When beginning your preparedness planning, it can quickly become overwhelming when you realize all of the things that you need to consider. Often, we become so overwhelmed that we delay making our preparations. The following is a think list that will help you in your preparations by breaking down the tasks into smaller segments. There are certain items and supplies that you will need in order to be self-reliant and this think list will help identify those.
Goals
Discuss with your family what your main worries are for disasters and emergencies. Research to find out more information about specific threats.
Determine a survival outlook for your family. In it, consider where they will be when disaster strikes (Home? Work? Traveling?) and what problems that might create.
Discuss what the main issues (below) are and their solutions.
Develop an Evacuation, or Bug-Out, plan for various scenarios. This should be a layered plan that accounts for all scenarios.
Create an emergency plan for your family and write it down. Include all pertinant information such as maps, preferred and alternate routes, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and grab lists (Lists of items to grab at the last minute as you evacuate).
Consider talking to close friends about providing mutual assistance in time of need.
Create an emergency information package for family and friends who may be unaware, stubborn or resistant to prepare now. Include what the threats are and what they can do to prepare for them.
Main Considerations
How many days needed to plan for?
When should we be ready by?
Evacuation/Bug-Out plans (when, how, who, where, etc.)
What can we expect for each type of scenario?
# Power outages
# Fire (building/wildfire)
# Water shortage
# Insect/vermin infestation or disease due to poor sanitation conditions
# Political strife
# Looting
# Riots/social uprising
# Martial law and confiscation
# Government imposed curfews
# Resource shortages (food, water, fuel, medicines, needed supplies)
# Explosions
# Biological agents
# Chemical agents
# Nuclear explosion
# Radiological bomb (dirty bomb)
# Radioactive fallout
# Heavily congested roads and highways
# Forced evacuation
# Call-out of National Guard troops
# Economy down-turn/Inflation
# Job Loss or wage suspension
# Radioactive contaminated food and water
# Any other issues
Issues and Possible Solutions
Heat/Warmth
You need to have the ability to keep your self warm, either by providing heat or by preventing the loss of body heat. Items to consider:
# Clothing, including winter clothes and accessories (hats, scarves, gloves, etc.)
# Blankets
# Sleeping bags
# Expedient shelters
# Fire making ability (see below)
Light
If the power goes out or if you need to evacuate, you will need to provide your own sources of light. Items to consider:
# Flashlights w/ extra batteries (LED flashlights are preferable for most situations as they use less battery power; but you should also have one bright flashlight)
# Candles
# Oil lanterns
# Kerosene lanterns
# 12 VDC fluorescent light (with a long cord, very handy for use in a vehicle)
Note: Using fire-based light is dangerous. Before bright LED lights became available, candles were an economical method to providing sustained light. However, this is no longer the case. For example, for about $10, Energizer makes a small LED lantern that uses 4 AA batteries and can run for up to 200 hours.
COOKING
Items to consider:
# Camping white gas stoves
# Coleman dual-fuel stove
# Grill (propane or charcoal)
# Fireplace
# Exbit stoves
# Sterno stoves
Note: Using fire is dangerous. If you are in a survival situation, even if you are at home, you might not be able to get medical treatment. Use extreme caution so no one gets hurt.
Hygiene/Sanitation and Waste disposal
Because of the likely absence of medical treatment, the need to prevent disease and stay clean is crucial. Items to consider:
# Water sprayer (expedient shower)
# Sun shower
# Soap (anti-bacterial preferred)
# Toothbrushes and toothpaste
# Feminine hygiene items
# Any other toiletries that you use on a regular basis
# Chemical toilet or bucket with seat
# Heavy-duty plastic bags
# Powdered lime (put a little on waste to control smell)
# Chemical toilet chemicals
# Large rubber bands (hold plastic bag in bucket)
# Kitty Litter (absorbs odors and waste water)
First-Aid
You will be responsible for your own medical treatment until things return to normal. Items to consider:
# Extensive first-aid kit(s)
# Drugs, over-the-counter and prescription
# Information (first-aid manuals and texts)
# Consider taking a first-aid and CPR class
Shelter
Shelter items are necessary even if you plan on staying home. You might be forced to leave your home or your home can be damaged/destroyed. Items to consider:
# Tent
# Tarps
# Stakes
# Cordage
# Plastic sheeting
Fire
Having the ability to create fire is a vital necessity. Items to consider:
# Matches, preferably the windproof/waterproof type, but the wooden strike-anywhere type are good to (just make sure they don't get wet)
# Lighters
# Flint and steel
# Tinder
# Firelogs, fire sticks, and other fire starters
# Newspaper
Water
You cannot live long without water. Store water and have a means to purify water. Items to consider:
# Stored water
# Filters
# Iodine
# Bleach
# Containers (type, size, quantity, etc.)
# Information (disinfecting water with chemicals such as iodine or bleach require you to know exactly what you are doing)
Food
Items to consider:
# Stored everyday foods
# Stored staples and spices
# Salt
# MREs
# Freeze-dried, dehydrated and other long-term storage foods
# Paper and plastic products to keep down on water use (plates, napkins, sppons, forks, knives, cups)
Clothing
Items to consider:
# Clothes for cold weather
# Clothes for wet weather
# Durable clothes
# Sturdy boots
# Work gloves
Information
Items to consider:
# Survival manuals
# Military field manuals
# Outdoor cookbooks
# Storage food cookbooks
# First-aid manuals
# Advanced first-aid manuals
# Threat specific information (e.g., nuclear, biological, chemical attack info)
Navigation and Signaling
Items to consider:
# Map of city, county, state
# Topo maps of relocation and bug-out areas, including routes
# Dry erase markers, rulers
# Compass
# GPS
# Notepad
# Pencil
# Whistle, on lanyard
# Mirror
Pet stuff
Items to consider:
# Pet food
# Bowls
# Leashes and long tie-downs
# Toys
# Brushes
# Collars
# Water (make sure you account for your animals in your water storage)
Electricity
The ability to supply your own electricity or even recharge batteries would go a long way to extending comfort. Items to consider:
# Generator
# Extension cords
# Fuel for generator
# Solar battery charger
# NiMH batteries in the needed sizes
Communications
Items to consider:
# Scanner
# Hand-held radios
# AM/FM/short-wave
# Spare batteries
# Weather radio
# Spare batteries
Eyecare/Eyewear
Items to consider:
# Glasses
# Spare glasses (especially for those who wear contacts)
# Hard shell glasses case
# Contacts
# Saline
# Cleaning solution
# Contact cases
# Sunglasses
Weapons and Self-Protection
During a crisis, Law Enforcement will be too busy to come help you. Protecting you and your family is no different than any other survival preparation. Items to consider:
# Handguns
# Rifles
# Shotguns
# Ammo for the above
# Knives
# Pepper spray
# Stun-gun
# Wrist-ties or large cable ties (after you stop an intruder, you need to immobilze him until the police arrive, which may be days)
# Bat, baton, heavy stick
NBC/Terrorist Action
Items to consider:
# Protective equipment
# Potassium iodate/iodide
# Filtration masks
# Plastic sheeting and duct tape
# Information manuals
# Radiation dose rate meters
# Radiation dosimeters and charger
Tools
Items to consider:
# Shovel
# Axe
# Sledge hammer
# Hammer
# Basic tools (screwdriver, wrenches, etc.)
# Wedge
# Chainsaw (also: gas, oil, 2 cycle oil, spare chain, case)
# Rope
# Saw
# Files
# Nails, various sizes
# Screws, various sizes
Vehicle
Since you might have to evacuate, you need to consider you vehicle, too. Items to consider:
# Keep you vehicle in good repair
# Spare parts
# Tools needed to work on your vehicle
# Spare oil, transmission fluid, coolant, etc.
# Spare fan belts
# Fill up your tank when it is half-empty instead of when it is empty. This will keep at least a half a tank of fuel in your vehicle at all times.
Repairs/Cordage
Items to consider:
# Sewing kit
# Twine
# Duct tape
# Cable ties
# Super glue
# Safety pins
# Fishing line (makes a strong thread)
# Sewing awl
Economic
Be prepared for an economic downturn, such as a recession or depression. You should also be prepared for a loss of income. Items to consider:
# Gold
# Silver
# Financial records
# Cash on hand
# Insurance papers
# Wills, deeds, birth certificates, etc.
# Pay down your debt and keep it low
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