No situation is more threatening than one that is out of your control. This includes emergency situations such as being stranded or cut off from help in one way or another. The wilderness, whether the climate is extremely hot or cold, is an area that few could survive in for too long. Survival for just about any disaster situation will call for an emergency kit, some type of emergency preparedness skills and/or other helpful emergency materials.
Intuition and an open, calm mind is the best way to stay in control when dealing with a disaster situation so that you can think clearly and stay stress-free. It is highly recommended to keep emotions and feelings to a minimum when in survival mode because the very act could be physically harmful in various ways including the ability to heal and ward off infections.
Every one of these tips will help you through whatever disaster you are going through but the biggest mistake people make is not getting prepared ahead of time! Start this list and collect the items one by one immediately, so that you’ll be ready for any emergency, any time before it strikes!
An emergency kit will provide the most towards your emergency situation. Depending on the actual purchased kit, there should be various survival items including freeze dried packaged MRE foods, personal water bottles, basic first aid materials, a multi-tool, a trowel, a whistle, food bars, long burning candles, waterproof matches, water sanitizing tablets and so much more!Bandages, gauze, medical tape, anti-bacterial ointment, burn cream, alcohol prep pads, iodine and any required family medications should be the bulk of the emergency materials. Your emergency kit may include some of these but packing extra won’t hurt!
You’ll need large water bottles in your kit, preferably glass because plastic will leach its materials into the water over time. Make sure to buffer your bottles and store them correctly to avoid breakage.
Gathering the proper foods is ultimately important towards surviving any emergency situation. Canned goods should be on the top of your shopping list and make fresh items like fruits and vegetables should be avoided because they will not keep.
Learning how to shut off the electricity is crucial to being fully prepared. You will need to practice shutting off all utilities including the electricity, gas and water so that your home will be as safe as possible from the major threat offered by having them on.
Turning the electricity off is easy and requires no tools but you must find out what type of shut off/on system you’re dealing with. Some homes have a main switch or a fuse box while other homes have circuit breaker switches.
The main switch only requires the large handle to be turn from ‘ON’ to ‘OFF’ while a fuse box will need a switch turn from ‘ON’ to ‘OFF’, which is the same instruction for the circuit breaker switches.
Know how to turn off the gas lines to avoid further disaster. Locating your gas shut-off valve is typically not difficult but if you have trouble, call your gas company and follow their directions to find it. Once found, using an adjustable pipe wrench, turn the valve, which should be in a vertical position, until it lies flat in the horizontal position. Cutting off the gas is very important to avoid leakage, which could lead to gas poisoning, fire or a deadly explosion and it shouldn't take more than a moment or two.
Everyone in the home should be able to quickly turn the water off to your home especially when an earthquake is involved because the impending flood probability is shockingly high if the water to your home is on.
Most homes need no tools to turn the water off but other homes may need an adjustable pipe wrench to complete the task at hand. Take a few minutes during the day to familiarize yourself with your home’s mechanism for shutting off the water flow.
A gate valve is a simple knob that you would twist clockwise while a ball valve, which is similar to a handle, is turned counterclockwise until the utility is completely shut off. Other homeowners may find they need to turn a small square pin in a clockwise motion instead.
A hand charging flashlight is highly recommended for any emergency kit. Using one of these flashlights is quite easy: simply rotate the cranking knob clockwise until it is fully charged and ready to use! BONUS: It may take 3-5 years for this type of flashlight to stop being able to produce light!
This is the entire reason why your emergency preparedness skills and materials should be dealt with ahead of time. It will allow for you and your family to quickly assemble and follow your emergency plan much quicker and more efficiently than without it.
