Preparedness Begins With A Plan

I get to talk with a lot of soon to be preppers who want to get started but don't really know where to start. My advice is the first purchase to make is a notebook. You may have some great ideas as to how you would like your family to behave and the things they should do in a crisis....but unless the plan is shared how are they to know? Ask "What If...?" Often Sit down with your spouse/family and discuss what it is that you are preparing for. What types of crises are common for the area/region you live in and put those on the top of your list. Then discuss what you both might see as larger regional, national of even world events that you feel should also be prepared for. Yes, you can put Zombie pandemic on the list...but it probably should not be at the top. Ask "What If...?" often in the conversation. What if a crisis happens during the day? What if the crisis happens at night? How would those effect the family differently?

Here are some basic discussion points that should be in your notebook. We will expound on each of these in separate future posts.

Getting Home Getting together at home might be the first step of the plan. depending on the crisis this could be more or less difficult. Discuss how each family member would get home and without communication....how would they make the determination it is safe to make the trip from their remote location? How far would they travel and how? How long would it take on a good day? How long would it take on a very bad day...and on foot?

Special Needs Do you or any member of the family have special needs? How will this effect your preparations? Any limitations? Anything important to buy and have stocked up on? Do first aid preps have what you need?

Bug Out or Bug In?

Next you should discuss what events would cause you to lock down the house and begin "sheltering in place" or Bugging in or, what events would cause you to abandon familiar territory and head to the hills or your pre-determined bug out location. Most people will choose, depending on the crisis of course, to bug in for as long as they can. if that is the plan....what would cause you to abandon it? Who is included in this plan? What about surprise guests? How Long? Water & Food Storage

How long will you make your initial preparations for? The minimum you should prepare for is 72 hours. FEMA has begun recommending 2 weeks of self sufficiency. In some cases it might take them that long to get to you, Do you plan to expand this to one, two, thee months? or more? What is your water and food plan for this time frame? Where will you store it? How will you maintain it? Who is responsible? Will this be a family exercise? Have you taken everyone's dietary needs into account?

What to put in your Family Kit? If you are planning to bug in you should have most of what you need to do so, an emergency kit, put together and ready to be used. This should include emergency radio, lighting, cooking and other necessities. At the same time, each family member should also have a bug out kit assembled and ready. Each kit will start with the basics and evolve from there. usually no two kits are the same.

TEOTWAWKI?

What if the crisis is a game changer? What if things don't go back to the way they were...at least for a very long time. What is the plan in this eventuality?.

As you can see...there is a lot to having a plan. These are just some of the basics. All of this should be written down in the notebook. Don't expect to have it all hashed out in the first discussion. It will take time and it will evolve over time.