Looking After Your Family in a Disaster

A disaster scenario is not the easiest idea to cope with in the beginning, people generally are avoiding this subject as being too remote probabilistic-ally speaking to even consider it. But, if you think about it, taking care of your family in a disaster scenario should be your number one priority. And also, if you're watching the news, you should take emergency readiness very seriously, with all these natural (or man-made) disasters happening all around the world.

There are all sorts of things to take care of, you just can't wrap your head around this issue, doesn't it? It seems so complicated, you don't even know where to start. Well, here's a crash course in disaster prepping in six easy steps. After you finish reading it, you can use it as a blueprint for making you and your family more secure if safe.

Step 1: You must store water.

Even if humans are able to resist without food for extended periods of time (for up to three weeks or even more), water is essential for survival, you won't last more than three days without it. In a natural (or man-made) disaster, you can expect for your regular water supply to get toasted/tainted with pollutants (the delivery pumps or the pipelines can be easily damaged in an earthquake or in case of an extended power failure), hence storing water is essential for your survival.

Now, the problem is how to store enough water for you and your family, especially if you live in a confined space. Well, there are a few possibilities to consider.

One possibility is to buy water rations (bottled water and the like), though it may be costly. You must keep in mind that the average adult needs about half a gallon of water/day, so you must make the right calculations and store enough water for at least a few days. Another (cheaper)possibility is to store tap water in food-safe plastic recipients and also to build a water collection system for rain-water.

Make sure that your water storage containers are sterile and were never used for anything but water before. Consider investing some money in a high-quality water filter and also learn a few tricks about how to sterilize contaminated water (there are a few products on the market used for sterilizing water).

Step 2: Store imperishable foods, canned goods and the like.

Obviously, one must eat from time to time, it looks like a no brainer, but most people don't think about such things, because “it will never happen to me”. You can go for emergency rations or regular canned foods, but make enough supplies to last you for two or three weeks.

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Step 3: Buy or make your own 72-hour emergency kit.

As the name suggests, the 72-hour kit must contain enough essential items for survival, for you and your family, in case you need to vacate your residence in case of an emergency. The kit should contain items like food ratios, flares, blankets, meds, your most important papers, you get the idea.

Step 4: Get yourself a backup solution for cooking your food.

In case of a disaster, it's very probable that your power supply (electric AND gas) will be off for at least a few days, and you don't want to eat cold beans out of a can, or do you? A few tips and tricks: if you're living in a rural area, obviously you can cook outdoors, using wood and stuff like that. Another option is to buy a gas-powered barbecue or camping stoves. Use your imagination.

Step 5: You must know how to deal with human waste.

In a disaster scenario, it is very plausible that your toilet/piping systems will stop working. I know, it's not a pretty picture, but these things happen. Consider investing in a sanitation kit, that contains heavy duty garbage bags, powdered chlorinated lime and a bucket with a lid. Don't forget the toilet paper, by God!

Step 6: Be prepared for medical emergencies.

In a disaster scenario, it's very plausible that your access to medical facilities will be impaired, to say the least. You should have first aid kits available and also store critical medications, like antibiotics, analgesics or supply of all prescription medicines your family members require.

Ramesh Kanukollu is a webmaster and survival skills specialist for several years, You can learn more at http://www.freecycleusa.com/family-survival-plan