Why Should You Prepare? Is It Really Necessary?

Why Should You Prepare? Is It Really Necessary?
By Melody Fernandez Schafer

Many people don't think about emergency or disaster preparedness because they think a war or a pandemic could never happen. Maybe it won't happen, but there are many other reasons to prepare and have emergency supplies on hand.

Some think because they have had the same job for 20+ years that they are sitting comfortably until retirement. Many baby boomers and others can testify that one could lose a job, literally, overnight and finding a new one can be next to impossible unless one can move to another city, state or country. Could you afford to move in a week for a new job? Could you pay for rent or a new home while your lease at the present apartment runs out or until you can sell your home?

Even owning a business, especially a brick & mortar business, could go under because the city went down the tubes, or a highway redirected traffic, or construction STOPPED traffic. Thre are many reasons that a business could flop...even a long running and successful one.
If you are an entrepenur have you thought of having a few different forms of making income? If you have an online business, consider a 2nd or 3rd business that is OFF line in case power were to go out. When one busines is slow, it's nice to know you may have income coming in from a different source.

What if broke your leg or arm? Had a heart attack? Stroke? What if you had something as simple as the flu? Could you not work and not get a paycheck? Do you have enough money to get through a week without a paycheck? One month? How long could you go without a paycheck?

Start saving cash. If you have all your money in the bank, what would you do if power went out and banks were closed or ATMs did not work? If you have cash at home, and can't leave your house, at least maybe you can pay someone to bring you what you need or to help you with some emergency job that you are unable to do yourself.

Something to consider is to have items that you can barter if cash is not desired by the person you need to help you. Think about obatining silver, ammunition, extra food, or whatever else you think someone in an emergency situation would find of value.

How much food, water, medication or other personal supplies do you have at home if you were stuck at home because of a snow storm, flood, or any other number of reasons? Could you survive a week? One month? How long?

What if the water was turned off or if the power went out because of an ice storm or terrorist attack? Something as simple as an ice storm can do a LOT of damgage such as taking power lines down, caving in a roof of a house, freezing pipes, trees falling over & blocking roads or landing on your home. Do you have tarp to cover that hole in your roof to keep the snow, rain, ice out of your home until you can fix it? Can you fix it if no one can get to you for 2 weeks? What would you do?

Do you know how to purify rain, pond, or lake water? Do you have a way to cook what food you MIGHT have in the refrigerator? If you DO have a lot of food in the refrigerator or freezer, how are you going to keep it cold so it doesn't go bad until you can cook it? A generator and a grill or outdoor camping stove of some kind wouldn't be a bad idea.

If there is no food in your home and the stores are closed...do you know how to hunt if you had to? Do you have a gun, bow & arrow, trap, fishing rod or whatever it is you need to catch what you would like? If you would prefer just fruits and vegetables? Do you have a garden? If it is winter did you can the fall harvest? Do you have a book to tell you what berries, roots, or other wild plant might be safe to eat?

Do you have a book to tell you how to cure or at least alleviate whatever ailment you have if you are unable to reach a doctor right away? Don't count on the Internet for information. The Internet will be down if the power is out.

I have given you several scenarios in which you SHOULD be prpared and why it IS necessary, but these scenarios don't even begin to describe how bad a situation can get and how fast it can happen.

All you can do is your best. I recommend keeping a notebook on hand and taking notes on skills you would lik to learn or things you would like to acquire to make your life a little easier if disaster happens to strike...and it will...I hope it's something as simple as a cold and nothig more. Doing a little bit every day to get preapred will make this task, which may sound unatainable, that much easier to achieve.

Are you ready for what may come? Get ready!

Check out emergeny supplies at Amazon http://amzn.to/1WlYBj5

Tornado! In The Middle Of The Night

Tornado! In The Middle Of The Night
By Melody Fernandez Schafer

It was the middle of the night when the winds picked up & I went looking for our weather radios. I am a night owl & the family was sleeping.  I have 3 radios. I could not get the first 2 to work. Thank goodness, the 3rd radio worked and was startled by the tornado warning for our area.

