A disaster can strike at any moment little warning. 72-Hour Challenge

A disaster can strike at any moment little warning. If you aren’t already prepared, disaster can turn into a tragedy. So when an emergency does happen, how will you and your family cope with it? Do you have a plan for storms? What about earthquakes, or flooding?

Anything from a community notice about dirty water up to a full out disaster where you have no power, no water, and minimal contact with the outside world for days or even weeks at a time could happen. So the question for you today is, How Ready Are You? Today I want to challenge you to test your emergency preparedness skills in our 72-Hour Challenge. All you have to do for this challenge is turn off all your power, water, and gas in your home to simulate that some kind of disaster has happened; then, all you have to do is try to perform normal daily activities. Although it’s fairly simple to start, when you start trying to do things like wash dishes, prepare food and even get ready for bed, that’s when things get challenging.

There’s also another catch: once you start the challenge, you’re not allowed to travel anywhere to gather supplies. With the emergency supplies that you have set aside, see how you and your family cope with the situation. Before you do this, of course, you’ll have to sit down and talk with your family about what you’re going to be doing and why. This step is important both because it will be better if you get everyone in the household to participate, and because the more you and your family communicate about disaster and emergency preparedness, the safe everyone will be. Many parents I’ve talked to have expressed an unwillingness to do this because they say they are uncertain about the impact it could have on their children; however, with all the earthquake, fire, and other emergency drills they do at school, kids will probably be excited to take those skills and help others!

One option for the 72-hour drill is to act as though someone in your family was hurt or injured due to the disaster. Depending on your kids’ ages, you may have to warn them in advance, but the more surprised they are, the more realistic the emergency challenge will be. This is a great opportunity to get everyone working together–not to mention a way to teach your kids vital first aid training. Another benefit that comes from doing the 72-Hour Challenge is the opportunity to make sure you understand the preparation and the supplies that are needed to turn your dehydrated or freeze-dried food into food that you and your family can enjoy.

When my family and I tried this test a few weeks ago, we noticed that having “comfort” food around is a big help. It’s always best to eat as normally as possible, and imitating normal behavior helps release the stress and tension that always accompanies a disaster. This 72-Hour Challenge is a great way to make sure that you are prepared with supplies and tools like flashlights, radios, and anything else you may need, as well as ensuring that when a real emergency does happen, you’ll know exactly what to cook to keep everyone calm and healthy.

So, try it out! Do the 72-Hour Challenge (or if that’s too inconvenient, I’d recommend trying to go at least 24 hourse). When you’re done with your challenge or if you’ve already done something similar, we would love to hear about your experience! Please comment on the blog bellow and give everyone some input on how you handled the situation.