What Is The Greatest Threat to Our Survival?

The greatest threat to our survival is failing to prepare for disruptions that can cut off access to the basic resources, services, and information we depend on every day.

Recognize What You Depend On

Most of your daily life depends on systems you rarely think about.
You expect:

• Clean water to come from the faucet
• Electricity to power your home
• Stores to have food
• Fuel stations to have fuel
• Phones to connect you with others
• Roads to remain open
• Emergency services to respond
• Medical facilities to remain available

These systems can fail.

• A winter storm can shut down roads and electricity.
• A wildfire can force an evacuation.
• An earthquake can damage buildings, roads, water systems, and communications.

Ask yourself:

What would you do if several of these services stopped working at the same time?

• List the services you depend on each day.
• Identify what would happen if each service stopped.
• Identify your three biggest preparedness gaps.
• Choose one gap to address this week.

Secure Water

Water should be your first priority.

• You need water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and sanitation.
• Store water before you need it.
• Keep enough for your household and have a way to obtain and treat more.

Your backup options might include:

• Stored water
• Water filters
• Boiling
• Chemical treatment
• Identified local water sources

Do not wait for an emergency to learn how your water filter works.

• Use it first.
• Read the instructions.
• Practice the process.

Ask yourself:

How long would your current water supply last if your tap stopped working today?

• Count the people and pets in your household.
• Calculate how much stored water you currently have.
• Set a specific water-storage goal.
• Check the condition of your containers.
• Test your water filter or treatment method.
• Identify at least one additional water source.

Secure Food

Do not fill your home with food you will never eat.

Food shortages can develop when transportation or distribution systems fail.
Start with foods your household already uses.

• Rice
• Beans
• Pasta
• Canned foods
• Oats
• Peanut butter
• Shelf-stable milk
• Cooking oil
• Basic spices

Store food that you know how to prepare.

Ask yourself:

If your normal cooking method requires electricity, what will I do?.

• Count how many days of food you have.
• Choose foods your household already eats.
• Add several shelf-stable meals to your supplies.
• Check expiration dates.
• Create a rotation system.
• Prepare one meal without using your normal cooking method.

Prepare For Loss Of Electricity

A power outage affects more than your lights.

It can affect:

• Refrigeration
• Heating
• Cooling
• Communications
• Water systems
• Cooking
• Medical equipment
• Security systems

Prepare several ways to produce light.

• Keep flashlights where you can find them in the dark.
• Store spare batteries.

If you use a generator, know how to operate it safely before an emergency occurs.

Ask yourself:

What would happen inside your home after 24 hours without electricity?
What about three days?

• Test every flashlight.
• Replace weak batteries.
• Charge portable power banks.
• Identify equipment that requires electricity.
• Develop a backup method for essential equipment.
• Test your backup lighting.
• Practice one evening without household electricity.

Build Medical Skills

You may not always reach professional medical care quickly.
A serious injury can occur during an ordinary day.
Someone can suffer severe bleeding from a vehicle accident, workplace injury, fall, or other event.

Learn basic first aid. Know how to:

• Control severe bleeding
• Perform CPR
• Use an automated external defibrillator
• Treat minor wounds
• Recognize signs of shock
• Respond to burns
• Recognize breathing emergencies

Training matters.
You cannot develop hands-on skills by reading instructions alone.

Ask yourself:

If someone in your household suffered a serious injury today, would you know what to do first?

• Take a basic first-aid course.
• Take CPR and AED training.
• Check your first-aid kit.
• Replace missing or expired supplies.
• Keep first-aid equipment where everyone can find it.
• Practice basic first-aid skills.

Protect Your Ability To Communicate

Information can become as important as supplies during an emergency.

• You need to know what happened.
• You need to know where to go.
• You may need to contact family members.
• Do not depend entirely on your phone.

A phone is useful until its battery dies or the network becomes unavailable.

Ask yourself:

If my phone stopped working, how would I communicate or navigate?

• Get a battery-powered emergency radio.
• Store spare batteries.
• Keep portable charging equipment available.
• Write down important phone numbers.
• Print local maps.
• Identify local emergency information sources.
• Establish a family communication plan.
• Choose an out-of-area contact for your household.

Test your communication plan.
Do not assume it works because you wrote it down.

Plan For Evacuation

Some emergencies require you to leave rather than stay.

Wildfires provide a clear example.

• A road that normally takes 20 minutes may become unusable during an evacuation.
• Know several routes away from your home.
• Identify places where you could stay.
• Prepare a bag containing basic supplies, medications, important documents, food, water, clothing, and communication equipment.

Ask yourself:

What will I be ready if I have to evacuate? Will I have everything I need?

• Identify at least two evacuation routes.
• Identify several possible destinations.
• Prepare an evacuation bag.
• Keep important documents accessible.
• Keep medications ready to take.
• Maintain enough fuel for an evacuation.
• Practice leaving your home.
• Time how long it takes to get everyone ready.

You may discover that gathering everything takes much longer than expected.

Develop Useful Skills

Supplies can be damaged, lost, or consumed.

Skills give you more options. Learn how to:

• Start a safe fire
• Navigate with a map and compass
• Cook without electricity
• Purify water
• Repair basic equipment
• Tie useful knots
• Grow some food
• Preserve food
• Give first aid
• Manage stress during an emergency

Get Ready

• Choose one skill to learn this month.
• Find a hands-on training opportunity.
• Practice the skill at home or in an appropriate setting.
• Teach the skill to another household member.
• Repeat the skill until you can perform it without instructions.

Build Relationships

Survival does not always depend on what you keep in your home.

People matter.

• Know your neighbors.
• Know who may need help.
• Know who has useful skills.
• One neighbor may have medical training.
• Another may have tools.
• Someone else may know the area better than you do.

Ask yourself:

If your community lost power, water, and communications for several days, who could you depend on? Who could depend on you?

• Introduce yourself to your neighbors.
• Learn who may need assistance during an emergency.
• Identify people with useful skills.
• Offer a useful skill or resource of your own.
• Discuss basic emergency plans with people you trust.
• Build relationships before you need assistance.

Practice Before You Need To

Preparation becomes useful when you can act under pressure.

Do not simply buy supplies.

Use them.

Do not simply create plans.

Practice them.

• Test your equipment.
• Rotate your food.
• Check your water.
• Replace expired medical supplies.
• Review evacuation routes.
• Practice emergency communication.

Set aside a weekend and simulate a power outage.

• Turn off the normal conveniences.
• Cook a meal.
• Use stored water.
• Listen to emergency information.

Try to solve problems without reaching for your normal technology.

Ask yourself:

Am I and my family ready to handle the possible emergencies we face?

• Schedule a household emergency exercise.
• Select one scenario.
• Identify what you would normally depend on.
• Remove those resources from the exercise.
• Use your emergency supplies.
• Record what worked.
• Record what failed.
• Fix the problems you discovered.
• Repeat the exercise later.

The greatest threat to your survival is not one specific disaster.

It is being unprepared when a disaster changes the conditions you normally depend on.

You cannot predict every emergency.

You can control how prepared you are when one occurs.

• Start with water.
• Then food
• Medical care
• Communication
• Shelter
• Transportation
• Skills.

If the systems you depend on stopped working tomorrow, what would you wish you had prepared today?

As Always, Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

You play a critical role in your preparedness. By preparing yourself for the unexpected, you will become more self-reliant and a valuable asset to your community