Author: Paul Purcell

Categories
Wildfire Preparedness

Sealing the House Before a Wildfire

There are a number of considerations for prepping your house for a potential or approaching wildfire… Time is your most crucial consideration, but the three important areas of house prep are:

  • Landscaping and removing flammable material as far out from the home as you can.
  • Setting up hydration by putting a sprinkler on the roof, exterior decks and other key areas, and
  • By sealing your house on the outside and then prepping on the inside.

For this quick installment, we’ll focus on sealing the exterior of the home to protect it from some of the many hazards associated with an approaching fire.

Prepare home for wildfire
There are many dangers that come with a wildfire. You have extreme radiant temperatures, heated particulate smoke and other gasses, winds generated by the heat and thermal exchanges with the immediate environment, falling trees, small debris being blown about by the winds, and embers galore that will be cascading down on your property.

Here are but a few things you can do to protect your house before a wildfire:

  1. Think hurricane. Since winds and debris are an issue, you’ll want to prep your house almost like you would for a hurricane, but without as much structural bracing (though you should think about structural bracing anyway as protection against any number of other disasters).
  2. Fire resistant storm shutters would be the best thing to protect your windows from heat and flying debris, but if don’t have them or want them, please don’t think you have no options. Next best thing would be plywood shutters that were pre-cut, painted with a fire-resistant coating, and labeled as to which window they covered. Pre-drill them with holes at the top (and have small hooks over each window pre-installed) and drill finger holes so that one person can lift and hang the plywood sheets for faster installation.
  3. Have covers made for crawl space openings and any other opening that would allow heated gasses or embers access to the inside of your house. For some smaller openings such as soffet vents, you can cover them with a couple of layers of aluminum foil held in place with metallic HVAC duct tape. (The fabric tape we think of when we hear "duct tape" is actually flammable and not very suitable for outdoor application in a wildfire scenario).
  4. Save some metal cans (like large soup cans) to set over your plumbing vent stacks. You don’t want to seal them, but you want to temporarily prevent embers from falling in them and to protect them from catching fire since the vent stacks are usually made of PVC pipe.
  5. If you have a chimney and can reach the top safely enough, you might want to loosely cap the chimney opening with a metal five-gallon bucket or something similar. If you choose not to do this, or can’t, be sure to leave the flue open and the protective fireplace screen closed. You want to do this so that if an ember falls into the chimney it’ll fall on into the fireplace where fire is supposed to be, and not linger in a creosote-coated chimney that could catch fire and then set fire to your house.

To read more about the other steps associated with wildfire preparation, stop by and read our larger wildfire article at http://www.disasterprep101.com/wildfire.htm.

Categories
Pet Preparedness

Pet Preparedness – How an Old T-Shirt Can Help

Pet wearing t-shirt

Along with water, food, medicine, and other “survival” needs, your pets are going to need emotional care after a disaster as much as any human member of the family.

Let’s look at a few tips:

1. Having your scent present will keep them calm. Wear an old T shirt around the house for a day or so and immediately put it in a paper bag and store it with your pet’s emergency supplies. If you have to board your pet or leave it with a friend while you recoup from the disaster, this old shirt can be used as part of their bedding and since it contains your scent, it will go a long way toward making your pet feel safe and secure. Note: The T shirt should be worn and scented by the family member that particular pet is closest to.

2. Pack a toy that your pet has played with. Don’t try and introduce a new toy in your pet’s emergency gear, go with something that still has their scent on it and that they recognize. In any emergency, a sense of normalcy and familiarity go a long way toward emotional stability whether you’re dealing with the two-legged or four-legged members of the family.

3. Ask your vet about over-the-counter medications that can help calm your pet. You’ll want to gather this information now from an educated source who’s familiar with your pet rather than having to rely on second-hand (or second-rate) information from questionable sources after a disaster has already hit.

4. For smaller animals, give each their own carrier but keep the carriers close to each other whenever possible. In an emergency, animals will be under stress. Like humans, they’ll need a little space even though they’ll want to be near others. Having separate carriers helps greatly.

