Your Home and Emergency Preparedness In the related prior blog we covered target-hardening your home and making it a defensible position, today will be a list of items and considerations for Emergency Preparedness. With the onset of the harsh winter season and looming heightened risks of civil unrest and attacks from foreign nations, this list is just as relevant as ever. Compile your personal papers and documents to include financial aspects for safeguarding and keeping available to grab in the event of evacuation—a waterproof binder or moveable lockbox is highly recommended. These include things such as the Deed for your home or Lease/ Rental papers, Vehicle Title and genera
l information, Insurance policies, Checkbook and Cash, Passport and ID’s, Birth Records/ Certificates and Benefits documentation, Pet ownership info, Wage/ Income and Tax documents and your Banking info, and any other general vital documentation (i.e. Military Service, Will, Emergency Contacts, etc.). Have a list of your Medications and your physical Meds, have spare sets of Prescription Glasses, keep your valuables/ high value items like jewelry and family keepsakes accessible and recoverable to put in a safe or take with you in the event of evacuation. When it comes to survivability and preparedness, there are some essential items you should have and are advised to stock up on: A gallon of water per day per person for hydration and sanitation, non-perishable foods like canned goods, peanut butter, cooking lard, dried fruit and trail mix, jerky sticks, and freeze-dried meals (you will likely need extra water for these) or MRE’s, which you can buy and stock easily, their shelf-life is very long and even longer if kept frozen until around the time of need. Plan for no less than 2 weeks of variable emergencies and these stocks. Also get matches (including waterproof) and alternative cooking tools (examples are an Esbit stove, fuel cubes or gel, paper plates, a manual can opener or P38, etc.). Medical kits and supplies are going to be very important, everything from simple Band-Aids to packing gauzes, saline solution and antibacterial ointments, SAM splints, tourniquets, burn patches, and so on. Also have plenty of hygiene products (soap, toothpaste) to last. There are a plethora of good comprehensive med kits out there, don’t wait on them. Power sourcing is important as well, have plenty of batteries for flashlights and other illumination tools and general electronics, and consider a backup generator or alternative rechargeable battery system is highly recommended, also various solar-charging systems large or small that can at least charge vital electronics-- this also goes for NOAA- connected crank- charge radios to receive emergency broadcasts. Ensure you have a good sleeping bag/ sleep system and several towels and blankets for you and the other people in your home, there’s no need to freeze to death over such a little thing. Also consider a couple road flares, chemlights, and a whistle to signal for help in the event of several disaster-related factors. Have physical maps of your local area, and mark locations of vital services like Fire/ EMS and sources of food/ water to include freshwater bodies and grocery stores and foodbanks. The map will also be vital in the event of evacuation/ escape. Have extra supplies for your pets, should go without saying but they will be relying on you to care for them in these extraordinarily stressful times, same goes for if you have small children and babies, make sure you have extra formula, diapers, the works.
Be sure to utilize the slew of resources/ websites out there to maximize your preparedness lists and supplies, they’re very handy and can provide additional information on a variety of things, to include FEMA’s https://www.ready.gov
About the author: DJ “The Metalhead Mercenary” is a US Army Infantry Veteran, Executive Protection Specialist, Security Contractor, and Instructor/ Tactical Liaison with GFS, with a combined experience of over 21 years.