Young Marine's Preparedness Handbook
Emergency Preparedness: How to Prepare for a Very Quick Getaway
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Emergency preparedness is something most people don't like to think
about. After all, who wants to plan for a disaster?
However, planning ahead can make all the difference if a real emergency
We'd like to begin by having you imagine what you'd do if some kind of
disaster does strike -- and you have only five or ten minutes to leave your
What would you grab (in addition to your family)?
Pets? Photos? Family heirlooms? Cash? Your computer? Jewelry?
Take a few moments and write down a list.
Next, imagine you had no warning at all -- the house is on fire and
everyone needs to leave NOW. Is there something you could grab on the
way out that wouldn't take any time at all -- but that would make a
big difference? One goal of this outline is for you to be able to answer
these questions. We'll help you prepare your financial, medical and other
records to help you be ready for a disaster -- because these records are
vital if a disaster does strike. We'll focus on ways to help you prepare for
an emergency where you don't have to leave in a few minutes.
Instead, we'll answer these questions:
- How would you take care of yourself and your family should a major disaster
- Could you feed your family and provide them with warmth and security
if life as you knew it was suddenly ripped away and a new and more
primitive world were left in its place?
Preparing Ahead Could Save Your Life
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Victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina are realizing that
emergency preparedness isn't something to be laughed at, but is
something that can mean the difference between life and death should
When preparing for disaster, you first need to think about things that
your family cannot live without -- water, food, and shelter.
Experts agree that you should have at least 2 weeks of food and water
on hand in case a disaster strikes. That means 2 weeks of food, water and
clothing for each and every member of your family.
The most important point of this article is to stock up on water. You can
live without food for much longer than you can live without water. And
dehydration is a common problem during disasters.
Allocate one gallon of water per day for each person in your family. If
a disaster occurs, it's likely to take three days for help to arrive. So, make
sure -- no matter what -- you have water for your family for three days.
Then store as much additional water as possible until you get to two
weeks worth. It's best to store water in a cool, dark place.
If you run out of water before help arrives, you can turn off the water to
your house and use the water that was reserved in your hot water tank.
Just make sure you boil it before you use it. If boiling is not possible,
add two drops of chlorine bleach for each gallon of water. Just make
sure the bleach is plain bleach and not scented or enhanced.
Make sure you also have at least three days of meals on hand, if not more.
Again, experts suggest having 2 weeks worth of food in case of an
It's easy to store canned goods and foods like power bars. Remember
that you need food with high concentrations of vitamins and minerals
but wrapped in nice, small packages with dates that don't expire for quite
Some people spend thousands of dollars on survival equipment, and store
all kinds of food. Since the chances of a disaster are reasonably small, you
probably won't want to do this. (We don't -- but we do have two weeks of
We also recommend you keep a three-day survival kit that is small that
you can grab if you do need to leave. It needs to contain food and water
for at least three days (as well as some other things we'll talk about in
this article and the other two articles).
Freeze-dried food is one option since it takes less space, but you will need
extra water to reconstitute these products. Power bars are a good option.
First Aid and Medications
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Survival isn't always about food and water. If you really want to know how
to make it in the wilderness, which is exactly what the roads of your town
can become in a state of emergency, you might want to pick up a Young
Marine’s Handbook/Boy Scout Handbook.
The YM’s HB/Boy Scout Handbook contains a lot of useful tips on how to
survive and you might find yourself needing this info in times of disaster.
It also contains great first aid info. We recommend you include this handbook
in your three-day survival kit.
In addition to food and the YM’s HB/Boy Scout Handbook, you'll want to
keep a first aid kit on hand. Make sure your first aid kit contains bandages,
Tylenol or aspirin, antiseptic and medicine for upset stomach.
You'll also need at least a two-week supply of each prescription that any
member of your family takes. This will ensure no one is without the medications
they need should disaster strike. (You should rotate these meds so that they
don't become out of date.)
We recommend you have some extra money you can easily get to because ATM
machines may well not function in an emergency.
In addition, candles, matches, flashlights, a crank radio, and lots of batteries
Camping gear -- such as lightweight butane stoves, coolers and tents -- can come
in handy. So can an adapter for your car that turns the cigarette lighter in your
car into an electrical outlet. Gortex (or similar) jackets and thermal blankets are
important for warmth. And consider a plastic waterproof box and a can of
A satellite phone would be great -- but these are very expensive. Unfortunately,
cell phones are often not very helpful during disasters. A generator is also very
useful, and some people will find that the portable models are not prohibitively
This is obviously not an exhaustive list -- it's just meant to get you thinking
about emergency preparedness.
Action: Spend a few minutes now considering what you'd need if you didn't have
electricity or communications for a week or two. And take a few minutes to
