How can I be prepared?

‘Be prepared’ has been the Scout motto the world over, with the meaning: ‘a person is always in a state of readiness to face any difficulty’.

This information on Self Sufficiency is provided free from Isabell Shipard’s Self Sufficiency book.
…  … have been used to indicate omitted text.
Please see Isabell’s book on how to be self sufficient

 How can I be prepared with Self-Sufficiency and Survival Foods?  for full text.

Self Sufficiency Book Commendations

Hands up, who has their ‘go bag’ ready? By a ‘go bag’ I am referring to emergency supplies, a 72-hour kit, organised and at the ready in case you have to leave home due to extremes in weather caused by storms, flooding or other calamities like fire or earthquake. Other serious disruptions to our lives could include terrorist attacks, war and rioting. With extremes of weather patterns, this century, the daily news on TV, shows us very vividly the destruction of hundreds of homes and public buildings in many places of the world. Recently, Sydney City Council encouraged residents of the city to be prepared with a ‘go bag’ to have ready in the case of terrorist attack or other upheaval. This seems a very wise move for all of us in these uncertain times. Planning and preparing can help reduce chaos; like the Chinese Proverb says, “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

Your Safety Program … one step at a time

  1. Every home is wise to have a plan for emergencies, and if we have to leave our homes suddenly, a 72- hour kit is recommended, although a 2-3 week kit would carry a person through extended periods of evacuation (p 13).
  2. For a pandemic situation, nuclear fallout, or during some other disasters, we are wise to stay within our homes with sufficient food, water and essentials for a 3 month period. Preparations for this would be the next step, in planning (p 16).
  3. Families are then encouraged to plan and prepare 12 months of stored food to provide protection for possible longer term disturbances of essential supplies (p 23).
Survival Foods
Survival Foods

Let’s plan now for such a procedure and put these 3 programs into place. Making a plan and acting on that plan, is like wearing a seat belt when we travel in a car. We do not want or even expect to crash. However, we can protect ourselves to reduce the consequences of a possible crash, as the highways may be hazardous due to wet weather, winds, flash floods, pot holes or reckless drivers. A crash may occur through circumstances outside of our control, and the same possibility is the case with extremes of weather or any other major catastrophe.

Every family has a responsibility to provide for its own needs within its ability and means, as making provision for such adversities does offer some security and wellbeing. Catastrophes may pose many difficulties and dangers, resulting in turmoil and chaos, which can cause extreme trauma to any person. Therefore, careful advance planning in your family is top priority. As most emergency situations do not give us much notice (that is why a sudden crisis is called an emergency) the emphasis on this topic, here, is not grounds for panic, but on personal and family preparedness.

Taking steps to make ‘preparedness’ a way of life is important in our rather unstable world.


… … omitted text, please see How can I be prepared with Self-Sufficiency and Survival Foods? for full text.


 

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