We live in Southwest Florida, and we consider our ourselves a family who is "normally" prepared for any type of emergency or disaster. This time of year is not when we are normally looking for extreme weather. At 3am most people were sleeping as well.

January is a very busy time for Florida with many tourist here on vacation. Many stay in RVs or trailres which can be a dangerous place to be during high winds of any kind. Unfortunately, a grandmother and grandfather were killed and 4 of their grandchildren were hospitalized.

Other people were injured & were sent to the hospital. Windows were blown out and debris scattered about. These people were on Siesta Key, which is an amazing place to visit during the cold season, with the most beautiful, white, soft, powdery sand along the Gulf of Mexico.

This night I realized we were not as prepared as we should have been. We all need to take a look at our situations and ask ourselves...if the power were to go out....
1. Do I have enough cash on hand to buy more food, water, gas & other supplies?
2. If the stores are closed or sold out of what we need....do we have enough to get buy for at least 3 days? One week? Longer? How long could you stay at home with what you have?
3. If the water is not running & you are out of water....do you know how or can you purify water you may find in the canal or other places?
4. Do you have enough important medications on hand to last you one week? One month? What if there was a disruption in the system...how long could you survive without your medication?
5. If you had to evacuate? Do you have a bug out bag? What do you have in it? Where would you go?

These are the type of qustions we need to ask ourselves BEFORE an actual emergency happens.

Are you prepared? Get ready now!

Emergency Preparedness Supplies On Amazon
http://amzn.to/1PkG4xX

Emergency Preparedness – A Personal Matter

Emergency Preparedness – A Personal Matter 

By Melody Schafer

There are many reasons for emergency preparedness. When one thinks of emergency preparedness, many think of hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, war and so on. Only some think about emergency or disaster preparedness on a smaller scale….a personal matter. It may be a smaller scale as far as the world goes, but it is NO small matter when it comes to you or your family.

The personal matter I refer to is something such as an illness….an illness as simple as a 1 week cold, 3 week flu or an illness that is much more serious and can lasts months or even years...such as a lifetime disability. There is only so much we can do to prepare for the unknown. We can TRY to think of ALL the possibilities, but when the time comes and disaster strikes us personally, we still will not be 100% prepared. So it behooves us to do all we can, with what we have and while we can.
Thankfully, most of our preparedness will help with most any emergency or disaster that might strike us.

  

If you live alone or have small children, all the more reason to be prepared. Even if you DO have someone to help you, they may not able to help when you need it.

Teaching our children at a very young age to fend for themselves is one of the best things we can do for their survival. Sometimes parents think their child is too young or it takes the child too long to do something, so the parent just does it for them. The child will find it fun to try to learn to make their own snack for example. I don’t mean to put them at the stove to cook a dinner of course. They should learn simple things such as how to call 911, use a can opener, open a bottle of water or turn on the water faucet. It is much better to try to teach them while you are feeling well, so IF you do get sick you don’t need to worry so much. The older they are, the more they will be able to learn. If nothing else, you have raised your child to be an independent and confident young person who feels they could accomplish anything.

Your life and that of your family would be much more comfortable if you have all the comforts stocked up at home to get through your illness BEFORE hand. Having extra toilet paper, shampoo, and other personal items always make me feel a little bit more ready J

Paper towels, paper plates, cups and plastic utensils, for example, are great to have when you are feeling too sick to bother with cleaning dishes. Young children can easily pull these off the shelf and put their snacks on them and everyone is as happy as one can be in this situation.

Having extra cash at home is also a good thing to have on hand. You may not be deadly sick, but sick enough you don’t feel like you can leave the house. You may just want to get carry out or to be able to pay your friend back when they do bring you something from the store (if you are lucky enough to have a friend or family who will do this for you).

When a lifetime disability is involved, it is great to do all you can ahead of time just like any other time….many people have a disability where they have good and bad days. On good days be sure to do what you can…but don’t overdo it. You may have assistance come on certain days to help you. Think about what needs to be done in case someone is not able to come back again because of an emergency such as a snowstorm and you are stuck home alone. How long could you survive with the current food, water and medications you have at home?

