Be Prepared - Survival Gear!

I believe in being prepared. No one likes not knowing what to do in a situation. Not knowing what to do can produce an uncomfortable, stressful, anxious and debilitating feeling that could result in panic. When you are prepared and armed with knowledge, resources and equipment that you'll need to handle a situation, the panic is minimalized and you are able to make quick and accurate decisions. You can function in a way that helps to solve problems and maybe even saves a life.

A natural disaster can create a situation where preparedness is essential. The most critical decisions have to made quickly and the first inclination is flight. We all want to get away from the disaster as fast and as far as possible. Let the professionals deal with the situation so we can return when it's safe to do so. In the meantime though, how to survive and for how long? Be prepared ahead of time by collecting some of the items necessary for survival. Create your own survival kit and store it in the most easily accessible place. Store your survival kit in your basement, the trunk of your car, in a closet in your RV or as close as possible to your escape route so you can grab it and go. You should plan to acquire enough supplies for 2 people (multiplied by the number of people in your family) to last 3 days. Some of the things you'll need include food and water, light and communication, shelter and warmth, tools, hygiene kits and sanitation supplies, first aid, entertainment items, and an infectious waste bag just to name a few.

A family survival kit should provide you with the resources and information that will maintain you and your family until it is safe to return home or seek other assistance. 93% of Americans are unprepared for an emergency requiring multi-day survival. Don't be caught in this statistic. Be prepared.

To find out more about family survival kits, go to http://quakedog.com/familysurvivalgear and to find out about personal security equipment go to http://www.defendyourselfequipment.com

Article Source: Cathy Burt

When an Emergency Strikes, Disaster Survival Gear Saves Lives!

When it comes to emergency preparedness, it's easy to get lulled into a sense of complacency. It's difficult to face the reality that disaster could strike close to home, even though we've witnessed the devastation that comes from disasters like Hurricane Katrina, the Asian tsunami, the tornado that flattened a Kansas town, and terrorist attacks like those on 9/11. The unfortunate truth is that earthquake, fire, flood, and storms can cause injuries, death, and destruction. More importantly - and more hopefully - much of the unbearable heartache and loss associated with disasters can be avoided with the proper disaster survival gear.

Emergency preparedness doesn't mean seeing the world through the eyes of doom and gloom. It doesn't mean that there is a disaster looming around every corner. Having the proper disaster survival gear simply means acknowledging that the world is an unpredictable place, and that it's best to be prepared. After all, when you buy a box of Band-Aids and tuck it away in a cupboard, you don't wake up each morning certain that a loved one will suffer a cut or scrape; it just means that you have Band-Aids on hand if a minor injury occurs. The same holds true for disaster survival gear. Once you have it, you don't have to worry about it. Hopefully, you'll never need to use it, but if the need arises, you'll be prepared.

Survival Kits for Every Location

When you consider purchasing disaster survival gear, it's important to remember that you don't know where you and your loved ones will be when an emergency strikes. Perhaps you'll be at home, but maybe you'll be at work or in the car, and your children may be at school. It's important to make sure that each location has the necessary disaster survival gear to improve the odds of making it through whatever natural or manmade emergency occurs.

Home Disaster Survival Gear

Your home emergency preparedness kit should contain enough food, water, shelter, sanitation, first aid, lighting and communication supplies necessary for the number of people in your family. Because a catastrophic event often means no running water or electricity, and because it can impact the livability of your home, it's important to have the supplies necessary to be self-sufficient. Critical supplies to include are food bars and water boxes for three days, thermal blankets designed to retain body heat, ponchos with hoods, tissue packs, work gloves, a tube tent, water purification tablets, dust masks, vinyl gloves, a solar radio and flashlight with generator, first aid kit, light sticks, can opener, nylon cord, contact cards, gas shut-off wrench, Swiss Army knife, waterproof matches, emergency candles, toilet bags and chemicals, duct tape, and whistle.

When preparing your disaster survival gear, it's important not to forget your pets. Include a collar and leash, toys, food and water bowls, food and water, a thermal blanket, a pet first aid kit, and a decal that can alert rescue workers to the presence of a pet.