Categories
General Preparedness

Post-Disaster Family Communication

facebook safe status

Let’s say your area just got hit with a sizable disaster, maybe a tornado, earthquake, or something of that magnitude.

Let’s also assume you had followed all the advice found in “Disaster Prep 101” and you’re safe and sound.

The first thing you’d be doing is checking on neighbors and loved ones in your area to make sure they were safe.

Simultaneously though, your friends and loved ones in other areas are wondering how you are and may start calling to check. If they call, they’ll start to tie up phone lines in your area (if your phone system is up) that local emergency services will need, and if they get through, they’ll tie up your time which is one of your more critical assets in any emergency situation.

The thing you want to do is set up some sort of automatic notification so your family knows you’re safe and so that you won’t be bogged down fielding calls. Try these steps:

1. If you have internet service, post a message to all your social media accounts stating that you’re safe and well. Facebook and Twitter are the most popular, but don’t forget others such as MySpace, and also post a quick note to any forums or professional online groups you’re a part of. Hint: Write only one message and copy and paste it into these different sites.

2. Facebook is working on a new feature that will let you “Mark Yourself as Safe After a Disaster.” More on that is at http://techland.time.com/2012/02/29/new-facebook-feature-lets-you-mark-yourself-as-safe-after-major-disaster/

3. The Red Cross has a page where you can post this info as well. It’s part of their “Safe and Well” program at https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php

4. Update your voice mail greeting on any phone(s) you have to let callers know the date and that you’re fine.

5. Or, contact your “Notify In Case of Emergency” contact and let them know that you may be forwarding calls to them so that they can field the inquiries, or (if you set up your contact person right to start with) tell them to start calling your list of family members you provided them to let everyone know you’re okay.

6. Local emergency management may set up a notification website of their own. Do a quick search, and post your safe-and-sound message their too.

Categories
Tornado Preparedness

Tornado Protection from your Dryer

Kid in dryer

 

Did you know that your electric dryer could help in a tornado?

If your safe room also happens to be your laundry room, your dryer may offer additional protection to small children or pets. Being a double-walled metal appliance your dryer gives an additional layer of projectile protection and crush resistance.

But, as with most preparedness options, we need to cover a few details:

1. As with all preparedness measures, we must first take a clue from the Hippocratic Oath; “First, do no harm.” So, when choosing an area to be your “safe area” during a tornado, make sure it’s either free from items that could become secondary hazards, or that those potential hazards are secure. Our list here would include:

  • Water heaters. Try not to be in the same room with it during a destructive event. It could topple and spill gallons of potentially scalding water. Whether it’s in your safe area or not though, it’s best to secure your water heater with anchor strapping.
  • Gas lines. All gas lines running to appliances should be flex lines. However, somewhere along the way the line will be pipe and is subject to breakage during structure-damaging disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes. Best to stay away from gas lines when planning your safe area.
  • Breakables and droppables. Anything in your prospective safe room should be secured as much as possible. This includes seemingly minor things like irons, ironing boards (since we’re still going with the laundry room theme here), wall hangings, etc. Make sure everything has a bracket or is in a cabinet with closing doors and those doors have latches on them.

2. All your heavy appliances, such as your stove, oven, fridge, freezer, washer, and dryer, should be anchored to the wall as well as possible. Most appliances come with kits, and your local hardware / home / appliance store can give you some guidance on better anchors. Anchoring helps in a number of ways. First, if you have small children who like to climb, anchoring keeps appliances from tipping over on them. Second, no place on earth is completely immune from earthquakes and anchoring keeps your heavy machinery in place. Third, any time you bolt something large and sturdy to a wall, you actually strengthen that wall a little, which is a good thing in any potentially destructive event.

