First responders are wonderful people and are truly the heroes of our time. They leave their families to risk their own lives to try to rescue complete strangers during a disaster. However, it is physically impossible for them to be everywhere all at once. We must learn how to survive a disaster by creating a plan of action.
It is everyone’s responsibility to take all reasonable steps necessary to help ensure their own survival during a disaster. Studies show surviving the first 72 hours is the most critical. Someone who makes it that long has a greater chance of surviving long term.
Survive a disaster by creating a plan
The first step in surviving a disaster is to create a plan to survive. You need to assess the types of disasters you are at the greatest risk of facing and develop a plan accordingly. Do you live in an area that suffers a lot of tornadoes? How often does your area experience drought or earthquakes?
The reason first responders train as they do is to prepare to handle bad situations when they happen. People who want to survive a disaster need to have a plan as well.
Different plans for different disasters
There is no single plan that will fit every situation and many factors will influence your decisions and preparations. The worst thing to do is nothing. You need a plan to survive and you need to practice your plan and make adjustments accordingly.
Planning to survive a flood is different than planning to survive an earthquake or other type of disaster. Each type of disaster you could face will require a different plan to be effective.
Bugging out or Bugging in
It is our responsibility to prepare to survive a disaster
One of the biggest factors to consider is if you will be able to stay in your home during a disaster or if you will be forced to leave. Areas that are prone to flooding often see the residents evacuating which limits their supplies to the things they can take with them.
If you are able to stay in your home you can stock up on necessary supplies to get you through many disasters. If you are forced to leave you need to plan for specific items of necessity that you can take with you.
Test your plan and supplies
After you have developed your plan you should put your ideas into practice. When applying real world scenarios you will quickly see the weakness in your plan. Think about those weaknesses and how you should change your plan to make it work better.