DIY or Ready-Made?

The reason many people hesitate to prepare for emergencies is that it's a hassle to put together your own disaster survival gear. The idea of having to go to different stores and pick up supplies makes it easy to procrastinate. Plus, there's the question of the shelf life of different items, particularly food and water.

Many people opt to buy ready-made emergency preparedness kits. Not only is it less hassle, but the best ready-made kits have a five-year shelf life and come in a sealed bucket. Just like buying that box of Band-Aids, a ready-made kit of disaster survival gear is easy to buy and tuck away. Hopefully, you'll never have to use it, but you'll rest easier knowing that, if emergency does strike, it could save your life and the lives of those you love.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Disaster Survival Gear Saves Lives or Majon's Family and Children directory.

Article Source: Chris Robertson

Survival Skills May Make The Difference Between Life And Death!

Before venturing into the wilderness get prepared for the unexpected.

* Get avalanche certified and carry an avalanche shovel, beacon and probe if you are a winter backcountry enthusiast!

* Take a first aid course since accidents do occur.

* Always carry a survival kit.

For the general nature enthusiast, basic survival skills are included here to initiate an understanding of what needs to occur in a wilderness emergency. Keep in mind that YOU MUST REMAIN CALM when implementing these survival skills. A clear head will allow you to implement and plan for survival and rescue.

1. FIRE. It can provide warmth, keep predators away, purify water, cook food and signal rescuers. The best source for a fire is: a flint metal match with a wooden handle and a scraper; for tinder use cotton balls soaked in petroleum and stored in waterproof containers. Sort your firewood in a tepee form and place your emergency blanket behind you to reflect the heat.

2. SHELTER - a commercial trash bag with a hole cut out for your head is useful in protecting you from the elements. Always keep the closest layer to your body dry to insulate you from the elements. If you are stranded, find a quick natural shelter and wrap yourself in an emergency blanket.

3. SIGNALING with a whistle and a mirror. A whistle can carry further than a yell and a mirror can reflect up to 20 miles. A triangle of fires is a distress signal. Create smoke during the day to show distress. Spell out S.O.S. with organic materials.

4. FOOD/WATER. A person can survive up to three days without water and without food up to three weeks, although don't plan for this. Always pack extra food bars high in carbs. Drink water in the cool of the evening. Collect water from rain in your emergency blanket. Never drink your urine. Boil water minimally for 10 minutes, if you can. Seek water out at all times.

5. FIRST AID KIT. Always carry a basic one.

NOTE: as an essential survival skill, see understanding a topographical map

Survival Skills Hot Tips

Survival Skill #1: Backcountry thunderstorm

Get out of your tent. It is safer to be crouched down on your sleeping pad then in your tent which can expose you to electrical ground currents. Also keep yourself distanced from other members in the group.

Survival Skill #2: Grizzly Bear Attack

No pepper spray? If a grizzly bear is attacking do not RUN. Immediately lay down on the ground face down, spread eagle and protect your neck and heart.

Survival Skill #3 Mountain Lion Attack

If the mountain lion has not attacked look tall and yell. DO NOT RUN. If it attacks, fight for your life using pepper spray, knife or anything you can find to gouge its eyes. Never hike alone.

Survival Skill #4 Caught in an avalanche?

Try to keep an arm above the snow level to show visibility. If not possible, keep your hands near your mouth to create an air pocket. Spit outside of your mouth to tell which direction you are facing.

Survival Skill #5 Lost

Stay put. Despite popular beliefs do not follow streams. They usually lead to waterfalls, not civilization.

Survival skills combined with survival gear can ensure a safe enjoyable wilderness experience.

http://www.gearup4nature.com

http://www.gearup4nature.com/survivalskills.php

Article Source: Lynn Altierineed

Wilderness Survival Skills Could Save Your Life!

You don't have to be a contestant on the "Survivor" television program to learn wilderness survival skills. This information was second nature to our ancestors many generations back, but in today's high-tech world, we have grown out of touch with nature and unaware of how to provide such basic needs as food, water and shelter.

