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Disasters 101: A List for Those That Think It Will Never Happen

Avatar for Gaye Levy Gaye Levy  |  Updated: August 24, 2021
Disasters 101: A List for Those That Think It Will Never Happen

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Disasters come in all flavors.  If you are reading this blog, you probably know that but still, there is a huge contingent that thinks “it will never happen to me”.  Think again.

Today, for the uninitiated who are considering the prepper lifestyle but have not committed,  I have prepared a list of varying types of emergencies from natural, mother earth types, to the horrific, man-made types.  Read through the list and you will understand why you need to adopt a family preparedness lifestyle.

Disaster 101

Mother Earth: Natural Disasters and Destructive Weather

  • Severe storms
  • Floods
  • Hurricanes
  • Tsunamis
  • Tornadoes
  • Earthquakes
  • Volcano eruptions
  • Typhoons
  • Tropical storms
  • Heat waves
  • Ice storms
  • Forest fires

Disease and Medical Disasters

  • Pandemics
  • E-Coli
  • Food poisoning
  • Infectious diseases
  • AIDS and other immune system disorders
  • Personal sickness

Environmental Degradation & Crisis

  • Water pollution
  • Air pollution
  • Tainted farmland
  • Global warming, weather man-made or part of a natural cycle

Economic Collapse

  • Depression or recession
  • Massive unemployment
  • Civil unrest and riots
  • Monetary system failure
  • Food shortage
  • Home foreclosure
  • Bank failure

Technology and Other Failures

  • Power grid failures
  • Nuclear plant melt-downs
  • Refinery explosions and fires

Weapons of Mass Destruction and Worse

  • Anthrax
  • Dirty bomb
  • Chemical or biological attack
  • Terrorist attack
  • Nuclear war
  • World war

The Final Word

Yes, the list of scary and hopefully, some of these disasters, especially the last section, “Weapons of Mass Destruction” will never occur (or shall I say never occur again).  But there are no guarantees.  The best we can do is be prepared.  With preparation we will still have fear – but we will also have the knowledge and the tools to do the very best we can to survive in the most dire of circumstances.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

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Bargain Bin:  Today I recap some of my own picks and reader favorites.

Lodge 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet:  Who would of thought I would trade my fancy schmanzy Analon skillet for this old-fashioned basic?

Lodge Set of 2 Pan Scrapers:  A must have for your cast iron skillet.  Dirt cheap and worth twice the price.

Ove Gloves:  Another must have.  Be sure to get two – one for each hand.  BTW, they wash up beautifully.

Movie: The Road:  Or the book version. I prefer the quick fix but commenters have said the book is incredible.

Documentary – Collapse:  This Nat Geo series will keep you awake thinking about it.  This is a real call to action.

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day:  Or the original, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

How to Live on Wheat:  Excellent all around primer on all things wheat.

Mylar Bags and Oxygen Absorbers:  Essential for long term food storage.  I prefer the one gallon sized bags but YMMV.

Pepper Spray:  This does not replace your shotgun but is small and easy to get to in a myriad of situations.

Kingston 8GB Digital DataTraveler:  You can never have too many flash drives.  This is an essential component for storing copies of important documents and reference manuals in your bug out bag.  (And if you are lucky, you will have power to retrieve them.)

~~~~~

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17 Responses to “Disasters 101: A List for Those That Think It Will Never Happen”

  1. Good lists. The one by Jerry Young (2013) was both funny and seemingly all-inclusive.

    The important thing to do is to plan for what you MIGHT expect to happen where you live right now. Of course, ANYthing is possible, but some things are more likely to happen than others (especially climate-related events for your geographical area).

    Planning requires thinking. For instance: If you’re planning for a possible tsunami, you’ll either want a boat parked in your front yard or find a home on a hill. Likewise, if you’re planning for a possible forest fire, you’ll want to think about clearing a WIDE swath around your woodland home OR building your home using steel studs, stucco, wallboard, tin roofing, rammed earth, etc. and include a basement using concrete walls. Earthquakes and tornadoes and floods will each have specific details to consider. If your house is already existing, what mitigating factors should you choose (perhaps a pond and a pump and a hose? a sprinkler installation? installing outside faucets and hoses located some distance from the structure? etc.)?

    Basically, What questions should you be asking?

    Planning for a specific disaster should prompt you to ask the Whos? the What ifs? the Wheres? the Hows or how muchs?

    Start by compiling a written list. Include everything (at first), despite how preposterous it might sound. As you write down each item your brain will probably suggest another thought or idea to add. It is best to do this activity in a group (make it a game with children) in order to capture the widest possible range of scenarios. This activity could easily take ten minutes or more depending on where you live.

    Next, do some free-writing about each item on your list. The process I’m describing is called “brain storming” and it is incredibly effective in getting your thinking juices flowing. Pausing at every single “what-if,” you should be able to write a sizable paragraph about it. Describe it thoroughly based on what you already know and what you may surmise. Having read lots of prepper articles in advance will help you immensely. There are also some REALLY good books (both fact and fiction) out there that should be of some help as well (I like the two by A. American).

    Then put it away for a day or so and revisit your list to see if you’ve thought up something new and write about that as well.

    To get through a list like Jerry’s it will take several months, so only consider the most likely things YOU might have to survive.

    The training you’ll need to survive, the tools and equipment you’ll need to become adept at using, the food and water sources AND their storage considerations will become clearer in your mind and you’ll want to make additional plans to allow for what MIGHT happen to you or your supplies. For example, if your preps include the possibility of a raging forest fire, perhaps you can escape BUT an underground storage facility (or a buried metal garbage can) may be something you’ll want to consider for storing some of your food, water, or flammable materials.

    Using your brain in “advance planning” is (I believe) the single most important survival step you can make. Wishing they’d made advance plans AFTER the event will be tragic for most people. Will you be prepared or dismayed? It is your choice.

  2. A few years ago the area where my father lived was hit by a forest fire. His home was in line with the path of the fire. He had several hours lead time before having to evacuate. He gathered all of his important papers, photos and clothing. Nothing else mattered to him. His home burned. He was not bothered for the most part and was able to rebuild quickly. He had a plan in place for such a time as this. One of the main reasons was that our home burned 30 years prior to this fire. The fire marshal never figured out what happened in the first fire other than it was from natural causes. It happened when no one was home fortunately but it was by far more devastating as we were not prepared in the least and had no way to prepare for this type of event. I am reading Going Home and have decided that I will always carry a bag in my car and several items in my handbag. I cannot have weapons at work so that is out but I can have things in place in the event of a disaster either at home or at work.

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