Critical Components - Chapters of Your Preparedness Plan

Posts By: Doug

If you are in the process of reading this you don’t need to be convinced of the need for greater self reliance.But you can probably use some help developing and implementing a simple preparedness plan.Where to start?!What if we lose all outside services (phone, power, etc) for several days or a week? What if an emergency drives us out of our home for several days or a week?

First, bear in mind that many of us are already partially prepared.Personal experience, knowledge and skills, in addition to many items we normally have in our homes, are all components of our preparedness for emergencies. At this point, the purpose of this blog is to share ideas to help you identify what you already have, and then to help you identify what you still need to complete your preparedness plan.We will try to do this in a logical format that will allow you to list what you need, identify what you have and don’t have, and prioritize your activities to achieve the level of emergency preparedness you desire.Don’t worry about actual results yet – just the skeleton of a plan.Future posts will provide in-depth or “how-to” details about everything mentioned here.

There are several very helpful organizations, such as the Red Cross, that offer comprehensive personal preparedness information and advice about personal preparedness kits.The bottom line is that your personal preparedness kit should contain everything you need to survive - on your own - for a minimum of 72 hours.This is particularly important in the event of a major disaster or when emergency shelters may not be available for a week or more.The following is a list of the top ten categories to consider in your preparedness planning – the Chapters of your Self Reliance Preparedness Plan.

1.First aid kit

2.Water

3.Medication and other critical health related items

4.Food

5.Sanitation

6.Tools

7.Clothing and bedding

8.Emergency car kit

9.Important family documents

10.Shelter and warmth

Again, this list is provided to generate your thoughts and ideas about each of these categories.Your living conditions or lifestyle may provide what you need in some of these categories.Our process is to help you identify the ‘gaps’ in your preparedness.

You will build your plan and construct your own preparedness kit using as many items already in your home, and then supplement as needed.Keep in mind that each family member has varied and different needs, so we recommend that you design your own kits based upon those individual needs.Don’t rely upon commercial kits - which will not meet the specific needs of the individual family members.And finally, don’t forget that your household pets will each require their own emergency preparedness kit.