But, with modern conveniences at our fingertips, why should we learn how to build a fire without matches, or how to obtain safe water to drink? The answer is simple. One only needs to look back to Hurricane Katrina to see how quickly natural disasters can strike and deprive people of the electricity they depend upon to get them through each day. Even less predictable than hurricanes are other natural disasters such as earthquakes that strike without warning, and tornadoes that can materialize in minutes.

Many experts say that we are seriously at risk for a worldwide disease pandemic, like the Spanish flu that decimated populations across the globe in the first quarter of the 20th century. It is highly possible that an infectious disease epidemic of the bird flu could put such a strain on community infrastructures that services such as hospitals, police, fire departments and ambulances could not be depended upon, and residents would be forced to fend for themselves. Also, in today's increasingly uncertain world, the risk of a terrorist attack destroying power stations, water reservoirs or other civic infrastructures is not out of the question.

That is why the wise individual will invest a few hours to learn such survival skills as fire making, finding water, making shelter, finding food and preparing meals with only primitive tools. Gaining this knowledge should not be viewed as a bothersome chore, but rather as a fascinating challenge to become more self-sufficient. And, should disaster strike, these skills may very well prove to be more valuable than any insurance policy.

Some of the best sources for learning wilderness survival skills are the books by Tom Brown Jr. Mr. Brown was taught tracking and hunting at an early age by an Apache elder, and he went on to establish a survival school as well as writing such classic texts as "Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival" which clearly illustrates many ways to start a fire without matches, build wilderness shelters using only natural materials, identifying edible plants and hunting wild animals for food.

It only takes a few minutes and the investment of a few dollars to assemble a pocket size wilderness survival kit that contains a small knife, compass, matches, fishing hooks and line, and perhaps a lightweight, metallic "space blanket." A visit to most any sporting goods shop or camping supply store will be time well spent if you should suddenly be faced with a survival situation. But more important than survival gear is the learning of wilderness survival skills. This is because the greatest asset in case of emergency is not your technology but your mental attitude. An individual with proper skills and knowledge can survive much more comfortably without any tools than someone who has lots of survival gear but does not know how to use it properly.

And even if you are never faced with an emergency situation that requires the application of wilderness survival techniques, you still might use them to win a million dollars if you should be chosen to be a contestant on the "Survivor" TV show.

Robert Scheer is a freelance writer and consultant to the wilderness survival website and recommends the book "Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival."

Article Source: Robert Scheer

National Preparedness Month - Start With Your Home and Family!

Natural disasters are a common occurrence throughout the world. Disasters are a part of everyone’s existence and we all need to be prepared for the simplest to the most devastating.

Look around at the disasters that have impacted us locally: the fires in the Milford Flats area, the Uinta Basin, Farmington Canyon and on the Utah/Nevada/ Idaho border. If we haven’t been involved in the flames and heat, we have all suffered from the smoke. We have also seen abnormally high temperatures over the past month. These have caused illnesses and even deaths to young and old alike. We have lost six miners, two rescue workers and a federal mine inspector. Last summer Southern Utah recorded dramatic losses due to massive flooding.

Houses crumbled into the river, folks could not get to their houses because they were surrounded by water and internal flood damage was phenomenal. If you look at all of the new construction of roads, offices, hospitals and even renovations of such places as the Capitol the common theme is earthquake proof.

There are three steps to being prepared. First, plan your emergency protocol to evacuate as safely as possible. Second, talk with your family and decide what is important to all of you. Keep it together in one place so that if disaster strikes you can easily collect it and leave your home. And third, protect your home and family by knowing where everyone is and how to reach them. Consider your critical needs. Some of the basics will include food, water, shelter, power for your home as well as for a vehicle and communication. Have on hand at least a 72 hour kit for each member of your family.

In the case of an earthquake, the suggestion by FEMA is to have enough prepared to help you and your loved ones survive for up to three months. Remember to check on your neighbors after an emergency, especially those who are elderly or disabled.

If you want to learn more about disaster preparedness you can contact the American Red Cross. They have all sorts of information as well as sample emergency kits. You can contact them at http://www.redcross.org. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has developed a 165 page disaster manual that is a wonderful resource. You can find it at http://www.fema.gov. These are great resources for you, but at times you may want a human being to assist you in preparing your personal emergency plan.