3. Speaking of destructive events, if severe weather is heading your way (don’t wait for the actual warning that a tornado has touched down) prep your safe room accordingly and put your small pets in their individual carriers and put a few towels or a blanket in the drum of the dryer for a little padding if it’s your child that’s going in. (And, still have them wear a bike or skateboard helmet if they have one.)

4. If you choose this option and put a child in the dryer for safety, don’t close the dryer door. Prop something in the opening so that the dryer door can’t be closed accidentally.

5. This option is really good if all you have for a “safe room” is an interior hallway where your “laundry room” is a closet that opens to the hall.

6. Again, if the water heater is in your laundry room, or you have a gas dryer, rethink using the laundry room as your safe area. A broken or toppled water heater will spill gallons of potentially scalding-hot water, and a broken gas line could be a deadly fire hazard or a suffocation threat.

Watch for future installments where we pull even more bits and pieces from “Disaster Prep 101” and describe additional attributes of a good safe room and some of the safety equipment that should be stored in one.

Categories
General Preparedness Personal Preparedness Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips Uncategorized

Travel Disasters and Situational Awareness

The news lately has focused heavily on the cruise ship disaster involving the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy.

Several interesting points come to mind on first glance at this mishap. First, when were passengers given a safety briefing? Some sources say they had one already and others say they were not due their first one for several hours. Also, we know the Captain abandoned ship and we also hear reports that many of the crew were not aiding passengers in distress. Next, with the ship not completely sinking and with being so close to shore, how could anyone have actually died? (Though with a passenger load in excess of 4,000 people, the number of deaths was relatively very low.)

The point of today’s post is not to criticize what did or did not happen aboard the Costa Concordia (especially since we weren’t there), but to focus on things to help protect you and yours if you find yourself in an emergency situation whether aboard ship, an aircraft, a train, or even in a public building.

The key is “Situational Awareness” which means you’re aware of where you are, what’s going on around you, what might happen, and how you might react. Whenever you’re in a new place, whether it’s aboard a ship, aircraft, train, or even in a new building, you should know your surroundings, the threats you may face, the ways in which you might learn of an emergency, and the assets around you.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Know the layout of where you are. In a public building for the first time? Look at the fire escape plan which should be posted near elevators or stairs. (Hint, if the risk of an event is high, take a picture of the floor plan with your phone.) How many doors are between you and an exit? Could you find the exit in heavy smoke by counting doors as you crawled along the floor to safety? How about a plane? (Read the info pamphlet about the plane you’re in and pay attention during the safety briefing.) Where is the closest exit (remember, it may be behind you) and how many seats are there between you and the exit? Aboard ship? Attend any safety briefing, not just the mandatory ones. Which passageway do you take to reach the lifeboats from your room? From the galley? From the entertainment areas?

2. Learn to identify safety personnel. Aboard an aircraft it’s easy; they’re your flight attendants. What about aboard ship? Not all crew are trained to handle guest safety. Some are assigned specific ship protection duties in a crisis. Can you tell the difference? What about in a building? Who’s with security and how do you identify them? Do you know the location of the security office or posts? How about aboard a train?

3. Note the location of safety equipment. Where are the fire extinguishers? How about AEDs (Automatic Electric Defibrillators), fire hoses, first aid kits, fire alarm switches, emergency call boxes, flotation devices, emergency brake pulls, attendant service buttons, etc.? How many of these do you know how to operate should you be able to locate them? And, always remember that your cell phone can act as your emergency flashlight.

4. Talk with family members about what to do should an emergency occur. How many in your family know first aid or CPR? Do you plan meeting times or rendezvous points when at sporting events or the mall where you might separate for a bit? Note: When working on steps 1 through 3 above, make sure you involve others you’re with or teach them to do the same steps.

5. Maintain your health and physical capabilities as best you can. Getting out of a sinking ship, a wrecked train, crashed plane, or burning building are stressful and physically demanding. The healthier you are, the safer you are, and the more you’re able to help others.

