Blame it on global warming, or even end of days, but it seems that natural catastrophes are more frequent and more violent than ever. Compound this by the looming threat of terrorism, which can take several forms, biological, ordinance, or a disruption of our clean water, power or other modern necessities. Proper preparation and planning are your best defense, and can dramatically increase your chance of survival in an emergency situation.
One of the most common and effective ways to prepare is to have a 72 hour survival kit. These kits include most of the items you would need in the event of a emergency or natural disaster. Emergency preparedness experts tell us that the first 72 hours are the most crucial. This is because under most worst case scenarios, it can take emergency first responders up to 72 hours to arrive with water, food and transportation. Having a emergency survival kit for each member of your family is truly a must have item. The question becomes what should you pack? What are the essential items? How can you be sure you haven't forgotten some important item?
Once an emergency such as a flood, earthquake of tornado strikes there is little time to pack, and even if you do have an hour or more to react the stress and chaos will make it near impossible to properly pack a proper survival kit, and that is assuming you actually have all the necessary supplies in your home. Hurricanes often afford a much longer lead times and warning, but anyone who has weathered a hurricane can tell you that staple items such as water and first aid supplies quickly go out of stock and become unavailable.
The good news is that there are several good sources available to you to start putting together your own survival supplies.
Inform everyone in your family where the survival kits are stored, preferably in a location near an exit. Develop a simple plan and make sure every member in you house knows the plan.
Survive a Natural Disaster