Prepping For Emergencies
Beyond the First 72 Hours
Seasonal Fires
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Winter Storms
Pandemics
In the last three years, we have had a worldwide pandemic that caused supply shortages. On top of that, the US is experiencing unprecedented natural disasters and weather events.
And for the newest crisis… we add toxic train derailments.
All of which leads to evacuation and/ or extended power outages.
These power outages have been devastating. Because people are not prepared.
Added to all of that is that winters seem to get colder, and the summers hotter. Our power grids are struggling to keep up.
Because even as our population grows, our infrastructure hasn’t. So when we have that extreme heat or cold, those power grids are stressed and have been shutting down. Leaving us without power for longer periods of time than we are used to.
In general, when we have an outage, it lasts a few hours, maybe overnight. But never over 12-ish hours.
Anyone can survive that.
But things are changing.
In 2021, Texas got snow. So much snow that people were out of power, in the cold, for over a week.
And unfortunately, Texas showed us what can happen when we are not prepared for longer power outages. It was devastating.
Let’s admit it, at least to ourselves, most of us can barely handle the few hours that the power may be out during bad weather. We can’t even fathom the thought of being without for a week… or two.
Have you thought about what your family would do if the power was knocked out and not expected to be repaired for a week or more?
How would you eat and keep warm?
Do you know how you’d get water?
Do you have any supplies on hand?
Do you even know what you would need?
Let me help.
First, collect your family, establish safety, and a safe place to be.
Once safety is established, there are four basic needs that you need to cover in an emergency.
Clean drinkable water: You can only live approximately 3 days without water. So having both bottled water and a way to purify water is extremely important. A life straw, chlorine tablets, and a pot to boil water in are good backups to bottles of water. Also, if you have a warning that you might lose power, fill your bathtub with water. It’s drinkable and clean. Well, as clean as your tub, anyway.
Food: Canned food, freeze-dried food, and survival-type foods are good to have on hand. (Make sure that you have a manual that can open as well). We also keep five-gallon buckets with lids, full of flour, sugar, rice, noodles, and dried pinto beans. Beans store well and are a substantial source of protein should resources become scarce or meat spoils due to lack of power. Rice and pasta bulk up canned soups and foods. And while not ideal, they can be eaten plain. Camp stoves with propane, matches, fire starters or lighters are also important.
Heat: if you lose power in the winter, you will need to keep your family warm. Blankets, sleeping bags, propane heaters, and or other heat sources. Whatever heat source you chose, be sure that it is safe for indoor use. Some gas heaters are not, and can release toxic gas/fumes into the air that is toxic or deadly.
Light
Because power outages mean that there are also no lights, so it’s important to have flashlights with appropriate batteries. There is also a plethora of oil lamps and battery operated lamps and various other light sources. The key to being prepared is making sure that you have backups of the power source. If your lights require batteries, have a full bulk pack, not just one or two. The same goes with oil and or propane. Make sure you have plenty on hand and that they are fresh and ready to go. I check batteries, propane tanks, and smoke alarms in September, right before winter.
I also bought my kids special flashlights. And because they only get to use their special lights whenever the power goes out, it makes it exciting, not scary. Which distracts them from the storm or whatever is going on. I made a big deal of letting them pick their own special flashlight, and it helped later when we had outages.
No one wants to be without power for a significant amount of time. But it is happening, more and more often, it seems. Between winter storms, wildfires, and hurricanes, it’s important to be prepared.
If you know you are at least minimally prepared, these things will be much less traumatic. Instead of panicking because you have no food or heat, you can calmly grab your emergency stuff.
Your kids look to you in an emergency. If you are calm, they will be too. This makes it even more important to be prepared.
Plan for the worst, and hope for the best!!!
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.