Preparing for a Disaster - Where to Start

Have you seen the headlines claiming food shortages are looming as inflation is rising? Are you wondering what steps you can take to help protect yourself and your family? After the Covid-era shutdowns and shortages, many people have taken the idea of preparedness more seriously and have at least made some preliminary efforts towards this end. If you have not yet done so, don't worry, you can get a start today with a quick visit to the grocery store.

First, let me say that as Christians, we are called to have faith in God, so we should not allow ourselves to become paralyzed by fear. Nonetheless, God has gifted us with both a brain and a variety of abilities so it only makes sense to put those gifts to use. With this in mind, I am writing this post is to give you a few resources and ideas to help you take action to become a bit more prepared to weather a disaster.  

What should be your main focus? Well, if you read any beginning survival or prepper post, they all recommend focusing first on food, water, shelter, heat, and sometimes health. This is a good starting place. Next time you are at the grocery store, purchase a few extra cans of food, some bottles of water, and some first aid supplies. You could throw in some good quality multi-vitamins as well. Make sure you have extra blankets on hand.  If you don't have a non-electric source of heat, consider purchasing some hand warmers or an indoor-safe method of heat. When we experienced our own personal disaster many years ago, we started by stocking up more on canned goods, rice, and beans. We added other items as our knowledge increased and our budget allowed.

Here is a very basic list to get you started: 

Basic Emergency Kit List by Ready.gov: Click here

Below you will find some basic comments on each section to help steer you in the right direction and some links to products you may find helpful. The links below are affiliate links - we may earn a bit should you purchase from these links. We thank you in advance for any and all support. : )

Food:

There are so many options for an emergency food pantry. Among these are dehydrated (or dried), freeze dried, and canned foods. It may be easiest to start by buying extra cans of what you already eat to build up your pantry.  Canned goods can be easily heated or even eaten without being heated in an emergency.

Note: Dry beans and rice are sometimes touted as the basis for food preparedness. They are fabulous to include in your emergency plan.  They last a long time and they provide important protein and nutrients. They do, however, require a lot of water to prepare, so keep that in mind if you find yourself in a situation where you have to ration water.

Water:

Bottled water is easy to store, but the quality of some brands can be questionable, even without considering the microplastics that could be seeping in from their plastic container. Nonetheless, it is better to have water in plastic bottles than to have no water at all.  Look for BPA free packaging. Other options are to store tap water in other food safe containers. If doing this, be sure to be aware of safe water purification, storage, and filtering options. 

Shelter:

Your home is typically your first choice for shelter. If this is no longer an option, such as in cases of fire, flooding, storms, etc., then having an alternate plan is helpful. You might want to talk to family members in other geographical areas to see if they would take you in should an emergency arise. You can pay back the favor by offering a safe space for them should they have an emergency. Other options include a camp trailer (if you have one) or a tent if you have the ability to travel to a safe area where camping is allowed.

Health:

Being as healthy as you can before an emergency is ideal, so do your best to get in shape now. Emergencies of any kind can be stressful, which can take a toll on your health so starting out healthy helps. As mentioned above, having a bottle of multivitamins in your emergency kit is a good idea. If you find yourself in a situation where your food choices are limited, it can help to fill in the gaps. If you take medication, it would be helpful to have a bit extra on hand in case you are not able to get to a pharmacy for your next refill. I highly recommend having a first aid kit on hand to be sure you can properly clean and bandage scrapes, burns, etc. Benadryl is a great item to include for an unexpected allergic reaction to food, bees, etc. 

Lighting: 

Lighting is not a problem if the electricity is running, but in the case of a power outage, you need to have other options.  We have several options at the house including oil lamps, candles, solar lamps, flashlights with extra batteries, and a crank charge lamp. Here are a couple of  my favorite options:

MPOWERD Luci Inflatable Solar Light: Click here

We use these and they are fabulous.  They are lightweight. They are easy to store flat when not in use, but are still able to recharge while flattened. They can be blown up when you want to use them and can be hung just about anywhere.

Candles: Click here for a beeswax taper candle option.

"Two is one and one is none." Have you ever heard this phrase? It is a good reminder to have more than one source for anything in your emergency kit. No matter what emergency lighting you plan to use, it is good to have a backup. We use candles to backup our flashlights and solar lanterns. I like them because they provide both light and heat. While you can find scented candles on clearance in many stores, beeswax candles are natural option that offer a pleasant fragrance without the toxic fumes. My personal favorites are beeswax taper candles (see link above). Tapers provide a good amount of light for their size and are quite portable. We have a set of chamberstick candle holders with handles that make it easy to carry a taper whether lit or not. Our chamberstick holders are, similar to, but not as nice as, these. 

Heating: 

If you live in a warm area, heating your home or shelter may not be an issue, though even some warmer climates can get cold at night. If you live in a more temperate area, staying warm will be crucial if the electricity is out.  Having extra blankets on hand is a great idea. If you already have a non-electric heating option such as a wood or gas stove in your home you are better off than many people. There are a few options for heating even without a stove, but they typically don't heat a large area. If you lose electricity and have no non-electric stove, choose one room you can close off to heat since that will decrease the amount of square footage you are trying to keep warm.  Some people even suggest setting up a tent in your bedroom or living room to give yourself a smaller area to heat.

Here are a couple of non-electric heating options that are currently popular:

Candle and Clay Pot Heater: 

We tried this method when our electricity went out one winter day.  It involves using candles set under an elevated clay pot. While the pot gave off some warmth, it was not enough to heat a whole room. It might work better if you have a a tiny room or a tent (not something I care to try due to the fire danger), but I wouldn't want to be in a position where I had to rely on this method for heating. Nonetheless, it is an option and is easy to put together. I found a good article that discusses the pros and cons of this method: Click here for the article.

Vesta Emergency Stove and Heater: Click here

I love the idea of this stove.  It is small and compact, but has the ability to heat and cook. While in heater mode, the heat-activated fan turns to better distribute heat throughout the room. The grill allows you to cook using a small pot or pan. I don't know how much space it is capable of heating, but if you plan to close off a room or set up a tent, it will certainly help. Like with candles and any flame, beware of the fire danger with this type of heater. Also be sure to get indoor-safe canned heat to fuel it.

Feel free to share your ideas in the comments section!

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