Categories
Earthquake Preparedness Food and Water General Preparedness Uncategorized

Tsunami

Tsunami

The threat of Tsunami is something we cover in detail in our preparedness manual “Disaster Prep 101” (see http://www.1800prepare.com/products/Disaster-Prep-101-.html) and because of today’s news, we see it as an important topic to include here.

Though some might think this is how-to information coming after the event, this isn’t necessarily the case. One thing to keep in mind is that when one Pacific Rim country experiences an earthquake, volcano, or seismic activity, that other areas along the rim will have an event in the very near future.

So, keep up with your earthquake preparedness measures, and below we’ll revisit what you should do in preparation for a Tsunami when the WAVES come rolling ashore.

Warnings – Does your area have official Tsunami warnings? Would you recognize natural signs?
Altitude – Where would you go in a Tsunami? Tall building? High ground?
Vehicle – How will you get to high ground? Is your evacuation vehicle ready to go?
Evacuation to Elevation – How ready are you for an evacuation scenario in general?
Safety & Secondaries – Is the primary emergency the only emergency that’s going to happen?

Warnings
1. In the past several years, especially since the 2004 Indonesian earthquake and resulting Tsunami that hit Thailand, warning systems including seismic sensors, Tsunami detecting buoys, and communication and warning systems have been improved dramatically. If you live (or are visiting) an area at risk for Tsunamis, have you checked to learn about the official warning system? Who gives it? Will they give you any instruction? What does the siren sound like?

2. In some instances an incoming Tsunami will draw water away from a beach as it heads toward shore. In fact, in 2004, an Australian Life Guard working in Phuckett, Thailand knew what it meant for the tide to go out farther than normal and he managed to clear his beach and get guests to safety. Keep an eye on the tide, but don’t go to the beach to look at it. Stay away if a Tsunami Watch (and especially a Warning) is given.

Altitude
1. One term you’ll hear is “vertical evacuation.” This means go up, either to upper floors in a strong building, or to high ground.

2. Where is the destination you’d go in a particular area? One habit to get into, regardless of the emergency or where you might be, is to look around for emergency warnings, gear, shelter, supplies, and evacuation destinations.

3. Look around your area and remember which buildings are more substantial. Some may actually have Tsunami info posted telling visitors that in event of a Tsunami they are either to head to upper floors (but NEVER use the stairs!) or to vacate the building in favor of a different location.

Vehicle
1. In any evacuation scenario you may have to rely on your primary vehicle to get you out of harms’ way. Is yours ready? Do you always have your keys on you? Do you keep the tank full at all times?

2. Though we mention your vehicle here, we’ll revisit the fact that your evacuation destination might well be an upper floor of the building you’re in. Your decision on whether to go to an upper floor or higher ground location should be dictated by A) Time – how long before the first wave hits and how much time you might need to get to another location, B) Where you’ll be the safest, C) Road conditions and current traffic since you don’t want to be sitting unprotected in gridlock traffic, D) Whether or not you need to provide safety to others, and E) Where are your safety supplies and gear?

3. With Tsunami’s getting in your vehicle as early as possible after a watch or warning is crucial. The faster you evacuate the area (safely) the more you help others by being out of the way when the less prepared try to get to safety.

Evacuation to Elevation
1. As you contemplate heading to upper floors or higher ground (now, while we’re discussing this academically and it’s not an actual emergency), remember that this scenario is an evacuation that is coupled somewhat with shelter-in-place reactions. Therefore, you want to be equipped and ready for both. So… where’s your kit? What does it contain? Will it help you get out of harm’s way as well as sustain you once you get where you’re going? Do you keep a kit at home, at work, or in the car? Maybe you have items at all three locations?

2. Since time is one of our most valuable assets in any emergency, what do you have in place that will help you save time in this scenario? We mentioned keeping your car gassed and ready (sitting in line at a gas station is not a model of an efficient evacuation), and we just mentioned your gear. How about knowledge? Do you know where you might go? Do you have hardcopy maps in case the smart phone isn’t working or the cell towers are down? Do you have alternate ways to communicate with loved ones if primary communication methods don’t work?

