There has been a surge of interest in survival and emergency preparation since 9/11, and for good reason. Not only was it a truly devastating event that ended with so many lost lives, but it was also a wake up call that seemed to make many of us wise of our false sense of security. We found out on that gruesome day that life doesn't always follow the script that we have written for it. Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands, and this IS one of those times. Being prepared for an emergency situation is a solid approach to adding piece of mind and a bit of extra security when times get rough, or disaster strikes. It is a simple matter of giving it some thought, and then making preparations to be better fit to survive what life may throw your way. Although you can get very elaborate with building survival kits, it is better to start simple and cover your bases. You always have the option of fortifying any area of your survival plan later once you have the foundation laid.
Although there may be 1000 things that come to mind when you start to prepare for a disaster, you will want to take care of a few necessities first, and you may even want redundancy in these areas due to their importance. As human beings, we can do without a lot of our daily creature comforts, but there are a few things that we can't do without, regardless of the situation. The 3 considerations that should be at the top of everyone’s list is: food, water and shelter. These 3 things are the foundation for human life, plain and simple. Depending on your circumstance, you may have the potential to hunt your own food, and even forage for wild edibles to accompany the protein sources that you are able to acquire by hunting, trapping, fishing, etc. If this type of scenario is what you believe would work best in your case, then it is important to begin to educate yourself on methods to safely acquire the foods that nature so freely gives, if you know how to collect them. Each geographical location will vary, so make sure that your source of information is viable for your location.
But even before food is considered, water will be your utmost concern. Statistically, a person can live about 3 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water. Water seems like such an abundant source that we rarely consider the possibility of it becoming scarce. But, again that can be attributed to our false sense of security due to our daily abundance of basic necessities. A clean water source is going to be crucial to you in a survival situation. There are several quality filters available on the market, but boiling your water before consuming can be an even more reliable method in a lot of cases. There are a few things that should be considered when securing a clean water source, so make sure to use due diligence on this topic, because clean water is vital, and polluted water can make you ill or even be fatal. You can have a more in depth look at water purification by clicking HERE (Information courtesy of National Geographic.)
Shelter is the last of the top 3 on the list, and depending on climate and conditions, it may not be a pressing matter for a few days. But, if you find yourself in a scenario that is too brutal to survive without shelter, then having a plan and a few supplies will go a long way in keeping you warm and out of the weather. Even a simple 8'x10' tarp will greatly aid in keeping you protected from the elements, and they pack fairly small if your survival plan involves much foot travel. There are countless ways to configure a shelter, so this will be another area that you may want to do a bit of research in and plan accordingly. In an urban setting you will more than likely have abandoned structures that will do for a makeshift shelter, or may even be able to stay in your own home and wait the situation out. If you would like to know more about building wilderness survival shelters, start by reading this informative article by clicking HERE.
Outside of the 3 topics mentioned, you have many other areas to consider when developing a survival plan. There is no substitute for plain old due diligence in this case, so your best bet is to just dive in and start reading everything that you can find that pertains to your scenario. It may seem like a lot of work at the time, but the knowledge you gain will allow you to approach your disaster preparedness with confidence, and a better understanding of what needs to be done.
