Disasters can strike anywhere at any time with or without warning. Sometimes they can just affect you, as with a car accident, or they can affect an entire nation, as with the terrorist attack on Sept 11th. Taking a few simple steps to gain knowledge and squirreling away some supplies can mean the difference between living through a disaster or not surviving at all.

You Can Survive Disasters

It is possible to survive disasters of all magnitudes. I personally have been in three significant earthquakes each with a magnitude greater than seven. Earthquakes of this size are frightening, but they are certainly survivable. I’ve also been through hurricane, Irma, and been rescued from a forest fire.

In all instances, I was more or less prepared for the possibility of a disaster. For hurricane Irma, I ensure that I had boxes full of batteries, a cell phone recharger, food and water enough for three full weeks, and fully stocked first-aid kits.

In the case of the earthquakes, I had two weeks worth of food and water stored in the pantry, a fully OHSA compliant first-aid kit, and a camping stove and fuel.

The forest fire is the only one that came out of the blue. I was in my car and driving, when I found myself surrounded by fire on all sides. Fortunately the fire department was on the scene was able to get me out of trouble.

The Key To Surviving Disasters

The key is to be ready for a disaster and to know what to do when one occurs. There is a balance, as with anything, and it’s important to find that middle ground of preparedness.  It’s important to be prepared, but it’s equally important not to warp your whole life around the possibility of disaster. Those who are not prepared find themselves at a lose, even to the point of injury or death, in a disaster. Those who are overly prepared lose out on the normal, non-disastrous parts of their lives (presumably the majority of their time on this earth).

In other words, building a bomb shelter a hundred feet underground in the remote Rocky mountains stocked with five years of survival gear and food is NOT the best way to spend your money and live your life. On the other hand, it is prudent to at least know the evacuation routes should your city be evacuated due to a hurricane.

Where To Start

A good place to start is to simply sit down some night and ask yourself what types of disasters are likely to happen in your area.

• Are you living in earthquake country (California, for example)?
• Is your town in a likely path for hurricanes (New Orleans, Texas or Florida, for instance)?
• Does your area suffer from tornadoes?
• Do you live near a freeway? In a high crime area?
• Is there a chemical plant nearby? A nuclear power plant?

Who Will You Be Responsible For?

You will also need to know WHO you will be responsible for in a disaster (at least your prediction).

• Yourself
• Your family
• Pets?
• Neighbors
• Random strangers caught in the disaster

Answers to these questions will help you determine what you need to consider when educating yourself on possible disasters as well as direct your purchases for your survival kits. Now, don’t be alarmed; a survival kit is as simple or as complex as you want to make it. A simple duffle bag containing a dozen items might be all you need.

Be Prepared For Disaster

My book, Real World Survival, will help you get educated on how to prepare  for and survive a disaster. By being prepared for any classification of disaster, you’ll be more likely to survive.

Richard Lowe Jr

Richard is the CEO and Senior Writer for The Writing King, a bestselling author, and ghostwriter. He’s written and published over 50 books, plus ghostwritten a dozen more.