There are so many things to be thought of during moments of disaster, and often times you don't have much time to think about what to do. In situations where you can look back and obviously see that seconds were a deciding factor in a time of crisis, it's helpful to put the effort in before something actually does happen. The world's militaries, schools, and business do it- and you should really conduct drills and practice runs before a disaster too. Here's a list of things commonly forgotten during disaster and times of crisis:
I'll keep this one short because you're probably tired of hearing it, but you really do need to stay calm. Someone panicking and screaming at the top of their lungs in an erratic manner while crying, flailing, and generally acting like a temper tantrum prone child never helped anyone, ever. You can practice this in your everyday life. While it seems minuscule learning to control your actions in mini 'disasters' whether it be someone getting injured unexpectedly or roadside flat in the middle of a thunderstorm it will begin to condition your brain into going into 'fight' mode rather than 'flight' mode. It will help you make better decisions, and think more clearly in situations it can difficult to think in.
This is useful in most disaster situations. A bathtub can hold a lot of water which can be used for various things in the event that the water does go off. You can flush a toilet with no power, as long as you have water. If the water goes out for a week a family of three will need around 65 gallons of water just for drinking. Fill everything you can fill, and use the water purification methods listed here for drinking water.
Sure, we'd all like to ride through a hurricane with the TV on, while making some food on the stove with plans of a hot shower in the mix. While doing all three may seem 'moronic' its fairly common for people to do at least one or two of these things during a disaster. In disaster situations that have slow escalations (I.E. hurricane with a week heads up, severe storms, blizzards) and even ones that happen abruptly (I.E. earthquakes, mudslides, etc) it is important to shut your water, electricity, and gas off- especially when evacuating. While these utilities are pretty safe on their own, mixed with a disaster they can cause more problems than the conveniences they offer.
If the power goes out, the credit card machines do too. And if the apocalypse ever does end up happening, having extras of things people may need will be quite handy. You need to have money (preferably in smaller bills & different forms- you don't want to end up paying fifty bucks or a whole gold coin for a loaf of bread), lots of change/coins, and stuff that you're able to barter with (several small bottles of high grade alcohol come to mind). Also, never keep everything together- if you get robbed or even lose something you don't want to lose it all at once.
Do I need to go into detail about why this may be useful? You answered 'No.' right?
But I'd be willing to wager that you didn't have any in your disaster kit.
Extended family members names, addresses, phone numbers- laminated on a card is incredibly useful. You should have your immediate family's birth certificates, social security cards, IDs, list of credit cards, the deed to the house, your will, any court agreements, all of your car information, and really anything of great importance in a waterproof envelop as well. Primary physicians info, lists of health problems and/or medications taken are also great adds.
For all the miles you may have to walk. If your car tire gets a flat. If you can't get to the highway because the traffic is at a standstill. For the moments all you can do is run, and just keep running. Oh dear, I sound like a Nike commercial. Those shoes may be the only ones you have for a while so choose wisely. I'm inclined to recommend a skating sneaker brand, as they are so heavily padded.
The power may go out and your phone battery may die, and in the aftermath of a disaster a digital camera may not be as handy as you would like it to be. You should always have at least one disposable waterproof camera in your disaster kit. You may need to take pictures of the damage afterwards of your house, car, street, etc for insurance and documentation purposes.
If you have internet access after a disaster you can report that you're safe to the American Red Cross Safe & Well List. Alternatively you should also have one extended family member who doesn't live in your geographical region act as a outlet for notifying the rest of the family of your well being. Always remember that during a disaster you will have better luck sending out a text message rather than making a phone call.
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I'm totally starting to get why so many 'Preppers' devote entire basements, and in some cases even separate houses to storing all this stuff. The list of what you may need is really never ending, with new tools being made or discovered daily. It's the 'hobby' that keeps on giving.
Somewhere between Breaking Bad & The Walking Dead it became apparent that perhaps the stealthiest weapons are the ones you wouldn't traditional carry. Let's face it, guns require quite a bit of maintenance compared to knives and they also make a lot of noise. Weapons that don't advertise your location will be the most useful to have in apocalyptic scenarios, and although I don't condone the use of them in disaster scenarios sometimes you just don't know what cards you will be dealt. As the movie Aftershock kindly (& graphically, might I add) pointed out- you never know what a natural disaster can cause. If there is a devastating natural disaster looters WILL be found, and prisons may experience breaches- so it never hurts to be prepared.
Sun, Sun, and more sun! Did you know that if you store water in PET bottles (available here) and let it sit in direct sunlight for 6 hours, the sun will clean it for you?
The bleach method depends on what kind of bleach you are using. Normal household bleaches contain less than 6% chlorine per bottle, if you are using one within this range the measurements will be 8 drops per gallon. However if you are either unsure or have a lower percentage than 4-6% you are going to want to use between 30-40 drops per gallon. Double amount for cloudy water, repeat dosage if there isn't a faint odor of chlorine after a 30 minute treatment.
From Bottle: Each bottle includes 50 tablets; 2 iodine tablets treat 1 quart of water
Plain Iodine: 5 drops clear water / 10 drops cloudy / wait 30 minutes
Location Benefits:
√ Centrally located in the heart of the United States
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√ Far from known nuclear targets
√ Only 70 miles from Omaha: probable alternate capitol of the
U.S. should Washington D.C. become compromised
√ Far from large water bodies posing tsunami submersion threats
√ Far from major earthquake fault lines
√ Far from major cities and potential anarchists
√ In the ‘safe land zones’ envisioned on many futurist maps
√ Surrounded by farming, fishing, hunting and fresh water sources
√ Rural, remote location away from cities and military targets
Shelter Features:
√ Hardened concrete and steel nuclear shelter
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√ 137,000 square feet - on four levels
√ Largest Vivos shelter in North America
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√ Equipped for up to one-year of autonomous survival
√ 228 carpeted bedroom suites of approximately 120 sq ft:
Includes sliding doorway, living room area with shelving and
storage, sofa, table with nested chair cubes, queen-sized bed
and bunk-bed, privacy curtain, reading lights, under bed
storage, decorative artwork, and more...
√ Semi-private bathrooms and private shower rooms
√ Community kitchen with bakery and dining area
√ Fully stocked wine cellar
√ 16’ tall atrium ceiling with a comfortable seating area
√ Fully equipped urgent care/triage hospital
√ One year of food, fuel, stores and supplies
√ Full wardrobe for all members
√ Hydroponic gardens
√ Community meeting and prayer rooms
√ Classroom
√ Theater
√ Hair salon
√ Exercise facility and jogging track
√ Pool tables and recreation areas
√ Computer areas
√ Private offices
√ Laundry facilities
√ Pet kennels
√ Storage rooms and warehouses
√ Closed circuit television and radio communications center
√ Fortified 10 mile defense lookout atop a 350’ tower
√ Security and detention center
√ Security vaults for weapons and valuables
√ Security equipment and outdoor remote sensing devices
√ Water purification facility with deep water well
√ Redundant power plants
√ Air ventilation handling and NBC conditioning systems
√ NBC Decontamination showers and facility
√ Interior water and fuel storage tanks
√ Battery banks for power storage
√ Mechanical repair shop
√ Armored vehicle and ATV storage
√ Farming, fishing and hunting equipment
√ Non-hybrid seed and DNA storage bank
