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.