There are a million and one levels of how serious a disaster could be, from a simple cold or flu, as I mentioned, to a worldwide war or pandemic. If EVERYONE in the family is prepared, including extended family, the better off everyone will be in the long run. Why not be prepared for the worst and hope for the best?

Disaster Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness



Video created by TheFreshOutlook

Published on Jun 6, 2015

What should we do in order to prepare for a disaster? Was the Texas floods the storm of a century? How do people cope with the aftermath and the damage?

Logan Crawford
Meghan McPherson
Joyce Sagi
Cameron Lewis
Jackie Guzda

PREPPER PANTRY PROBLEMS

PREPPER PANTRY PROBLEMS


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Published on Sep 1, 2013

Problems in the pantry for me.
music by audionautix.com

Preppers: When is Enough Enough? Or How Much is Too Much When it Comes to Prepping for SHTF

Preppers: When is Enough Enough? Or How Much is Too Much When it Comes to Prepping for SHTF


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American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities

American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities

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Published on May 17, 2013

For the millions of Americans with physical, medical, sensory and cognitive disabilities, disasters such as fires, floods and terrorist acts present a challenge. The same challenge also applies to the elderly and other special needs populations. Protecting yourself when disaster strikes requires planning ahead, and the American Red Cross is here to help.

Emergency Preparedness / Lessons learned form a Superstorm

Emergency Preparedness / Lessons learned form a Superstorm

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Published on Nov 17, 2012

Lessons Learned From Superstorm Sandy. A little storm history and a few things I learned about prepping, during and after the hurricane.

Q. Would you be prepared if any 3 or 4 of these things happened. (It made me think about my state of preparedness) Since they all happened at once.

1 Neighborhoods were completely homeless.
2 People had no place to go.
3 People had no power.
4 Many vehicles were under water.
5 People were waiting in gas lines only to find gas rationing at the stations.
6 Relief help was nonexistent. The Federal Emergency Management Agency promised to get to victims as soon as possible. The Red Cross was delayed in giving help.
7 People were caught without shoes and had very little warm clothing.
8 Older people trapped in high-rise apartments with no power in the dark could not leave because of electrical wires broken and the threat of electrocution.
9 Subways, buses and public transportation were all shut down.
10 People were walking to get food and supplies.
11 Some had no cash and could not use their credit cards.
12 There was no potable drinking water, because it was contaminated.
13 There was a shortage of food in the grocery stores.
14 People with food stamp cards could not use them because the grocery stores were accepting only cash due to the lack of power to run the cash registers.
15 People were afraid of looters, so some stayed behind to protect their property.
16 Some people watched helplessly as their neighbors were killed or drowned.
17 Many people had to be rescued from their homes.
18 There was only spotty cellphone service and nowhere to charge the cellphones.
19 Some people were told that they could not return to their homes because of the extensive damage and contamination.
20 People who did return reported that the water had ruined everything. Some people's belongings had been looted. Crime was overwhelming and no help came.
21 Insurance companies were overwhelmed.
22 People's work schedules were completely disrupted. Even getting to work was a huge problem.
23 Many pets were lost, displaced, roaming free or killed.

Pre-Season Hurricane Preparedness Tips

Pre-Season Hurricane Preparedness Tips

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Published on May 7, 2013

This is a brief video presentation with a few hurricane preparedness tips to get you started prior to the official arrival of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1st. Closed captioning is available. Some websites are referenced in the video. These include:

Ready.gov Hurricane Tips
http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes

National Hurricane Center Preparedness Page
http://hurricanes.gov/prepare

Florida Evacuation Zone Maps
http://www.floridadisaster.org/public...

Things To Consider For Urban Bug Out Bag

Things To Consider For Urban Bug Out Bag  

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Published on May 2, 2013

Building an emergency bag is not enough. You have to test it, walk with it, and make sure it works with your everyday carry.

Don't Wait Until It's Too Late

Don't Wait Until It's Too Late

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Published on Apr 28, 2013

My plead for people to take action and make sure their family is prepared for an emergency by storing clean water, non-perishable food and securing a firearm legally. I also talk about Americans giving up their rights in Boston after the shutdown.

ASK DEMCAD: Picking a Concealed Carry Pistol
http://demcad.blogspot.com/2013/04/as...