EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: WAYS TO STAY READY

These are tumultuous times we are living in. I never thought I’d have to say that in my lifetime or not to this extent at least. The political climate is completely off the rails, the weather’s energy has brought devastation to areas all over the globe, and countries are pitted against one another in dangerous conflicts. Every single day brings uncertainty, confusion, a bit of distress, and a lack of optimism about the future. But, life has to move forward because standing still is a sure way to let your goals go downhill.

Let’s have a conversation about preparedness, particularly emergency preparedness. I hate to say it, but humans can be pretty arrogant about the state of their lives. That is, until a disaster or some unforeseen event pops up to completely pull the rug from under their feet. There is a reason savings exists. There is a reason insurance exists. The question is, are you investing in these resources?

After a particularly hard year, I knew that I needed to take initiative and begin putting together my emergency kit for home, work, and the trunk of my car. These are handy in a pinch, and I’d always rather have them and NOT need them than to NEED them and not have them.

My first suggestion to you is to do a home assessment and take inventory of what you have at home. After looking at home, I saw that I have 2 quality flashlights that can light a whole home and a battery powered portable radio to keep up with weather warnings. I have extra blankets, a small emergency kit (with antiseptic, band aids, etc.), and more.

Packing an emergency preparedness kit can be overwhelming to say the least, but luckily there are options to grab complete kits with all of the essentials on hand. I’ve listed a few of my picks below:

1. Wise Food 5-Day Survival Backpack:

This kit includes:

• Portable Stove Including Fuel tablets
• 32 Servings of Gourmet Meals
• 5 Water Pouches

2. Urban Survival Kit Two For Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Floods, Tornados, Emergency Preparedness:

This kit includes:

• Two Person Three Day Emergency Kit – 17 Pounds
• Heavy Duty Tactical Backpack, Emergency Whistle, Button Compass, Stainless Steel Multi-Tool
• Adventure Medical First Aid Kit 1.0, N95 Masks, Work Gloves, Paracord, 12 Hour Light Sticks
• Eton Clipray Dynamo Flashlight and Cell Phone Charger, Emergency Sleeping Bags (twice the coverage as space blankets), Emergency Ponchos
• Datrex Food & Water, Nalgene Ultralight 16oz Bottle, 50ct Bottle Potable Aqua Tabs – Treats 6 Plus Gallons of Water

3. 4 Person Premium Survival Kit with 72-Hours of Emergency Preparedness and First Aid Supplies:

This kit includes:

• 4) – 2400 Calorie Datrex Food Rations, (24) packs of Datrex Emergency Water (Coast Guard Certified)
  • Lifeline 85-Piece Large Hard Shell First Aid Kit, (1) Lifegear LED Flashlight – Lasts 400 hours
• (4) 12-hour glowsticks, (4) Ponchos for severe weather, (4) 24-hour Body Warmers
• (1) 5-1 Emergency Whistle with whistle. compass, flint, storage container
• (8) Medical grade face masks for dust (1) Pocket Knife, (1) Premium Sport Backpack and (1) Deluxe Backpack

4. SURVIVAL Work/Home First Aid Kit: ‘

High quality, and recommended.

Note: Always carry a few gallons of water, some easy access can goods, and toiletry packs in your house and trunk.

LIFE INSURANCE: I plan to have a more in-depth conversation about this, because it’s never easy and make people uncomfortable. But, it saddens me to see Go Fund Me pages because the family neglected to put their life security as a priority. It made me think about all the thousands of men and women flaunting their named brand clothes and high living on Instagram. There’s nothing wrong with living well, but I wonder how many of them have a solid life insurance policy. Take care of your business first before making any more expenses.

SAVINGS: I can say without a doubt that saving money is HARD. The truth is that for many – between bills, old debts, and minor daily spending, there doesn’t seem to be room to save. A significant percentage of people are living check to check. Why? I could give a full lecture on the completely horrible state of fair wages and systemic financial traps. But, I will say that there are some amazing programs to look into (in your local area) that can educate you on being more responsible with your funds. Trust this: even one dollar per day saved adds up at the end of a year. Emergencies are a foregone conclusion. So, why not give yourself a peace of mind by saving $20-$50 per month.

I could go on and on about other ways to be more prepared for this journey called life. However, this article was created to set a spark in you and hopefully as a result, you can stay secure in times of struggle. 

XOXO