Well, it’s September again, and that means that it’s National Preparedness Month here in the US. Now I know that a lot of you are saying “So what!” and I can understand that. What we need to realize though is that for us Preppers, it’s actually a good thing. Many cities and states have tax-free weekends during this month and you can usually save some money on everything from guns and ammo to camping equipment. If you live in the real world like I do, then it is always good to save a few bucks on things you need for your preps. Today we are going to take a look at just what this month means and what other ways we can take advantage of it.
Each week in September is set aside for a different type of disaster for example week 1 this year is Flood, week 2 is Wildfire, week 3 is Hurricane, and week 4 is Power Outage. Each week there will be a different opportunity to improve our skills and preps, as well as learn more about that type of disaster. At the end of this post, I will place several links to more information about preparing for these and other disasters that I have found on the internet. Now, for those of you that may not know, FEMA has changed their recommendation about having supplies on hand for 72 hour, to recommending that everyone has at least 5 days’ worth of food and water on hand at all times. While, if you are like me, you have considerable more than that, but some of your friends and neighbors may not be aware of it and you should probably share the information with them.
This year’s catch phrase for Preparedness Month is “Don’t wait, Communicate!” This brings to mind the idea that maybe this would be a good time to dig out that set of walkie-talkies that you have buried in your preps and make sure they still work and that you know how to use them. Also check to be sure that you have plenty of good batteries for them as well. Don’t be afraid to talk to your neighbors this month and mention what this month is as well. Who knows, this may just be the time you finally get through to them. You could direct them to www.ready.gov and ready.gov/prepare for some ideas on getting started. Hopefully, once they see that even the Government is trying to get them to prepare, maybe they will begin to think about prepping a little more seriously.
Another part of the National Preparedness Month theme is “Make your emergency plan today.” That is some advice that we could all use. Do you have a written action plan for all of the different disaster scenarios that you can think of? If not, now might be a good time to work on one. Most of us, and myself included have a written plan for things like EMP, Economic Collapse, Cyber Attack on our power infrastructure and attack by a foreign country all laid out, but what about a flood or a fire, what would you do then? It is important to prep for all forms of disaster and know in advance what you need to do. Don’t just plan for the big ones; plan for all of them and this month is a good time to start.
Be sure your family knows where you will be heading if a disaster forced you to leave your home, and that you have everyone’s information as well. There will also be tons of information available from the Government on how to prepare for some of them. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t really trust our current Government myself, but I am sure that there will be some good usable information there if we take the time to weed through it. Information on Emergency alerts, as an example, would be great to have for your Prepper groups EOC. If you own your own business, now would be a good time to go through your preparedness plans for it as well.
I would watch the local papers and stores for specials this month and you could also check with your local Red Cross and see if they have any special training they are offering to the public this month. Look around and take advantage of everything you can. I guess in a way, this month is like Christmas for us Preppers and we totally need to take advantage of every opportunity. Well I guess that is it for today and I hope I have given you something to think about and maybe even a few helpful pointers so until tomorrow, just keep on prepping!
-The Sargent-
- “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” Get started here: https://beta.ready.gov/make-a-plan
- Make a plan to connect before a #flood by text, e-mail, social media & cell. Visit our new page: http://go.usa.gov/3AqCm
- Learn what to do before, during & after a flood. Visit our new page for tips & info: http://go.usa.gov/3Aqad
- How to Prepare for Wildfire Guide http://1.usa.gov/XYcMSy
- Ready Kids: Family Communication Plan for Parents and Kids PDF http://1.usa.gov/1rTLEjY
