how to get there during the day and night.
With your community, you might also decide on a meeting place in case of a city-wide disaster. The planning and communication stage might include knowing who has what skillset so you know who to depend on for repairs, transportation or food. Leaning on your community and trusted neighbors will give you that additional peace of mind.
Conclusion
Preparing for a disaster may seem like another item on your never-ending to-do list. But the truth is that disasters can happen in an instant. Just having some basic supplies on hand and searching for websites like this that will provide you with disaster preparedness knowledge could make all the difference.
Disaster readiness can be a difficult subject for many people, but it doesn’t have to be. Take a little action collecting the essential emergency items listed above now, and you’ll feel more confident in your ability to handle whatever comes your way.
Prepare today for peace of mind tomorrow.
Get occasional tips about keeping your family and home safe — delivered to your inbox.