The team at Health Watch is glad to assist its patients with emergency planning. When you are ready to make a plan, we will be there, ready to help.

Mary Kroeger, RN
Health Watch
Simply Seniors News http://www.SimplySeniorsNews.com

Article Source: Mary Kroeger

The Secret of Teaching Disaster Preparedness!

Headlines are full of hurricanes, earthquakes, bird flu, terrorism, and other dangers of the world in which we live. However, most civilians aren’t prepared to face a disaster or even a family emergency. This begs the question “Why not?” This article is intended for those who want to change this fact by teaching others, including their own families, to be better prepared, safer, and more self-reliant.

We’ve identified several “learning obstacles” that prevent individuals and families from being as emergency ready as they should be. We’ll list them here quickly then cover each in more detail and discuss ways to jump these learning hurdles.

Since we’re talking about educating families – the cornerstone of all reaction plans - let’s use the acronym F.A.M.I.L.I.E.S.:

Fear – “It’s too scary to think about.”

Attention Span – “I’m too busy to learn or do anything new.”

Media – “There’s always a weatherman in the hurricane.”

Info Levels Now – “A 72-hour kit is all I need.”

Lifestyle Ties – “I don’t want to change the way I live.”

Income – “I can’t afford to buy the gear or take the steps.”

Ego – “I’m so important that others will look after me.”

Selflessness – “I’m not worried about me, I want to help others.”

Why is it important to increase the level of civilian preparedness training over what we have through sites like ready.gov? That question can be a series of articles on its own, but the 4-part short answer is one, most free websites have only the bare minimum info; two, the fewer victims we have in a disaster the better off we’ll all be; three, all business continuity plans rest on the ability of employees to return to work; and four, the term “civilians” includes the families of first responders. The more prepared the family, the more able is the responder to report for duty.

As we cover each learning obstacle below, you’ll find a brief description of the problem followed by a few specific tips on how to deal with that particular issue. When teaching, remember that people have different learning styles. Visual learners do best by watching. They are receptive to videos, PowerPoint, or live demos. Auditory learners prefer verbal communication such as podcasts, or books on tape. Kinesthetic learners benefit from hands-on experience. Try to incorporate a little of each into your presentations.

Fear: Fear is probably the number one reason people don’t prepare. Too many people focus on the dangers they may face in disasters, rather than the benefits of self-reliance. Worse, many so-called experts dwell on nothing but the threat since they have little to no new preparedness information. Let’s look at ways to teach readiness while avoiding fear:

Take a tip from insurance salespeople. They focus on the benefits of the policy rather than the reasons you might need one. Accentuate the positives of preparedness, not worst case scenarios.

Use “mundane” threats to get people to prepare for more dire situations. For example, people living on the coast understand hurricanes and are receptive to helpful tips regarding evacuation. However, you might get a negative reaction with a “nuke in the harbor” scenario.

Teach preparedness without mentioning a threat. For example, focus on financial planning. It’s more economical to buy groceries in bulk and cook at home, and it’s also healthier. Guess what? This means you’ll have more food at home in a shelter-in-place situation. Also, encouraging families to take up camping as a hobby inadvertently helps prepare them for an evacuation.

Attention Span: With microwave ovens, ATMs, email, and so forth, we live in a world of instant gratification. We have become a society whose mantra is “Just give me the condensed intro, not the whole pamphlet.” We rarely take time to do a thorough and detailed job of anything, and the notion of adding things to the list, even something life-saving, is out of the question.

Most people don’t realize that being prepared for disaster takes only subtle modifications to your life and doesn’t require extensive study or training.
People in this category appreciate “helpful hints,” so break things down into bite-size pieces. Use simple (though detailed and thorough) checklists and bulleted lists rather than wordy text or long speeches. For one such list, see “50 Emergency Uses for Your Camera Phone” at http://www.disasterprep101.com/news.htm.

Show them how some aspects of preparedness can save time. For example, having more food in the pantry saves shopping time. Also, being current and comprehensive with your insurance policies and personal documentation will save months worth of time getting your life back on track after a disaster.

