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What Does It Mean: Emergency Preparedness?

© Donna Satterlee

To answer this question we first need to decide what is an emergency? Is it only when a catastrophic event occurs? What does that mean; a natural disaster or major medical trauma? Or, is an emergency a negative or unfortunate event that happens unexpectedly?

Webster says an emergency is: “1 : an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action 2 : an urgent need for assistance or relief.”

For our purposes it is all of the above. So emergency preparedness must mean to be prepared for any or all of the above circumstances. Wow! That could prove to be a daunting thought! But it doesn’t have to be.

Where To Begin?

At the beginning of course. Where might that be? By developing a preparedness plan. You should sit down and develop a plan that will meet your goals, fit into your budget and most importantly, meet your family’s needs. First you should decide on a time frame that you want your emergency preparedness program to cover. Most advisors recommend a minimum of 3 days. You can chose to develop a plan that will support you for a day, three days, for a month, three months or even a year; it is entirely up to you. Once you have established a time frame, I suggest you create a list of every item you can think of that you might possibly need and use over the time period you plan to prepare for. At this point it doesn’t matter whether or not they make sense, just get them down on paper.

Once your list is done, you can begin evaluating and eliminating non-essential items. Ask yourself, “If, in an emergency situation could I live without this item and still survive?” If the answer is “Yes” then move it to a column that might be labeled, “If Space and Finances Allow.”

Items to Consider

Some items that you should consider for your list should definitely include water and food. How much do you need, where and how will you store it and how will you prepare it? Also, what about shelter should something happen to your home? The American Red Cross recommends that you have at least a gallon of water per person per day. They also recommend that you should have enough water for at least three days. The same recommendations are made for your food supply, which should be non-perishable.

I hope that this has helped you to start to develop your own preparedness plan. Each plan and the required items are unique to your family and survival goals. Next month we will offer you a look at our “must haves” for your preparedness list.