The first rule of preparedness in regards to surviving any disaster is this:
Don’t be there.
“I’m going to visit my Aunt Selma tomorrow. She’s three hundred miles from here and the news is forecasting enormous flaming rocks falling from the sky for an area covering the whole length of my trip. How much food and water should I take for the trip? You know, just in case?”
a) Three days worth of food and water
b) seven days worth of food and water
c) Don’t make the trip, moron.
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“I’m going elk hunting tomorrow. The area I’m hunting in was just discovered to be on an ancient cursed Indian burial ground. And there’s an escaped axe-murderer who they think may be in the area. And the forecast is for six feet of snow and toxic gas. Should I take my .300 Win. or the .30-06?”
a) The .300 Win. for those long flat shots
b) The .30-06. Its heavy timber up there. It’ll all be close in.
c) Stay home or go somewhere else, idiot.
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“The news says there was a 10.1 earthquake about three miles offshore from our beach house. We can see the water receding waaaaayyy back from the shore. Theres all sortsa fish and clams just sitting out there. We’re going to go grab some for dinner. Would you like to come along?”
a) Sure, I’ll be right there
b) Ok, but I have to pass on the shellfish. Keeping kosher.
c) Can’t hear you, I’m driving 100 mph uphill and inland as far as I can.
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Most disasters aren’t nice enough to make an appointment. (Although some do.) A lot of times you have to play the hand your dealt when its dealt. No choice. But….many times you do have a choice. If youre terrified a hurricane is going to eat your house, dont live near the beach. If youre terrified an earthquake is going to swallow your car, move out of California. If tornadoes make your wet you pants, get outta Kansas. If violent crime makes you scared, move outta NYC.
The folks who sat through Katrina had a couple days notice that things were going to get ugly. “Oh, but they were the poor and underpriveledged. They had no way to leave!” Sure they did. I guarantee you that if I put a gun to your head and told you that if you cant find $50 in the next three days Im going to kill you, you’ll come up with fifty bucks. Those people could have taken a bus, a train, or just bought a cheap bicycle and gotten far enough inland in three days that they weren’t stuck on rooftops baking in the sun waving at Coast Guard helicopters.
I’ve had times when I wanted to travel to gun shows that were a hundred or so miles from here. Roads were a bit icy, blowing wind, snow, cold, the whole nine yards. I easily have enough gear that if I went off the road into a ditch I’d be perfectly fine. Warm, fed, hydrated, comfy, and probably even sleep well. But why buy trouble? I skip the trip and figure I’ll go to the next one.
Im not saying everyone who gets in a disaster and stuck on a FEMA food line is responsible for what happened to them. Sometimes Mom Nature can be a nasty old broad. But there are plenty of situations out there that a little common sense and self-preservation would suggest you avoid.
The best way to survive any disaster: do not be there.