Safety & Secondaries
1. Misery loves company, so one of the key points to keep in mind is that a major emergency is not going to be the only emergency. You might have made it under a table in time in the earthquake, but what about the dam up the river that was cracked and is about to break? What if there’s a panicked evacuation and you or a family member are injured? How ready are you for that? Do you have your first aid gear? Are you trained to use it?

2. Need a list of things to keep in mind? Tsunamis don’t just happen, they’re usually triggered by earthquakes. So, when the earthquake hits are you going to automatically think “Tsunami?” How about fire? Fire is all too common an occurrence after destructive events – even floods. And floods? What if the dam breaks after an earthquake? Do you know how many dams there are in the US alone?

3. The main point here is to be ready for “the other shoe to drop.” Maintain your composure in the first emergency by being prepared so that when the second emergency crops up you’re able to handle that as well.

Though just a small, small section of Disaster Prep 101, we wanted to pass this along to make you think of two things. One, disasters are survivable if you’re prepared. Two, there is so much more to know with Tsunami preparedness (or any disaster) than an academic discussion of how the event occurs – which is pretty much all we’ll get from the news channels.

Besides, it’s not the job of the media to make us prepare. It’s our job since the safety and security of our own family rests squarely on our own shoulders.

How ready are you? Did the news today give you a good wake-up call?

Categories
General Preparedness Personal Preparedness Personal Stories Preparedness tips

An Identity Theft Tip

An incident happened yesterday that nearly involved law enforcement, and served as a reminder to pass along to you. But first, a tiny bit of my background so you’ll know where this comes from.

It’s a long story, but part of my background in risk management involves a number of years working a variety of case types as a private investigator. Many of the cases I worked involved fraud or other forms of theft including identity theft (which is why I provide useful information in that area in Disaster Prep 101). Today, I still maintain my investigator’s licensing and my certification as an instructor though most of my work centers on terrorism and natural disaster preparedness.

So, back to the incident.

I was in a retail establishment, had just finished paying for my items and was standing at the end of the checkout counter to look at a sales flier real quick.

The guy in line behind me was checking out and gave the cashier a credit card. The card was swiped and then I noticed the cashier look at the card and then turn and type something on a small pad next to the register. It was a cell phone.

The customer got his receipt and I tapped him on the shoulder and said “Hang on just a second, I think the cashier might have something of yours.”

I asked the cashier what the device was next to the register and why it was being accessed during a transaction. I was angrily told “It’s none of your concern sir.”

I said “I need to talk with your manager right NOW!” The cashier got on the PA system and called for a manager. I turned to the guy I had asked to wait and explained to him why this might be a risk. I was still keeping a close eye on the cashier.

While we were waiting (only a minute or so) for the manager, the cashier furtively placed a calculator next to the register and slid the cell phone into her front left pants pocket.

The manager arrived and I explained quickly who I was, what I do, and what I’d seen. On hearing that, the four of us went into the manager’s office where I confronted the cashier on what I’d seen. She claimed it was a calculator she was using to calculate tax. Before I could respond, the manager said “The register does all that. Why did you need to figure tax? Let me see your phone.”

The entire affair took about an hour and when I asked to see the store’s surveillance footage, the cashier confessed. Turns out she was simply in the middle of a text conversation with a friend and no credit card data was stolen or shared. She was scared because she wasn’t supposed to be texting while on the clock.

But, it served as a great reminder how easy it is to have our data stolen so I thought I’d pass this along while giving a few identity theft prevention tips.

1. Shred your trash and don’t make it easy for thieves to get your information that way. This is pretty much common knowledge.

2. Don’t fill in the blanks for “officials” over the phone. Some thieves will dig up a little information on you and then call to make it sound like they’re with the bank, a doctor’s office, collection agency or some other authority figure that “needs to verify your information.” Don’t do it. If it’s a company name you recognize, tell them you’ll hang up and call them back through their main number that you get from your known source.