Media: News channels can be a double-edged sword. They’re great for emergency warnings, but sometimes contradict themselves. For example, weather stations will pass along evacuation warnings in advance of a hurricane, but then they’ll send a reporter out in the middle of it to give a live report. Some people see this and think hurricanes are no big deal. We’ve seen the same in minor chemical spills. Let your preparedness students know that: Things are always smaller and friendlier on TV than in real life. A picture of a snake isn’t the least bit alarming. However, turn one loose in your classroom…. (No, don’t actually do this!)

News sources live and die on ratings, viewers, and subscribers, and therefore take risks. However, these are usually controlled risks, since, for example, the weather reporters are usually in a side area and not in the direct path of the eye of the hurricane. So don’t do what they do, do what they say.

Info Levels Now: Most “emergency” sites on the internet with “readiness information” have nothing but variations of the 72-hour kit checklist. The other end of the spectrum finds all the “survivalist” info concerning edible plants and living off the land. These two extremes can mislead the public in two distinct ways. One, the simplistic info might tell people that a 72-hour kit is all they’ll need and the government will come protect them. Two, the other extreme relates to fear since it tends to tell people that “things will be so bad that you’ll need these survival skills.” The extremes should be avoided. Shoot for the more realistic middle ground.
“72-hour” kits are the absolute minimum. Recommending only a 72-hour kit is like telling a family on a vacation road-trip to get only enough gas to get to the next exit where there might be another station. If you teach outdoor survival skills, remind people that these skills aren’t the very next option after their 72-hour kit runs out. They’re there for the most severe cases in isolated incidents.

Bridge the gap between these extremes by providing instruction on how families can use simple measures to stay safe and secure for up to four weeks, either during an evacuation or extended shelter-in-place. A good example is the four weeks of food and water stored in the pantry. Four weeks is a more realistic figure and fills the void between simple kits and survival skills. For more thoughts, see “The Disaster Dozen: The Top Twelve Myths of Disaster Preparedness” at http://www.disasterprep101.com/news.htm.

Lifestyle Ties: Essentially, this is another form of fear. It’s the fear of changing one’s lifestyle to incorporate readiness, and it’s the fear of losing one’s current lifestyle in the wake of a disaster. Two points come into play here.
One of the main goals of true readiness training is the preservation of our lifestyle as we know it, and not just mere physical survival. Therefore when discussing disasters, cover their aftermath and what it will take for families to return to normal. Don’t cut the subject short.

Realistic preparedness doesn’t involve major changes, but incorporates subtle modifications to the things we already have and do. For example, the simple habit of topping off your vehicle’s gas tank three times a week is easy to develop and ensures you have as much fuel as possible in an emergency. Simple task, powerful results, no appreciable change in your lifestyle.

Income: Many people see ads for high-priced “disaster” goods and gear and assume that protecting their family will be a major financial investment. This isn’t necessarily the case. If done correctly, protective measures can actually save a family money, or at least zero itself out on your household budget.
In our discussion of the 4-week pantry we pointed out how storing this much food could actually save time and money.

You don’t need to buy expensive gear. In fact, we recommend finding things you need at thrift stores or yard sales, and in other cases, making your own gear. For example, our “mess kits” were made with leftover plastic dishes from microwave dinners. Part of any comprehensive family preparedness training should include a section on frugality, or how a family might save money by reducing expenses and through better household budgeting.

Ego: Ego can also be called self-esteem, and this can either go high or low. In the case of high self-esteem, some people may think, “I’m so important that others will take care of me.” Low self-esteem carries its own peculiarities as well. These folks might think, “No one will help me,” or “Nothing exciting ever happens here, so why prepare?” Though not directly ego-related, many people hold that same belief that “Nothing will happen here. Things happen to other people.”

Since we want to avoid generating fear, don’t fight the “I’ll be taken care of” attitude with stories of how bad things could get. Instead, use this high self-esteem by pointing out that one reason people don’t prepare is because their friends don’t. Therefore, tell this group the truth that they can help get others to prepare by being prepared themselves, and setting an example.

