~~ Ravan's Disaster Prep Recommendations ~~

Why Worry About Disaster Preparation???

The long answer: do a search on disaster preparation and look at what both the doomsayers and pollyannas are saying.

Isn't Survival Preparation a Christian Fundie thing??

The risks of fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, ice storms, pandemic and man-made disaster are too numerous to describe here. All inhabited areas have at least one of the types of risk, and some have several. Our planet is not a tranquil one, but alive and active. Add in global warning changing weather patterns, and things get interesting.

Gee, it looks bad! What should I do?

1. Get a grip. The end of the world is not here, Jesus is not having a second coming, nobody is going to ride off on comets, Armageddon is not looming overhead. It's just that the infrastructure in your area might be disrupted for an unknown period of time (not forever) to varying degrees for various causes. Where and when is not known, although some of the countries in the former "Eastern Block" will get hammered if there is a disaster affecting them.
2. Assess the Murphy factor in your life.
   Where and in what way are you dependant on the local infrastructure?
   Do you have a contingency plan?
   How do you handle emergencies?
3. Take inventory on what (if any) emergency supplies you have. This is just plain good sense. Mother Nature can be a 14K b***h, and will always catch people with their figurative pants down. See some of the news reports in the last year about floods, fires, ice storms, blizzards, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. if you don't believe me.
4. Make a plan, and then do it. Plan for one to three months worth of food staples in your cupboards and storage. This has the added benefit of, if you come on "tight" times, you can still eat. It may not be interesting food, but it helps (I know). This is just plain common sense. Big events like Katrina are NOT the only likely emergency around. The emergency might be a simple job loss that buts you on an austerity budget that makes you chose between rent and food. If you have stored food, it's not as nasty a choice, is it?
5. Make a portable emergency kit or "bug out bag" and keep it in your car. Then if you get stranded, or have any other away from home emergency, you're not without resources. Even those who are on foot can keep a small first aid kit, a multitool, an "emergency blanket" and a bottle of water with them. Get the habit.

You're Saying "Don't Panic, But Do This Panic Stuff"??

One job I had was as a safety administrator for a company. We had regular "earthquake awareness" and "disaster preparedness" campaigns. Interest in seriously preparing for anything more than a 24 hour power outage was virtually non-existant. Dumb. A major disaster is going to shut a lot of things down for more than 24 hours. Ask anyone who's been hit by one.

The Silver Lining to the "Doomsday" Cloud...

1. It promoted an awareness of how dependant we are on the infrastructure. People who ordinarily wouldn't think about it are looking at reducing their dependance on fossil fueled, grid supplied energy. Conservatives with solar power, composting toilets, and other environmentally friendly ideas.
2. It also is promoting disaster preparation in people who haven't previously prepared for anything but minor emergencies, if at all. If this saves pain, suffering or someone's life in the future, regardless of Y2K, it has helped. How many people more would have perished in the Katrina mess if Y2K hadn't "raised consciousness" first?
3. People who are prepared themselves for big problems can often help others with smaller problems. Being prepared for whatever comes along is very empowering and reassuring.

I've several times reached into my food stores to give food to friends who are on the short end of the financial stick. I regularly make sure that my friends have at least some emergency lighting (candles, oil lamps). I sometimes even have a spare campstove lying around.

But What Does It Have To Do With Paganism?

That's why we have organizations like FEMA, and the Red Cross. They encourage people to be prepared, and then they can help out with the things that individuals can't do. The less "individual" supply bailout that FEMA has to do, the more money is available to put things right again. When FEMA falls down on the job, there is still more that you can do. Yes, our infrastructure is great, and usually quite reliable and stable. But disaster relief people, and insurance claims adjustors, know just how nasty it can be when the infrastructure is disrupted or breaks down.

As pagans, we are more aware than your average Joe just how capricious Mother Nature can be. Preparing for emergencies is part of living with, rather than over, nature.

All Right, What Should I Stock??

Here are some suggestions:

Rice	Beans	Split Peas
Tuna	Ramen	Macaroni
Egg Noodles	Canned Chili	Bottled Water
Salt	Sugar	Oatmeal
Raisins	Vitamins	Canned Juice
Flour	Pancake Mix	Barley
Canned Chicken	Bottled Spaghetti Sauce	Macaroni & Cheese Mix
Cream of Mushroom Soup	Toilet Paper	Garbage Bags
Candles	Canned Veggies	Peanut Butter
Jelly or Jam	Unopened "miracle whip" bottles	Bouillon Cubes
Coffee	More Bottled Water	Chocolate
Tea	Instant Beverages	Crackers
Spam	Canned Fruit	Hard Candy
Campstove & Fuel	Rain Gear	Basic Tools
Mylar "Emergency Blankets"	First Aid Kit	Personal Care Supplies
Batteries	Oil Lamps	Camera & Film
Spices (big containers)	Picnic Supplies	Camping Gear
Olive Oil	Multibean Soup Mix	Powdered Milk

That's the type of stuff I've stocked for years. If it stacks, stores, and is readily available, we store it. YMMV.

Why do you care?

Recipes?

Comments?