Preparation, is it Worth the Price

The Headline read ”Man found frozen in his car. A victim of last weeks'  blizzard and subzero temperatures.”

You are driving in a white out snowstorm, you hit a picture perfect piece of black ice. and the next thing you know you are in the ditch a snow drift almost covering your car. You haven’t seen another vehicle in hours.

What now you think I should have bought that auto supply kit. Just then your wife says; I’m sure glad I decided to buy that family road kit, it has everything we need to stay comfy until help arrives. You breathe a sigh of relief knowing your family is safe for the time being. You pass out snacks and warm covers, break out the deck of cards, how handy learning about survival while playing Rummy you think to yourself and settle in for a slightly uncomfortable evening in a snowdrift in your car.

Surviving disasters requires making provisions ahead of time, a great deal of thought should be used trying to visualize the scenarios that could come up. What would we need in a particular situation, food, shelter, water, heat?

The time for decisions is not when disaster strikes but in the weeks or months or even years before. Are you or a loved one taking maintenance medication daily. Would you be prepared for that?

The human body is 60-70 percent water that is 120 pounds of water on a 200-pound man.  To keep from dehydrating a person should drink 2 gallons per day. The time for learning how to purify water is now before emergencies occur. Boiling is the standard method. Do you have a pot or the means to make a fire to boil the water? There are other ways if no fire is available: Chlorine tablets 1-2 tablets are needed for 1 gal of water, be sure to give them time to do the job of killing the bacteria, or parasites. If no tablets are available then go to your wife's laundry room and find that jug of Chlorine bleach 8-10 drops of bleach in a gallon of clear water, twice that much if it is cloudy or murky.  Then let it set for 30 minutes, give it time to work. There will be a noticeable smell of chlorine if not you might want to give it another few drops and 15 more minutes just to be extra safe.

Survival kits can be acquired in many forms, food storage items, meals, fruits, powdered milk for the home or garage, one for your vehicle, especially in winter weather conditions. Extra blankets or sleeping bags to curl up in to stay warm and dry, maybe a few candles to burn to help warm the air.

One very important thing that is often overlooked in emergency preparation is physical conditioning. A strong healthy body is one of the best tools for surviving in any situation. The ability to gather wood for a fire or branches for a shelter or bed. Knowing how to utilize the tools provided in a kit or backpack is crucial to making it out alive.

How much is that assurance worth? Is it worth the price of a life to not be ready for disaster when it comes?