Preparedness is a Serious Topic
Are you prepared? We in the Coachella Valley live in an area that is known as "seismically active". What that means is the pocket protector guys say that the ground shakes under our feet more than it shakes under other areas.
Seriously we need to be ready in the event a serious natural event hits. I think everybody should have multiple ways to cook meals and boil water. I have a propane grill with multiple spare bottles. I have a charcoal grill with multiple bags of charcoal. I have a camping stove with small cans of gas, and I have a solar oven. The reality is when a wild fire, flood, earthquake, tornado or other storm hits, we need to be able to care for ourselves until the situation stabilizes, which could be hours, days, weeks or possibly months.
The governments of the world are being stretched tighter every year, and as more austerity measures are passed, we will see a decline in the public safety response rates, as public service seems to be the easiest low hanging fruit the government likes to cut.
I am not saying that buying a solar oven will make you prepared for an earthquake, but I will say that this is a good step towards a solid preparedness plan that will help you get through some really bad times. Some times we just need to take that first step to begin a journey that includes getting our whole family prepared.
Here are a few things to consider beyond a sun oven and a Kelly Kettle.
1) A Brain. Do you have survival skills? Do you have a plan? Can you light a fire multiple ways? Can you set up a camp? Do you know how to purify water? Do you know how to turn off your electricity and gas? Do you know how to safely cut a downed tree? Do you know first aid? Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher correctly? Do you know the basics of signaling? Can you cook without a microwave? These sound like silly questions, but if you answer no to any of them, you need to polish up the old brain.
2) First Aid. Do you have a kit? Is it up to date? Do you know how to use it? Does it cover everything you will need in a disaster? What will you do if an ambulance cannot get through? I recommend checking your kit once a year and replacing what needs to be replaced. I have found the adhesive on bandaids have a tough time making it through two summers in a car that resides in Palm Desert.
3) Shelter. Can you shelter yourself from the elements? Are you protected from the elements? Are you able to regulate your body temperature? Do you know how to deal with extreme heat or possibly extreme cold? Do you have coats or ponchos for every person in you family? Boots? Hats? If something happens to make your house unlivable in July and roads are not safe, can you create enough shade to keep your family as cool as possible? Do you have your shelter items in one area in case you have to move out in a hurry? Maybe you need to consider a few large rolling Pelican crush proof cases to keep your items safe and mobile.
4) Water and Food. I say water first because it is by far more important than food. Can you last 3 days with no grocery store? 5 days? 14 days? What kind of water do you have. Living in the desert, if the water mains break, we will be in serious trouble much faster than most of the rest of the country.
5) Tools. If a tree falls and blocks your driveway can you get out? Do you have hand tools to deal with repairs? Can you cut wood if needed? Are your flashlights near your bed? Do you have spare batteries? Where are your fire extinguishers? Can your kids reach them? Can your kids use them? Do each of you have a whistle near your beds in the event of a wall collapse? Are the tools in good shape? Are they all in one place? These are all things you need to consider.
6) Sanitation. What are you going to do with the basics of human waste and keeping clean? In a disaster situation basic hygiene become even more important as a simple illness can become serious quickly
7) 72 hour kits. Do you have 72 hour survival kits for each member of your family? Do you have a family bugout bag ready to be tossed in the car? What level of preparedness do you need, and are you ready. It is better to think if things like this NOW and not after an 8.0 hits the San Andreas fault.
If you take steps to prepare now, you can budget and spread the cost over many months, so it will not be such a hardship.
Seriously we need to be ready in the event a serious natural event hits. I think everybody should have multiple ways to cook meals and boil water. I have a propane grill with multiple spare bottles. I have a charcoal grill with multiple bags of charcoal. I have a camping stove with small cans of gas, and I have a solar oven. The reality is when a wild fire, flood, earthquake, tornado or other storm hits, we need to be able to care for ourselves until the situation stabilizes, which could be hours, days, weeks or possibly months.
The governments of the world are being stretched tighter every year, and as more austerity measures are passed, we will see a decline in the public safety response rates, as public service seems to be the easiest low hanging fruit the government likes to cut.
I am not saying that buying a solar oven will make you prepared for an earthquake, but I will say that this is a good step towards a solid preparedness plan that will help you get through some really bad times. Some times we just need to take that first step to begin a journey that includes getting our whole family prepared.
Here are a few things to consider beyond a sun oven and a Kelly Kettle.
1) A Brain. Do you have survival skills? Do you have a plan? Can you light a fire multiple ways? Can you set up a camp? Do you know how to purify water? Do you know how to turn off your electricity and gas? Do you know how to safely cut a downed tree? Do you know first aid? Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher correctly? Do you know the basics of signaling? Can you cook without a microwave? These sound like silly questions, but if you answer no to any of them, you need to polish up the old brain.
2) First Aid. Do you have a kit? Is it up to date? Do you know how to use it? Does it cover everything you will need in a disaster? What will you do if an ambulance cannot get through? I recommend checking your kit once a year and replacing what needs to be replaced. I have found the adhesive on bandaids have a tough time making it through two summers in a car that resides in Palm Desert.
3) Shelter. Can you shelter yourself from the elements? Are you protected from the elements? Are you able to regulate your body temperature? Do you know how to deal with extreme heat or possibly extreme cold? Do you have coats or ponchos for every person in you family? Boots? Hats? If something happens to make your house unlivable in July and roads are not safe, can you create enough shade to keep your family as cool as possible? Do you have your shelter items in one area in case you have to move out in a hurry? Maybe you need to consider a few large rolling Pelican crush proof cases to keep your items safe and mobile.
4) Water and Food. I say water first because it is by far more important than food. Can you last 3 days with no grocery store? 5 days? 14 days? What kind of water do you have. Living in the desert, if the water mains break, we will be in serious trouble much faster than most of the rest of the country.
5) Tools. If a tree falls and blocks your driveway can you get out? Do you have hand tools to deal with repairs? Can you cut wood if needed? Are your flashlights near your bed? Do you have spare batteries? Where are your fire extinguishers? Can your kids reach them? Can your kids use them? Do each of you have a whistle near your beds in the event of a wall collapse? Are the tools in good shape? Are they all in one place? These are all things you need to consider.
6) Sanitation. What are you going to do with the basics of human waste and keeping clean? In a disaster situation basic hygiene become even more important as a simple illness can become serious quickly
7) 72 hour kits. Do you have 72 hour survival kits for each member of your family? Do you have a family bugout bag ready to be tossed in the car? What level of preparedness do you need, and are you ready. It is better to think if things like this NOW and not after an 8.0 hits the San Andreas fault.
If you take steps to prepare now, you can budget and spread the cost over many months, so it will not be such a hardship.
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