Are You Going to be Next?

This has been a devastating hurricane season for the south and eastern coasts of the United States. This weekend I was watching the news footage of the refugees evacuating the Texas coastline in advance of Hurricane Ike.

Most of them wore an expression of worry and almost panic as they clutched plastic shopping bags of a few items they'd grabbed before leaving home. However, in one shot showed what seemed to be a family waiting in line. Each person wore a backpack, while the father carried a large duffle. I didn't see any panic on their faces. They were evidently prepared.

Today I watched the news coverage as authorities went from house to house in Galveston checking for those who had decided not to evacuate. I also saw lines of people waiting for water and ice. There were also people shown waiting for a grocery store to open so they could get some food, while another woman was trying to get some gas for her generator.

My heart broke for those people who are suffering now because they didn't take time to do a little preparedness; some canned and dried food, some extra water, some extra fuel for the generator and a go bag or bug out bag for every family member. So little really, but priceless in situations like so much of the United States has experienced in the last few weeks.

Visit Survival Homestead for more information on what you can go to get ready. Do you need a Disaster Survival Kit? Do you want to try building your own Survival Fanny Pack? You will find that information at Survival Homestead.

Remeber: "Don't put off until tomorrow" when the hurricane is supposed to make landfall "those things you can do today" to be ready and safe.

Who What How and Why

When confronted with the idea of disaster and emergency preparedness many (most) people prefer to simply ignore any suggestion that they should prepare. In an effort to help you not become more of a victim than necessary in the event of a local or wide-spread natural disaster or man-made terrorist event, we are going to answer a few basic questions.

Who should prepare? What should be prepared? How do I prepare? Why should I prepare?

The "why" has already been answered: to avoid being a victim. However, it actually boils down to a very basic: survival. "Survival of the fittest" is more than just an evolutionary idea, it applies to any event that threatens lives.

Hurricane Katrina was a perfect example of why one should be prepared. Those who weren't prepared ended up crowded into an arena filled with other victims. There they were subject to being victimized even further by violence and rape and even murder.

Why should you prepare? How about to ensure that your family doesn't suffer for your arrogance. Are you so arrogant that you think that bad things, hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist attacks only happen to other people? Get over it! Sooner or later the "other people" become you, and suddenly you are a victim and a refugee, as are your spouse and children.

The people you won't see standing in line to get food and drinking water are those who took the time and made the effort to store a few weeks of food and water. They're hunkered down waiting for the tragedy to pass, while you are wishing you'd done things differently. Regret is not easily swallowed.

To learn more about survival preparedness, click here.