Captain Dave's Survival Guide
Chapter 1: OK, But What Do I Prepare For?
Before you can prepare, you must decide what you are preparing for. Sound simple? Well, it can be if you are preparing for only one thing. But once you get started, youll probably want to prepare for more than one thing, and this can make it more complicated.
Unlike some web site, CaptainDaves.com is not specific to one event or disaster. We won't tell you to prepare just for nuclear war, only for an earthquake, or just to withstand a hurricane. This guide is designed to help you become prepared for any large scale disaster or emergency. But just like you will be on your own when disaster strikes, you need to drive your own planning process. We will guide you (as the name Captain Dave's Survival Guide implies) and provide tools, lists, and questions, but you have to take personal responsibility and develop your own plan. Here are some steps to take:
Step 1: Determine what specific scenarios you are preparing to survive and how each disaster threatens you, your safety and survival.
Step 1 isn't tough; and only requires a few minutes of thought. It is important, however, because your survival plan depends on what you are planning to survive, so please dont skip this first step.
As you work through Step 1, we suggest you jot notes or switch into your word processor while you work. You may want to talk to others who will be affected by your plan, such as a spouse.
Before we get started, a warning not to get carried away. It's important to realize that you cannot prepare for everything -- only the military tries to do that, and we've yet to meet any individual with the resources to match the military's resources. So set your priorities to avoid wasting your time and resources preparing for something this is highly unlikely.
Captain Dave suggests you prepare first for those things that are likely to happen in the next five years. Sure, even if you live near a fault line, you may wait seven or ten years for the next earthquake, but you may have to wait thousands for the next comet to hit us. So prudence dictates that you spend your time, money and other resources on the earthquake before preparing for the comet. Thankfully, most of the basic preparations -- food, water, and shelter -- are the same for almost any emergency. In fact, the 80/20 rule means that if you prepare for a specific emergency, you are likely to be 80 percent prepared for a different emergency. That means you can prepare for two or three disaster scenarios with only an incremental expenditure in time, money, and effort.
What, you ask, is going to happen in the next five years? If we knew, our web page would look different! You'll have to extrapolate, evaluate trends, read the newspaper, and conduct your own research. Don't trust people that predict one disaster whether it is peak oil or bird flu; hedge your bets and prepare in such a way that you can best survive a range of disasters.
Step 2: Evaluate your geographic location.
Take a few minutes and consider your location both where you live and where you work. What climatic or weather related emergencies might strike? Is your area likely to see a blizzard, a drought, forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis or other emergencies?
What features of the local area could be a danger? Are there chemical plants, rail yards, nuclear facilities, federal offices, water treatment plants, oil tanks, or other potential targets nearby? Are you near government facilities or historic monuments that could be a target of terrorism? Are you in or near an inner city that could be the site of civil unrest? If rioting broke out, would it be likely to spread to where you are located? Remember, an accidental chemical spill can kill you as dead as a targeted terrorist attack.
Pull out a map or go to Google Earth and look at what's within a two-mile, five-mile 10-mile and 25-mile radius of your home and place of work? Put on your pessimist hat and consider what might go wrong that could directly impact you. Decide if that's something you want to prepare for (see questions one and two, below). Visit the EPA web site and see what hazardous materials are store or used near you.
Check your state or county web site and see what their disaster preparedness plan calls for. Then do a search you your area. For example, if you live a "safe" distance from a river but inside the 500-year flood, should you prepare for a flood? We would, but it's your call. It's your house on the line, so you have to decide.
That nuclear plant 30 miles away has an excellent safety record. Should a nuclear disaster be on your list? We think so, but again, its your decision.
Are you worried about a meteorite crashing into your house? Well, it has happened, but it's probably not worth preparing for until you have addressed the more immediate concerns.
Step 3: Consider the current geopolitical situation
All threats are not natural; there are plenty of man-made disasters waiting, and many can be identified on the world stage. Look at those rattling their sabers, making threatening speeches, or attacking U.S. outposts and allies overseas. Threats come and go over time, so while we may have feared Libya 20 years ago, Iran is a more significant threat today. Will they destroy Israel, attack U.S. Interests, shut down oil production, or use military power to close the strait of Hormuz?
Look at regional disputes, such as squabbles between India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine, China and Tawian, North Korea and just about anyone in the region. In hostilities break out, are they likely to go nuclear? What kind of economic impact might be felt here?\
Is there widespread illness somewhere else? Will it head this way? Keep abreast of the news and tailor your response level to what you are reading and hearing.
Step 4: Enumerate your fears
Finally, if you've been afraid of something since you were a child -- whether it's a raging fire or nuclear war -- prepare for it. At the very least, you'll sleep better at nights knowing you have done all you can.
