I have no access to solar power, wind power or any other alternative method of energy other than electric, gas and hand powered.
I have no access to water other than the small amount I can collect from rain or the faucets in my home.
I have no livestock, chickens or a garden that will get us through a year.
And yet I am still more prepared for an emergency, natural or otherwise, than the 'average American.' That should make me feel better, but it doesn't.
I was watching part one of a series on Oprah about getting out of debt. The $170,000 debt that this one family has was scary but the most amazing thing to me was that their kitchen was entirely empty. NO food at all. They spent close to $100.00 a day on the four of them to eat out EVERY meal, EVERY day of the year. Now not only is that unhealthy and just crazy but what would they do in an emergency? What if a natural disaster affected their area even if only for a couple of days?
People need to wake up!
Our world is changing very rapidly. I know we can't all bug out miles from civilization and live totally sustainable lives, but we can all make changes to head in that direction. I think it will be easier to make some of these changes now while they are still self imposed rather than waiting for the day that will come when we have no other option.
Over at www.agoodhuman.wordpress.com
she has a couple of great posts about 'Building Lifeboats' that you should read. We all need to work on our own lifeboats so that we can protect ourselves and our families.
In the event of a natural disaster, an EMP, an attack, etc. the government will not be there for us. They can't do everything.
When we lived in Florida we did experience one hurricane (Charlie) that had a direct hit only 30 miles from our home. The city looked like a war zone. We had to experience a city of over 500,000 people with no electricity for weeks. It was a wake up call. It took two weeks for FEMA to set up a booth to start taking claims. It took months to get trailers in to provide shelter for those who had lost their homes. Between the red tape and the waits, people who had the money just moved.
Look at New Orleans, they're still re building. Look at the Gulf Coast residents, they're going through it now.
I still have a long way to go but at least I know I am on the right road and that feels a little reassuring.
Lori, I whole-heartedly agree with you! I suppose those of us (Florida resident) that have been through such times KNOW. Most other people think "It will never happen to me!"
ReplyDeleteI've never been through a disruption to services like that, but as a human I have the wonderful benefit of being able to learn from the experience of others. I feel so much more prepared just having a couple of months food stored away, a way of ensuring I have clean water and a plan to cope if our house became uninhabitable. They are really very easy things to do, and I'm really surprised that people wonder why I do it. They'll take out home insurance, but don't bother taking a few extra steps to prepare for a potential disaster.
ReplyDeleteJenna Ann~ Yes, my 20 years in Florida taught me to be pretty resilient. Extreme weather will do that. I always stayed stocked up because I can remember one hint of a hurricane headed towards Florida and everything flew off store shelves in a matter of hours. Thanks for visiting. Nice to talk to a fellow Floridian.
ReplyDeleteagoodhuman ~ I am amazed too that people do not understand being prepared. I think the point I was trying to make was that no I am not as prepared as some, and I may never be but there is no reason why you can't have a few months of food and water put away in case of an emergency. It's not always going to be as easy as jumping in the car to the local fast food place or big box store to pick something up. The amount of people that seem to have no clue about this just baffles me.
Great post Lori! I feel quite unprepared in so many ways, but my family and I are at least on the right path too.. and we have basic stockpiling & emergency supplies to help us through a disaster that could very well happen in the area I live, and spend our time and money trying to prepare ourselves and our children (and our community) for an uncertain future... and if nothing else, we've had fun, had a good life and been good role models for our kids!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. I don't know how I missed this post before. And, I totally agree!!!
ReplyDeleteI am lucky enough to live in an area with quite benign weather. However... I make it a priority to be prepared for any kind of adversity. Along with a well stocked pantry, I also have an emergency kit in the car with water, food and a camp stove! My daughter thinks I'm a little nutty but to me its as sensible as having house or car insurance.
Cheers,
Great post that everyone should read and be aware of. When we recently moved from Los Angeles to Tennessee, that's exactly what we had in mind... being more self-sufficient. We have 25 acres that we plan to farm next season (missed this one). Plus, we will have chickens, and a very well stocked kitchen. After living in California with the earthquakes, especially the last one that was huge, we've taken care to be prepared. We always have plenty of water on hand, emergency kits, batteries, flashlights, etc. Seriously, everyone should be prepared and able to take care of themselves and their family in case of disaster, natural or otherwise. Thanks for posting!!
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