7 Prepper Tips for Natural Disaster Preparedness and Survival

Photo by: spleeness

Todd’s Note: This is a timely post as Hurricane season ramps up down here on the Gulf Coast.  But this information isn’t just for hurricane preparedness.  It is for any type of preparedness.  Take a moment to read what our friends over at Food Insurance have prepared for us and feel free to add some of your own prepper knowledge down in the comments.

Savvy preppers know how important it is to always be prepared to survive a natural disaster. No one can truly dictate when these disasters will occur. So, it’s best to get prepared, starting today. But, how do you prepare for a disastrous situation that could leave you homeless and helpless? Well, here are seven tips just for preppers who want to prepare for natural disasters:

1) Have a Sufficient Water Supply

As a prepper, you already know that humans can’t go very long without drinking clean water. After a natural disaster, public water supplies may become contaminated, and stores will be out of stock, if they’re open. Yet, 5-gallon bottles are too bulky to store and too heavy to transport during an evacuation. So, you’ll need a more convenient alternative, such as a way to filter and sterilize water yourself. The devise below are portable tools that can help you turn just about any water into clean drinking water:

• Water pumps with filters
• Emergency reserve water tanks
• Desalination pouches
• Waterbricks
• Water filter bottles
• Water filter straws
• Water filters

2) Buy a Little at a Time

During and after a natural disaster, your local grocery stores will either be closed or won’t have sufficient food supplies in stock. That’s why it’s so vital to your disaster preparedness plan that you have an adequate amount of food storage to sustain you for a while. But, buying enough to sustain you can be very expensive if you try to buy everything at once.

Instead, simply add a few extra packages and cans of foods you enjoy eating each time you shop for groceries. This is a much more affordable way to build your food storage up for your natural disaster survival.

3) Sprout Your Own Greens

Savvy preppers know all about sprouting. If you don’t you need to learn how to sprout your own greens before it’s too late. What is sprouting? It’s a form of gardening, which provides you with fresh greens for your survival. The big difference is that sprouting allows you to grow your own fresh veggies in no more than 2-3 days. All you need are sprouting seeds and some type of device to use as a sprouting jar.

4) Get a 72 Hour Emergency Kit

A 72-hour emergency kit, also known as a “Bug Out Bag” to savvy preppers, can be your key to survival. These are short-term kits that give you the ability to remain self-sufficient for up to three days. You can build your own 72 hour emergency kit. You can also purchase a ready-made three day kit for your prepper needs. Some of the essentials it should contain are:

• Emergency radio
• Extra batteries
• Light sources
• Evacuation plan
• Copies of important papers
• Copies of IDs
• Extra blankets
• Flares
• Fire starting device
• Something to pass the time

5) Prepare for Cooking On-the-Go

In most cases, the natural disaster will have made your utility services inoperable. Without gas and electricity, you won’t be able to use your toaster, microwave or your stove for preparing foods. Most savvy preppers conquer this by storing freeze dried food. Why? Well, freeze dried products require no cooking whatsoever. All you need is water. Yet, there may be some items in your food storage that will require cooking. Here are some portable cooking solutions:

• Stove-in-a-Can
• Sun oven
• Bonfire
• Camping stove
• Volcano stove

6) Be Prepared to Conquer Human Waste

This is a subject most people don’t like to talk about. But, if you truly want to be prepared for surviving a natural disaster, it must be addressed ahead of time. Because you probably won’t be able to flush your toilet, you’ll need to have a plan in place for getting rid of human waste. Preppers recommend having a basic sanitation kit for this purpose. They’re sold as pre-made kits, or you can build a basic sanitation kit yourself. All you need is:

• Garbage bags
• Bucket with lid
• Chlorinated lime

7) Prepare for Minor Medical Emergencies

Always be prepared to deal with minor medical emergencies after a natural disaster. This could actually help to save a life until medical assistance can arrive. A basic first aid kit will contain what you need to deal with just about any minor medical issue that may arise. Make sure your first aid kit is stored in a convenient location. You may need to leave your home in a hurry. So, it should be stored near your water and food storage so you can grab everything a go quickly.

This article was prepared by Chett Wright for Food Insurance, the prepper experts. Ready to get your water purifying and food storage plan in order? Check out the disaster preparedness products found at FoodInsurance.com today.

This article first appeared on Ed That Matters.

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