Emergency Prep Modules

Emergency Prep is comprised of two important elements: Supplies and Knowledge

• Thought: Skills require tools and tools require skills.

• Another thought: There is no such thing as bad weather; just bad equipment (and training).

Knowing how to use something does you no good if you don't have one, and likewise, what good is having something if you don't know how to use it? The Emergency Prep part of this program focuses largely on the supplies, leaving the knowledge part of it up to you. Sure this may take some time, but this education will pay major dividends if you ever need to use it. And don't let it stop at you. Make sure every capable person in your house knows how to use all of your equipment. Remember, you may not even be home when the big one hits. It would be sad for your family to suffer because you were the only one who knew how everything worked, but were not home when it was needed. So to help you and your family all get familiar with all of your emergency prep efforts, we have come up with a documentation method, called the Home Manual, which will serve as a reference manual for all of your equipment. This Home Manual is the first Emergency Prep module we cover and we will go into much deeper detail on what it does and how to put it together. But with this, make sure your family is still seeing first hand how all of your equipment works.

When trying to justify some of these items, consider that many of them will double as camping gear. I do this all the time and I even use camping as an excuse to get out and get comfortable with some of these items. If you can, take opportunities to test your families' tolerance to some of the situations we talk about, such as power outages or more serious situations like being displaced outside the home. For example, try going 24 hours without the lights. This sounds simple enough, but let your kids experience it first hand. They'll probably have fun with this drill. And then step it up a bit. Try camping in the backyard for an evening. Try it again when conditions are not exactly ideal, such as when it is a little cooler. Break out the blankets or even heaters. Give your a generator a try. If you really want to test your family, try it in the winter (not fair if you live in Hawaii). Try surviving off of your food storage for a whole week. There are lots of ways you can start getting your family familiar with the situations that you are preparing for. The more familiar they are with some of this, the less of a shock it will be when something actually happens.

Keep in mind that the information contained within each of these modules is designed to be a guide, or even a suggestion. Recognize when your individual circumstances may warrant changes to or deviations from this program. For example, if you live in Hawaii, you may not need portable heaters. Make these changes as necessary. Do what is best for you and your family.