If 2020 has taught us one thing it is that disasters – manmade or otherwise – have the capacity for upending everything we previously took for granted. Some of that disruption may be inconvenient – like a temporary shortage of your favourite foods – or can be serious enough to become a matter of life or death.
Thankfully, whether the crisis is big or small, temporary or life-changing, brought about by extreme weather, or a natural or man-made disaster, there is a lot you can do to prepare yourself in advance – and that approach to preparedness goes by the term prepping.
Prepping
In recent years, calling someone a “prepper” has become almost like calling them weird, cranky, or peculiar, suggests the website Survive UK. Yet there is nothing wrong – and everything to gain – by being prepared. Who could dispute the common-sense and right-minded thinking of being prepared?
It’s not to say that you are digging in to prepare for any forthcoming apocalypse – far lesser crises can cause disruption enough. What if your water or energy supplies were temporarily but suddenly cut off? Have you any alternative access to heating, lighting, or cooking facilities? If sickness or a pandemic made it impossible for anyone in your family to get out to do the shopping for essential supplies, how would you cope? Preparedness or prepping might be a simple question of having laid down some stores for use in any such emergency.
Whether crises are caused by natural or man-made disasters or some failure of the economy, there is no getting around the act that the world as we know it is growing increasingly unpredictable. And when it is more difficult to rely on a known future, that is when it pays to be prepared.
Who are you prepping for?
If you are starting to consider prepping, you might get asked the question of just who you are prepping for. The answer can cover all sorts of angles.
You might be doing it for those high-minded ideals enshrined in the pursuit of your personal goals for life, liberty, and happiness, suggests the American website The Prepared.
If you are a parent, of course, you are likely to be still more protective, with a sense of responsibility for safeguarding the future for your offspring.
You might also find that thinking about the world you live in and the potential for parts of it to crumble overnight may teach you about yourself – your values, what is important to you, and what matters most in your life, work, and family.
Getting started – basic preparedness
There is no rule-book when it comes to prepping. Only you know what you and your loved ones are most likely to need in the event of a disaster, crisis, or emergency. To get started with the most basic requirements for the stores you are almost certain to need, here are just a few suggestions:
- drinking water – you’re likely to need a lot of it! Estimate for at least one gallon of clean drinking water per person per day. If there are four or you, for example, that already mounts up to a total of 28 gallons a week;
- medication – during any kind of civil emergency, neither you nor members of your family can afford to get sick because of any lack of ongoing medication. Make sure you and they are adequately stocked;
- canned and non-perishable food – stock up on canned and dry goods since anything in the fridge or freezer is going to start going off after 24 hours without electricity. Alternatively, invest in an alternative power generator;
- children and pets – both are likely to have their particular dietary and daily needs. Milk formula and nappies for babies, for example, and whatever food your pets will need.
Finally, constantly remind yourself and your family members that – whatever the crisis – any sense of panic should be avoided at all costs. Being prepared means that you have it under control.
