Between hurricanes and wildfires, Americans have experienced their fair share of natural disasters recently.
Considering a recent Los Angeles Times report in which climate scientists warn of more extreme weather conditions on the way, it may not be a bad idea to get some supplies ready for when it does hit.
Preparing for natural disasters by making sure you have the essentials could be what helps you and your family survive extreme conditions.
Here are seven of the most important items you should have ready:
1. Water — Whether you’re dealing with a flood or a tornado, you’ll need drinkable water to survive.
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While storage barrels filled with water are a good bet, The Prepper Journal suggests also making sure you have the means to filter water incase you run out.
The site suggests investing in a gravity fed water filter, a camping filter, or purification tablets. They warn that while boiling water will kill organisms, it won’t remove any chemicals in the water.
2. Food — You’ll want to have as much food stored up as possible, as you don’t know how long you’ll have to do without.
Defend and Carry suggests looking out for foods that are lightweight and nutrient dense, like dried meat and nuts. This way, if you have to move, it will be easy to carry your food with you.
Many prepper lists include canned foods, but Defend and Carry warns that these contain water that will be wasted once it’s cooked. For this reason, you’ll also want to stay away from salted or flavored nuts that will affect your water retention.
Urban Survival Site recommends that you have at least two weeks of food available, but stick to non-perishables. Peanut butter, apple sauce, and crackers are all good options.
3. A basic first aid kit — Depending on the kind of emergency you’re faced with, it may take time for emergency services to get to you.
If you’re injured, a basic first aid kit should contain enough supplies to keep you stable until they do.
According to the Mayo Clinic, your kit should at least contain adhesive tape, elastic wrap bandages, instant cold packs, cotton balls and swabs, petroleum jelly, disposable gloves (not latex), safety pins, scissors and tweezers, antibiotic ointment, hand sanitizer, and a syringe.
In terms of medications, make sure you have the basics like aloe vera gel, antihistamines, anti-diarrhea medication, pain relievers, and an auto-injector of epinephrine.
4. Something for lighting and warmth — The obvious items for heat and light you should have on hand would be matches and firelighters. With fire you’ll have both.
Prepper Survive suggests investing in an indoor propane heater or making your own candle heater by balancing terracotta pots about tea light candles.
Also make sure you have an extra set of warm clothes stored away.
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5. Batteries — Whether it’s for your torch or to keep your cellphone charged, you want to make sure you have all the batteries you need on hand, otherwise your devices will be useless.
The Prepper Journal suggests using rechargeable batteries and making sure you have a charger on hand.
Another great investment is a 100w solar panel kit for when you don’t have access to electricity.
6. Essential cutlery — This is one of those things people often forget, but there are a number of reasons you’ll need a few essentials.
If you’ve stockpiled canned food, you’ll need at least one decent manual can opener and a couple of eating utensils.
According to Urban Survival Site, you’ll also need a good knife, and since you’ll probably be using it for all kinds of tasks, not just cooking, you’ll want to invest in something with a good, solid blade.
7. Toilet paper — This one is so significant, it gets its own section.
Toilet paper has a myriad of uses, from cleaning spills to starting fires. It’s one of the things Southern Belle Prepper has on her list of 100 items, but it’s the accompanying quote that speaks to its importance.
An unidentified Sarajevo War survivor once said: “After a while, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war quite like toilet paper . . . Its surplus value is greater than gold's.”
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