Why Food & Water Shouldn’t be Your #1 Priority

Why Food & Water Shouldn’t be Your #1 Priority
In the emergency preparedness industry I talk to a lot of people that are just starting out.

Most people when they try to make a go at getting ready on their own are initially inclined to start by stocking food. Once they start to get a nice little supply of food they then transition to a supply of water and then additional tools and supplies. There’s nothing wrong with this if your preparation is well ahead of the disaster and you get everything ready before you need to use it.

So if Food & Water aren’t the first priority, what is?

The first priority in an emergency situation is The Ability to Think Clearly. First and foremost you must have the right mindset. Everything else takes a back seat.
Case in point, when me and my wife are going to take the family somewhere, what’s the first thing we do when we get the kids in the car? That’s right, we make sure every one of them is safely secured in a car seat, booster and seatbelt. Why do we do this? Because we’ve seen and observed from other’s experience that should an accident occur while we’re driving, the greatest likelihood for our children to survive is if their secured.

Knock on wood, I’ve never been in a car accident with my children, and we’ve driven thousands of miles. Is it then safe to assume that since I’ve never been in an accident over the last 10 years there’s really no reason to buckle in the kids?

Of course not. We do this because despite a solid past driving record, there’s still a risk that comes with driving and the trade off of the time it takes to putting my kids in a seat belt is worth the extra safety and security it provides.

This type of mindset is crucial to insuring you and your family’s safety in a disaster. Despite the fact that you may have never faced a true emergency situation in the past, you’re not justified in not taking the time to “put the kids in a seat belt”. I guarantee that getting ready will be worth the trade off.

Keys to getting a ‘Disaster Ready‘ Mindset
1. Identify the potential disasters that could happen in your area.
A list might include, earthquake, hurricane, car accident, contaminated water, house fire, etc…
2. Prioritize the list of potential disasters.
Prioritize the list in the order of not just likelihood, but in the order of what you’re going to actually commit to prepare for.
3. Make A Plan.

Plans can be tricky because more often than not, things don’t go exactly as planned. However, a plan serves the purpose of developing the right mindset. Through out the planning process, you become educated and gain a better grasp of both the options you have available and the supplies you’ll need to carry out your plan.
Get Planning and Get Ready, Do it now!