People with low self-esteem should be shown that self-reliance really is possible for them. These folks have low confidence levels. Once they see examples of how easy it is to be far more prepared and protected than they are, they’ll appreciate their new confidence and may continue their education on their own.

Selflessness: Many people are so concerned about others that they neglect themselves. This is one of the reasons we see incidents of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in people that were never in the actual emergency. This type of distant stress is caused when these folks see bad things happen to other people but they can’t do anything about it.

A good reminder for this group is that you’re more able to help others if you yourself are well prepared. And guess what? “Others” includes pets!
In the stocked pantry example, you’ve helped others by already having your supplies, which makes for shorter lines and more stock on the shelves when the unprepared make that last-minute scramble for supplies at the grocery store.

You also help others by setting the example that preparedness is socially acceptable, much in the same way that we wear our seatbelts so our children will.
The most important point of all is that your main goal is to teach both the importance and techniques of disaster preparedness in order to make our world safer. So, we have one last acronym for you; the word T.E.A.C.H.

Treat each family member as unique.

Emphasize the benefits and not the threat.

Allow for different learning styles and speeds.

Confidence building is goal number one.

Help others to help themselves, and to then help others in turn.

About the author: Paul Purcell is a security analyst and preparedness consultant and is the author of “Disaster Prep 101” (http://www.disasterprep101.com)

Copyright 2006 Paul Purcell. Permission is granted to reprint this article provided all portions stay intact.

Article Source: Paul Purcell

Readiness & Survival in an Uncertain World - Three Things You Can Do to Prepare!

What will be the synergistic effect of these five trends as they begin to collide -- Population Growth, Global Warming, Doomsday Predictions, Technological Interdependence, and Economic Collapse? Imagine an overpopulated planet suffering from dramatic and unpredictable weather, fighting for scarce resources in what is likely to be the worst economic crisis in history, with millions of people looking around the corner expectantly for the apocalypse, all the while depending on outside technologies and institutions for personal survival... Sound like a crisis in the making?

Perhaps, or it could be an opportunity. General Honroe, the commander in charge of the post-Katrina recovery, suggested that the most important lesson we should have taken from the Katrina disaster is that we have, as a population, lost our 'survival' instincts. In a pre-world war II society, argues Honroe', Americans maintained a 'culture of survival' where independence, self-sufficiency and rainy-day preparation were simply a way of life. Long term food and water storage and collection, along with essential survival tools and skills were commonplace in those days; people were realistic enough to know that in a severe emergency, they would have to rely upon themselves, not FEMA. In fact, FEMA didn't exist, at least not in the form or function as it does today. Our complacency toward personal survival today, argues General Honroe', has crippled us.

This is particularly unsettling given the trends discussed above since many of us are woefully ill-equipped to meet the challenges of our increasingly uncertain world.

So, what can we do to re-acquire General Honroe's culture of survival? I recommend two things to my customers and clients: first, you should begin to think differently. By this I mean that you need to acknowledge that we live in extraordinary times, and that these times can present extraordinary challenges. You should also recognize that in a severe disruption or emergency (say, for example, 4 Katrina-scale events hitting in a two-month span of time, or a profound financial depression), that you will need to be able to rely upon yourself for personal survival. And last, you need to face up to the possibility that it can happen to you, whatever 'it' is. In my more than 25 years working in public safety, I have learned that this is where people struggle the most. Why? Because we always assume that 'it' will happen to somebody else. Only by changing the way we think can we then begin to change how we act, which takes me to my second recommendation.

Get Prepared! Take a weekend morning, schedule a family meeting and walk through a typical 'day-in-the-life-of-our-family', with one exception - you have no power, no infrastructure, and no assistance. You can't go to the store, can't use your car, no power in the house, no plumbing, and definitely no iPod. Everything that you will need for personal survival has to come from what you already have around you.

