Preppers Aren’t Crazy
They Are Prepared…And You Should Be Too.
Hurricanes
Winter storms
Summer fires
Tornados
Earthquakes
Preppers are ready!!
Prepper, conspiracy theorists, crazies.
All derogatory terms for people who prepare for disaster.
And I do not mean preparing for a nuclear or world war. I mean preparing for things that are likely to happen in your lifetime such as an earthquakes, hurricanes, tornado, summer fires or WINTER STORMS!!!
Or just anything that could cut the power to your home for an extended amount of time.
2020 was the year of chaos and uncertainty. A pandemic had hit the world. And chaos ensued across the US.
At one point, everything, except essential businesses, was shut down. The uncertainty of the pandemic’s future, and the ability to get supplies, had people panic shopping. Store shelves were bare of essentials like toilet paper, bottled water, and cleaning supplies. Sometimes for days, and sometimes weeks and months. Then when and if the stores got more in, it was gone. Before most had known there was any back in stock.
But eventually that evened out. Stores enforced strict item purchase limits, and people stopped panic buying. The stores could eventually restock, and discontinued item limitations.
Fast forward to the winter of 2020, not to be outdone by the spring chaos, winter was frigid in the US. A record-breaking cold front plowed into, and over the US, with a vengeance.
States that rarely see winter weather, not only got snow, but had record-breaking snow. And worse, record-breaking ice accumulation, causing massive power outages.
The power lines, in states like Oregon, could not support the weight of the inch plus ice accumulation, causing them to snap. The weight of ice, also had trees toppling, often taking down power lines and snapping power poles as they fell.
Thus, adding to the burden of the overworked linemen and increasing the time power was out. Replacing power poles took significantly longer. To make matters worse, these crews could not go out right away, because it was just too dangerous.
My brother, who was flagging for a power crew, got hit in the face with falling ice, slicing his cheek open. Luckily, it was superficial, but falling ice was a very real danger for those crews.
Texas, also a state that rarely sees this type of winter, was blind-sided by the winter weather dump as well. Both states electrical systems went down, for various reasons, leaving millions without power.
And unfortunately, we are not talking about the normal storm outage of couple hours. Lines were destroyed, power poles snapped, systems over worked and malfunctioned, windmills froze. These things normally took days to fix.
But the the volume of damage was enormous, and unlike storms of the past, some of these outages lasted almost two weeks. Normal winter storm outages last hours, occasionally a day, but rarely if ever, longer.
Two weeks without power.
What would you do?
You are snowed or stormed in at home, without power. The only resources are what you have on hand.
How prepared are you? Would you last a day, a week, or a year?
Most “preppers” can last many months without power or a grocery store. They often have months and even years worth of necessities on hand.
And while you don’t need to be that prepared, you should be prepared in case you are trapped in your home for any length of time.
Most emergency agencies, like FEMA, recommend AT LEAST 72 hours’ worth of supplies PER PERSON in your home.
Do you have any idea what that means? 72 hours of what?
1) Three days of nonperishable food. Such as canned, freeze-dried, or dehydrated. (Plus, a manual can opener)
2) Three days or more of water (one gallon, per person, per day)
3) Flashlight/batteries/extra batteries and or lantern with appropriate oil or fuel.
4) Emergency first aid kit. (*That is never used until an emergency)
5) Waterproof matches, in a waterproof case.
6) Multiplier or small tool kit.
7) Camp store or other means to cook without power. (With appropriate fuel/ batteries)
While you don’t have to be the prepper that could go for months or years without shopping and or power, it is wise to have the bare minimum on hand.
And what is the minimum?
72 hours’ worth of supplies for every person in your household.
If you have a baby that should include diapers of the appropriate size, and formula, if necessary. In case, you must grab your bags and evacuate in a hurry.
72 hours’ worth of supplies is the recommended minimum, but the best thing that you could do for your family is to prepare for at least a week or two. If last winter’s storm taught us anything, it is that our power grids and systems, seriously need to be updated.
Which means this could happen again at any time. How prepared are you?
Being at least a little prepared will cut out quite a bit of stress in an emergency. Our children are looking at us to see how bad the situation is, so anything that can ease some stress is worth the time and money.
From my family to yours, Happy prepping 😊
Rowen is a Mother, Wife, Domestic Violence Victims Advocate, community volunteer, and nature lover. Most of her time is spent with her family or volunteering in her community. Rowen has a degree in Psychology, with a concentration in Family Counseling and Minoring in criminal justice. Writing has been her passion since high school and she enjoys using it to help others.
