Are you prepared for potential disasters? Disasters such as floods, earthquakes, wildfires, blizzards and other acts of nature can put you in peril. But other calamities such as a car breakdown, home fire, or becoming lost hiking or at sea could also place you in danger. These are just a handful of the possible situations where a bit of preparation could save your life. Here are three basics for just about any situation:
Water
Having a stored water supply is critical. The human body can only go so far without water. At home, you should have enough water for you and your family for up to five days. When taking a trip make sure to have a couple of bottles or a gallon of water in the car with you. When hiking, carry plenty of water. In addition, there are a tools to turn natural or contaminated water into drinkable water. It wouldn’t hurt to have one of these at the house as well.
Food
With a good supply of food and water, you can survive on your own through most situations. For an impending natural disaster, be it a tornado, hurricane, blizzard or any other situation where you might be stranded, you’ll want to have enough food for your household for at least three days.
Shelter/Warmth
This is a broad topic that can include many items, but the overall mission is to keep warm and dry. This has proven to be pivotal to surviving a variety of situations. Ways to keep warm can include having a blanket, creating fire, staying in the car, tent, cave, or any other means of sheltering you from the wet, cold. Hypothermia can become a fearsome result of being exposed to the elements for any given amount time.
Though these three things will not guarantee survival in all situations, they are a good place to start when planning for upcoming trips or encroaching natural disasters. A couple of other things to make sure to give you a fighting chance to survive is to make sure you have a full tank of gas and a comprehensive first aid kit. Another item is a fully charged cell phone. Even where you may not have the best cell service, the emergency service (911-USA or 112-Europe) will still work. Not to mention most smart phones have a GPS type program to help you find your way out in a lost situation. These will all help increase your chance for survival in most dire situations.