3. Don’t give out too much info online. Another bit of common knowledge.

4. At ATMs, pay close attention to the card reader. Most are internal to the ATM and don’t protrude from the surface of the machine. If it does protrude, it might be that someone has stuck a fake reader on top of the ATM for the sole purpose of having their reader get the card info off your magnetic stripe. Some thieves even go to the length of adding a small surveillance camera to read your pin number as you try to access your account.

5. Your credit card. Granted, you’re probably careful with your card, but here’s where this incident comes into play. Some card thieves use cell phones to steal info. They may use their phone’s camera to photo your card, or they may simply dial your card number as if it was a phone number. Either way, there’s your credit card number on their phone. I’ve read numerous case studies where cashiers used good memories for bad reasons. They’d look at a card, hand it back to you, and then turn and punch in the numbers or write them down in a second. With some stores, all they have to remember is the first 12 number since they can print a duplicate receipt which usually shows the last 4 digits of your card. There have also been cases where conniving cashiers brought in an electronic reader and swiped the card through it as if it was part of the store’s cash register system. Personally, I’m a big fan of stores where the card swipe machine lets you maintain possession of your card and it’s never handed to a cashier at all.

The bottom line of all this is to remind you to be aware of who has access to your financial information and to keep your eyes open even when you think you’re in a safe place. After all, that’s also the essence of good disaster preparedness, right?

Paul Purcell – Disaster Prep 101
Available through 1-800-Prepare

Categories
Food and Water General Preparedness Preparedness tips

A Food safety Tip

I travel all over the country giving preparedness presentations to a wide variety of audiences.

So who watches my place while I’m gone?

Usually my better half does, but sometimes she travels with me and neighbors keep an eye on security, plus we have an array of systems, services, electronics, etc. to help keep us safe.

But who monitors the food in the fridge? And why should anyone?

Here’s why. Some times when we get home it’s obvious there’s been a power outage. We can tell because all the clocks on the appliances that took us so long to set are now back to showing a zero or a blinking “12.”

That begs the questions, “How long was the power out, and how safe is the food?” “If we eat something, is it going to make us sick?”

Naturally, the first thing we do is ask the neighbors when we see them. And, we have some indicators we set in place before leaving.

If you travel like we do and want to know how things are when you get home, here are a few things to do to ensure food safety.

1. Take a saucer, put an ice cube in the middle of it and set it all back in the freezer. If you come home from a trip and the cube has melted and refrozen as a little pond in the saucer, then the power was out long enough for some of your more perishable items to be tossed. Things like mayonnaise, raw meats, etc. that could be very bad for you should be tossed. Other things like milk or vegetables that you can still tell whether they’re good or not (milk will sour, veggies will wilt, and so on) and can be checked and possibly saved.

2. Another thing we do is we keep two-liter plastic bottles full (well, 3/4 full actually. Need to leave room for ice expansion) of water that we stick in the freezer and let freeze solid. We do this so that if we do have a power outage, the fridge stays colder longer and so does our food. We lay the bottles on their side and when they freeze, the air bubble is along the top side of the bottle. We turn this 1/4 turn in the freezer so that the air bubble is on the side. If we come home and not only is the cube melted, but the bubble in the bottle is now at the top, that means the power was out for several hours and pretty much everything that was perishable needs to be tossed.

Better safe than sorry, and these are a couple of no-cost tricks that can help you stay safe and healthy when coming home from vacation.

Paul Purcell
Author – Disaster Prep 101
Available through 1-800-Prepare

Categories
General Preparedness Preparedness Planning

The Number One Goal of Disaster Preparedness

Sometimes, when I’m doing an on-site presentation to a group I’ll start by saying something like, “There is ONE secret to true disaster readiness that I’ll tell you at the end of my presentation.”

For my readers here today, I’ll be more direct and to the point.

The number one goal of disaster preparedness is confidence.

It’s confidence in knowing that whatever comes your way you’ve done what you can to keep your family safe.

