Whether you are familiar with disaster survival preparations or not, you can never have all the answers. The plain truth is that the lives of you and your family depend on a correct response to whatever the future holds. In the present times, there are so many events that could occur to any of us, from earthquakes, severe weather, war, civil unrest and solar flares, to name a few. Because of this, it is not pessimistic to make a contingency plan for a breakdown in your way of life, but an urgent necessity, which needs to be addressed as a matter of priority. This is not meant to frighten anyone, but just to make you aware that the right kind of knowledge can make a world of difference to your future and whether you will be around to enjoy it.
So, let's assume that you are aware that any of the above events could actually happen. On the other hand, they might not, at least not to you. The worst outcome in this case is like the umbrella principle; if you have it, you won't need it. In that case, there will be no harm done and you will end up with supplies that can be used anyway, and a knowledge of self-sufficiency that you could teach others. And if something does happen, you are forewarned, ready and much more likely to respond to the situation quickly and safely. Either way, you need to have a backup plan.
It is way beyond the scope of this article to cover all the eventualities that may take place. The aim here is to stimulate you into starting your plans and encourage you to find out more. The bottom line is that, while you can make a plan of your own, it would probably be easier to find out from experts who can provide tried and tested ways of dealing with surviving disaster. There are guides and mentors that can be found on the web, and while you can cobble together some free information, a top quality guide would probably be the fastest way to get informed.
To start with, there is one basic requirement for people who survive a sudden catastrophe that is often overlooked, and makes life not just bearable, but is critical to their wellbeing. Without this resource, people are reduced to desperation very quickly, they are exposed to serious illness that can kill in a short time and their carefully stocked living quarters can be rendered uninhabitable. This resource is - TOILETS! So obvious when you think about it, but sadly, not often mentioned or considered until the need is dire.
For example, we all know about the awful earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand in early 2011. Of course the emergency services performed brilliantly and local services have done their best to provide basic facilites to the survivors. However, as of March, it has been reported in the press that many communities are sharing porta-loo arrangements. Although there is some provision, they are seriously inadequate in numbers, far away from many homes, with no privacy and rarely emptied. The result is that people are finding them full, rancid and completely unusable. If you have ever been desperate to use the bathroom for even half an hour, imagine how that must feel for days on end. You would quickly be reduced to going anywhere, and that is where the real shadow of disease creeps in, when the waste matter rots and attracts every kind of infectious agents. Not only that, but the infections quickly reach water supplies and result is quite clearly horrific.
Now, if you think about it, the above crisis may not have been eliminated altogether, but reduced with just a little investment and forward planning. Realistically, how many governments actually do that kind of thing? What we learn from this is that our survival and wellbeing lies with ourselves, and to depend on our leaders to save us is rather too optimistic. All the more reason to make plans for yourself.
Although this article is not meant to frighten, it should at least make you concerned enough to do something about disaster planning. If you are put off by having to buy extra supplies, starting now with a little put by every week makes a huge difference over time. Not only that, but think about what will happen if you wait until things actually go wrong. Would you be willing to fight your neighbors for the last bottles of water in the store? How about sitting with your kids in the pitch black of night waiting for the sun to rise? OK, so let's get started. Let's make our plans and make sure we live to enjoy better days.
Good luck.
So, let's assume that you are aware that any of the above events could actually happen. On the other hand, they might not, at least not to you. The worst outcome in this case is like the umbrella principle; if you have it, you won't need it. In that case, there will be no harm done and you will end up with supplies that can be used anyway, and a knowledge of self-sufficiency that you could teach others. And if something does happen, you are forewarned, ready and much more likely to respond to the situation quickly and safely. Either way, you need to have a backup plan.
It is way beyond the scope of this article to cover all the eventualities that may take place. The aim here is to stimulate you into starting your plans and encourage you to find out more. The bottom line is that, while you can make a plan of your own, it would probably be easier to find out from experts who can provide tried and tested ways of dealing with surviving disaster. There are guides and mentors that can be found on the web, and while you can cobble together some free information, a top quality guide would probably be the fastest way to get informed.
To start with, there is one basic requirement for people who survive a sudden catastrophe that is often overlooked, and makes life not just bearable, but is critical to their wellbeing. Without this resource, people are reduced to desperation very quickly, they are exposed to serious illness that can kill in a short time and their carefully stocked living quarters can be rendered uninhabitable. This resource is - TOILETS! So obvious when you think about it, but sadly, not often mentioned or considered until the need is dire.
For example, we all know about the awful earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand in early 2011. Of course the emergency services performed brilliantly and local services have done their best to provide basic facilites to the survivors. However, as of March, it has been reported in the press that many communities are sharing porta-loo arrangements. Although there is some provision, they are seriously inadequate in numbers, far away from many homes, with no privacy and rarely emptied. The result is that people are finding them full, rancid and completely unusable. If you have ever been desperate to use the bathroom for even half an hour, imagine how that must feel for days on end. You would quickly be reduced to going anywhere, and that is where the real shadow of disease creeps in, when the waste matter rots and attracts every kind of infectious agents. Not only that, but the infections quickly reach water supplies and result is quite clearly horrific.
Now, if you think about it, the above crisis may not have been eliminated altogether, but reduced with just a little investment and forward planning. Realistically, how many governments actually do that kind of thing? What we learn from this is that our survival and wellbeing lies with ourselves, and to depend on our leaders to save us is rather too optimistic. All the more reason to make plans for yourself.
Although this article is not meant to frighten, it should at least make you concerned enough to do something about disaster planning. If you are put off by having to buy extra supplies, starting now with a little put by every week makes a huge difference over time. Not only that, but think about what will happen if you wait until things actually go wrong. Would you be willing to fight your neighbors for the last bottles of water in the store? How about sitting with your kids in the pitch black of night waiting for the sun to rise? OK, so let's get started. Let's make our plans and make sure we live to enjoy better days.
Good luck.
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