Basic Disaster Preparation; Action and Equipment

How should you start? What are your priorities? Based on after-action reviews of survivors of disasters ranging from tornadoes to hurricanes to wildfires to more, these are things they wished they done before and had on hand.

1. BASIC DISASTER PREPARATION FOR ALL OF US

2. 1 in 3 Americans experienced some form of climate change disaster in the past year. It’s not going to get better. Extremes in weather will become the norm. Are you prepared?

3. Trying to prepare for an emergency or disaster can be overwhelming. Both in terms of time and money. I’m giving a baseline of things you should do now. These will put you far ahead of everyone else in terms of preparation. I base this on my own experience as a Green Beret, but also having done numerous after-action reports with survivors of disasters. These are the things they wish they had done and prepared.

4. Minimum: 2 cases of water per person= $9 A basic first aid kit= $17 A survival radio= $18 A survival manual with first aid instructions= $10 Total cost= $54 Note that prices on these items shift up and down a few dollars over time. What Must You Have Now?

5. At LEAST Two Cases of water per person Why? We can last only three days without water. 2 cases is enough for a person for a six day supply (8 bottles per day). It is the #1 priority being brought in after a disaster; have it on hand beforehand. WATER— the #1 Priority Prices vary but should cost roughly $4.50. Two cases= $9

6. There are numerous prepared ones you can buy. Below is a very basic one. First Aid Kit $14.95

7. Power outages often accompany emergencies and disasters. Cell phone service and cable TV can be disrupted. Even if you have cell phone coverage, you might not be able to charge your phone. The device below includes a cell phone/USB charger and flashlight. Crank and solar charge. Portable battery/solar/crank survival radio. $13.59

8. Do you know what to do in an emergency? Basic first aid? How to improvise and get drinkable water? A manual gives you knowledge and that can save your life. Below if a pocket-sized one to keep in your home, your car, your work— wherever you might need it. . Click on image for link. Survival Manual $9.99

9. You should do an Area Study and tailor your GnG bags to your specific situation and environment. However, to get started, a basic, well-stocked, pre-made one is a good idea. I purchased this for my son to have as I feel it’s a solid buy with the right equipment. It includes water, a first aid kit, and a survival radio so it covers the basics and adds more. A Grab-n-Go Bag

10. Prepare for Evacuation/ Home Damaged There are numerous possible reasons you might need to evacuate your home or it could be destroyed. There are things you need to do now to minimize the damage and increase your ability to survive and recover: Load key information in the cloud and in a secure lockbox. Have a good Grab-n-Go bag. This covers most of the key survival supplies you will need to get you through a disaster.

11. Prepare for Evacuation/ Home Damaged Have a grab plan. I have a separate presentation on how to make one, but essentially, walk through your home. In every room, in order of priority, list the things you would need to grab if you had to evacuate. Then prioritize overall for your house, garage, etc. Then make sure you can fit that stuff in your vehicle and have on hand ways to load it (plastic bins, compactor bags, etc.) Have an Immediate Rally Point, Emergency Rally Point and Out of Area Emergency Contact for your family

12. Have a secure, water and fireproof lockbox always packed and ready to be grabbed. Also, uploading the information into the cloud gives you a backup.

13. Make a Video Record Take your cell phone and make a video of every room in your house, the property, your vehicles, and the garage. Open all drawers and video the contents. The same with closets. Upload this to the cloud and put on a thumb drive you place in the lockbox. This is an invaluable record in case your home is destroyed or damaged.

14. IRP, ERP and Out of Area Contact The Immediate Rally Point is a place you designate outside your home where everyone will gather if they have to evacuate the house. A nearby street corner works. The Emergency Rally Point is a place you designate outside the possible area of a disaster where everyone will gather if they have to evacuate the house. A well known spot far enough away works. The Out of Area Contact is someone far outside the area of possible disaster whom everyone contacts to check in with or travels to in an extreme disaster.

15. A water filter is a life-saver. After almost every disaster, from flood to tornado to wildfire, the water supply is either broken or contaminated. The survival straw is great to have in your home, car, and grab-n-go bag The one in the middle is a pump filter. The one on the right works with gravity. I use it while camping and boon docking.

16. There are water bottles with the filter built into the bottle which combines both filter and water carrier— Survivemate bottle filter. I carry this all the time.

17. Power will be out. ATMs won’t work Store computer systems will have crashed. It will be a cash environment for a while. How much? Enough for: plane or bus ticket to evac site; cost of hotel room for at least 3 nights; cost of 3 tanks full of gas; food for family for two weeks; misc. expenses. CASH

18. Doing these basic things can be a life saver. At the very least, having your key information secure can save you a lot of grief and hassle. This is very basic. To do a detailed Area Study, the Workbook on the following pages guides you through that. The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide walks you through preparation and how to survive. In Summation

19. More Free Information I’ve put all the links to free apps, all gear mentioned and web pages on my web site at www.bobmayer.com Go to the GEAR page There are also free books on my web site, updated daily.

20. New York Times bestselling author, a graduate of West Point and former Green Beret. He commanded a Green Beret A-Team and also served in a variety of other positions. He was a certified instructor at the JFK Special Warfare Center & School which trains Green Berets and also runs the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school. www.bobmayer.com