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

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

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