Think this through carefully. You will quickly discover that you are trapped almost from the very moment you wake up. If you are like most people, you will get up, brush your teeth, use the toilet, brew some coffee, and read the news on-line. However, if you don't have stored water, you can't brush your teeth, use the toilet or brew coffee. You obviously can't get on line! You can't call FEMA or 911. You can't get cash because the ATM's have no power. You have no idea what is going on around you because you have no means to get news. Your refrigerated food is rapidly souring and your pantry is half-empty because you intended to get groceries tomorrow. If you are up north, you are likely cold; down south, hot. And so on... Now, multiply that one 'day in the life of our family' by 30.

How did you do? Will you survive, and for how long?

This is a great exercise and one that tends to get people's attention quick. By walking through a typical day, you quickly realize that you need to stock up on supplies in three main categories: Food & Water; Medical & Hygiene; Protection & Self Sufficiency. These three categories should constitute your family's Disaster Survival Kit, and if adequately stocked, will give you the necessary supplies and equipment to weather almost any disruption. Let's take a brief look at each.

Food & Water

We recommend that families keep at a minimum 7 days of non-perishable food and water storage on hand, preferably a 30-day supply. You should look for food products that have extended life-spans, such as Meals Ready to Eat (MRE's), dehydrated foods, beans, rice, wheat, nuts, and so on. There are a number of reputable businesses that offer these types of prepackaged meals and non-perishable foods. You should also consider power bars or energy bars, foods high in caloric and protein content and rich in nutrients. These bars store well and go a long way in an infrastructure disruption. For water, you should plan on 2 gallons a day for each person; this includes water both for drinking, cooking and cleaning. Don't' forget that you will need to purify your stored water, either through filtration or other purification techniques. Many people use 15-55 gallon drums for long-term water storage and collection. Others, such as me, use large capacity vessels for rainwater collection and water storage. You decide what works best for you and your household, and prepare accordingly.

Medical & Hygiene

Both personal and medical hygiene refer to practices that ensure good health and cleanliness, such as bathing and washing your hands, maintaining good sanitation and waste management practices, keeping perishable foods refrigerated and free of contamination, proper management and treatment of injuries and the like. Cleanliness is easy in this modern age thanks to running water, soap, dishwashers, toilets, and sewers. But the minute we remove these conveniences, we are instantly transported back into a day where poor personal hygiene was a leading cause of disease, infection, and even death.

Your family's Disaster Survival Kit needs to include medications for multiple illnesses including antibiotics and pain/fever medications, a complete first aid kit for managing injuries, and hygiene products such as anti-bacterial wipes, toilet paper, bleach, soap, portable toilet, blankets, towels, and more. (Don't forget infant formula and diapers if you have little ones around.)

Protection & Self Sufficiency

To survive on your own, without all the modern conveniences offered by today's infrastructure, you need to ask yourself a simple question, "What tools, equipment, materials, and skills do I need to live productively and safely through at least 30 days without support?" As you go through this exercise, you will quickly realize that your Disaster Survival Kit needs to include products for light, shelter, heat, power, water purification, and emergency communication. Your Disaster Survival Kit will need battery operated radios, cooking stoves and fuel, fans, knives, can-openers, utensils, water proof matches, duct tape and more; you will need ropes, hand tools, saws, and skills to improvise your own repairs to your home and survival equipment.

What you include in your Disaster Survival Kit depends on your individual needs as it relates to personal protection and survival. These include where you live, the hazards you may face, your current level of survival skills and experience, and your long-term cache of supplies and equipment. For more information on disaster preparation lists, see the department of Homeland Security's site, Ready.gov.

Creating a Culture of Survival in Your Home

Always remember the following maxim: When the time for action is upon you, the time for preparation is gone. In these extraordinary times that we live in, it simply makes sense to equip your family with the tools, knowledge and supplies to weather the coming storms. Consider it an insurance policy, because President Obama was right, there are gathering clouds and raging storms on the horizon.

The question is, are you ready?

Kevin Baum is co-founder of SurvivalOutpost.com, an Austin-based on-line business specializing in Emergency Preparedness Supplies, Emergency Food Supplies and Emergency Water Storage for individuals, families and businesses. The SurvivalOutpost philosophy is to balance reason with readiness, and to encourage knowledge, independence and self-sufficiency as tools to survive in an increasingly uncertain & unpredictable world.

Article Source: Kevin Baum