Dane Ronnow
Welcome
Being prepared is just common sense. I learned it as a
Boy Scout. Building a fire and cooking over it, finding my way with a map and compass, splinting a fractured bone or doing CPR... Knowing that kind of stuff is cool.
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"Thank God we were prepared."
That was the comment from a woman as she surveyed the remains of their home and dozens of others in their neighborhood after a tornado blew through on April 3, 2012. She, her husband, and their kids had taken shelter just minutes before the twister hit. When they emerged 20 minutes later, their home, and everything in it, had been reduced to a pile of debris.
"We had food, water, clothes, diapers, a Coleman stove for cooking, first aid supplies, tarps, all stored in our shelter."
Being prepared isn't just about the end of the world as we know it — a popular topic these days with the proliferation of TV shows such as Doomsday Preppers1, Doomsday Bunkers2, etc. The fact is, we live in an uncertain world, and the most common threats in terms of frequency are natural disasters: tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, record-breaking snow storms and heat waves. Any of these have the potential to leave victims without food, water, shelter and access to medical services.
And for all intents and purposes, a tornado or flood can 'end your world' as effectively as a global financial collapse or a high-altitude EMP burst.
In other words, being prepared is a state of mind that begins with something as mundane as having enough gas in the car to make the trip you're about to take, to something on the order of having food, water, first aid supplies and defense apparatus to support a family of four for a year, and shelter to house it all.
Imagine the possibilities — keeping things in perspective — and prepare for them. It's that simple.
And it needn't cost a fortune. It shouldn't cost a fortune.
These pages will give you information to get your started, or supplement what you already know about being prepared. Links are provided to web sites that specialize in areas I don't — whether for products or skills.
My emphasis is learning what you need to know quickly and effectively, equipping yourself at an absolute minimum of cost, and doing so at a pace that won't overwhelm whatever else is going on in your life.
So whether you jump in with both feet and go hog-wild on this, or do a little bit each week and slowly accumulate what you need, the goal simply is to become prepared, then improve your preparedness as time goes on.
By the way, the Boy Scouts taught me the basics. Being a Boy Scout was one of the most enjoyable times in my life, certainly the most challenging and one of the most rewarding. One of the best things about scouting was camping and all that comes with it. If you don't camp or backpack, I recommend it highly as a means of developing and honing your outdoor skills. There's nothing you'll do that won't come in handy when the chips are down, and, once you get used to the rigors of it all, you'll love it.
And if you've got kids, get them into scouting. Over the long haul — a matter of a few years — they won't just be prepared... they'll be model citizens. For more information on scouting with the Boy Scouts of America, click on the link at left.
Thanks for stopping by. I sincerely hope I'm able to help you learn the skills you need, and acquire whatever gear might be necessary to allow you to take care of yourself, your friends and family, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in. It can be a rewarding experience. It will certainly leave you more confident.
Stop back by any time. And drop me a line. I'd like to hear from you.
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- Doomsday Preppers (National Geographic Channel)
- Doomsday Bunkers (The Discovery Channel)
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