Lately, I’ve been coming across more and more information about preparing for emergencies. I’ve been in a couple of situations where having a good plan and supply store would’ve been very useful. We were minimally prepared, but very minimally. So I’ve been thinking more and more about creating a plan and having necessary supplies in one location, packed together and easy to grab as needed.
I’m kind of struggling with the planning and prepping though. My struggle with the planning is basically two-fold.
One – I don’t want to be preparing out of a place of fear or mass panic. There seems to be more “chatter” lately about “being prepared.” Prepared for emergency. Prepared for civil disobedience. Prepared for economic meltdown. Prepared for collapse of society as we know it. I don’t want to buy into all that. As a Christian, my first priority is to make sure my heart and the hearts of my family are prepared. Feel how you want about that, but it is my first goal. After that, I want to be able to take care of my family should a disaster strike (like an ice storm that we experienced) that may last for an extended period of time.
Two – For how long should I prepare? I can be prepared for a week at least (would’ve been helpful on a few occasions I can think of in my adult life). But how much further should I go? A month? 3 months? 6 months? A year? Some people are really prepared to be self-sufficient for a long period of time. And how much should I plan to be able to help my neighbors who may not be prepared? Again, as a Christian, I feel like it is my place to care for family AND neighbor. Again, I don’t want to come from a place of fear, but I do want to be able to take care of and protect my family should a need arise. What that means, I haven’t decided yet.
So, I’m starting with water. Each time I empty a bleach container, soda or juice bottle, I’m filling it up, putting a date on it and storing it away. My goal is 50 gallons (we are a family of seven remember?) That’s just over 1 gallon a day for 7 days for 7 people. The next goal will be putting together a specific kit for personal/medical needs as well as emergency lighting. Most of the stuff I have around, I just need to have an intentional “kit” put-together specifically for emergency situations; a kit that I could grab and go with if needed.
From there I’ll work more on a specific emergency food supply, clothing grab and go bag, equipment (like a can opener) and extra copies of important documentation. I have no idea how long this will take me. I hope I never need any of it. Sometimes I feel silly even thinking about it, but then again, the old “Be Prepared” is nagging at my brain.
So I guess I want to know what you think. What have you done to be prepared in case of emergencies of various types? How long have you prepared for? Tell me, cause I need some help in fleshing this all out…
Rev. Kris Mares 