Now granted, there’s no such thing as absolute serenity or peace, because we all know the worries we have about things that might go wrong, things other people might do, bad stuff that could happen to the ones we love and so on.

But, if you can sit and watch the evening news and see different disasters that befall others and you can sit there and say 1) “Yes, we’ve covered this in our family planning,” and 2) “Yes, we have the supplies we would need in that kind of situation,” then you should have a fair degree of confidence that you and yours are much better off that the millions who think family preparedness is not their responsibility.

Anyone who’s made it all the way through high school will still have the occasional flashback of going to class and having that pop-quiz that sent your heart straight to your throat. Many of us still have dreams where we show up to class and learn it’s final exam day and we didn’t study! Still have those? How much did you wish you had studied? Well for family emergencies, multiply that stress level times a thousand. You’ll wish you had covered the emergency in your plan and had the supplies you needed.

Remember the two key elements though: Planning and Supplies. Both go hand in hand, with a slightly greater emphasis on planning. The balance is there though. Knowledge without the ability to act is useless, and sitting on a pile of gear you have no idea what to do with is pointless. So focus on both.

Here’s a quick acronym to help. We usually give a more detailed explanation, but you’ll understand: The word is C.A.R.E. If you CARE about your family, you’ll give them:

Confidence by helping with their
Awareness (of what might happen, what you’ll do to react, and communication methods for getting early warning something’s about to happen),
Resources or supplies to make sure they have enough goods and gear on hand to weather the storm, and
Education or training to make sure everyone understands the family plan and has actually practiced the steps.

Practice is study and study is what gets you ready and gives you the confidence to face the “pop-quizzes” that mother nature or mankind might throw at us.

Paul Purcell – “Disaster Prep 101”

Categories
Uncategorized

Take a Hike!!

Literally. Or at least a nice walk. It’ll do you good.

The first chapter in “Disaster Prep 101” covers your health; the many reasons it’s your most important preparedness foundation and the simple ways you can improve yours.

Here are but a few disaster-related reasons good health is important:
1. In a disaster, the first thing to hit you is stress. The better your health, the easier the stress will be on you. (PTSD mitigation and prevention.)
2. If you are injured or infected by whatever the emergency is, the healthier you are, the faster you’ll snap back.
3. During any physical labor for search and rescue, cleanup, helping victims, etc., the greater your stamina the easier things will be for you.
4. Being healthy in general keeps you out of hospitals and frees up room for victims of future mishaps.

Health is your foundation for all other preparedness measures and you should start there first. It’s the good foundation on which your “house of readiness and self reliance” is built. So start with you and your well-being first.

In fact, focus on your health before doing pretty much anything else since it’s top of your priorities list.

We hear lots from people trying to sell us on the doomsday philosophy that society is going to collapse and you need to hoard gold, silver, and jewels. As soon as we ask these people questions like “Well how are you going to get full market value for your hoarded gold if society has collapsed and the functional economy along with it?” or “Then how come your trying to sell your gold, silver, and jewelry?” they usually clam up.

Then once we explain to them that the best investments you can make are in yourself; your health and well-being and your skill sets since “no matter where you go, there you are,” we find they start to listen. Always, always, always invest in you and your family first before anything else.

To help, here’s a quick priority list for you:

A. Do something to improve your health every day. Take a walk, take the stairs, cut down on junk food or vices.
B. Get the basics for your family. Get a starter kit (most people call them 72-hour kits), a smoke detector, and a fire extinguisher.
C. Create your basic family emergency plan.
D. Invest in your skill sets. Take a CPR class, a first aid class, learn more about family financial planning, or take a cooking class so you’ll know how to make your food supplies last. Even learning to cut hair is a barterable skill.
E. Expand on each of the above. Gather gear as needed, take more classes, and always put you and your health first.

Skip the gold and jewels and take a hike!! Focus on you. You’ll be all the better for it in the short run and long run.

Paul Purcell – “Disaster Prep 101”