Disaster Advice: how to prepare?

This question was originally asked and answered on Tumblr on June 24th, 2023. See original.

Anonymous asked:

Hi, you are the resident disaster prep person, right?

I was wondering, i live in a area that hasn't had any natural desasters in decades and the only thing i can really think about that might happen is a house fire. And i want to pack a small.suitcase (i don't have a suitanle backpag) in case of an emergency.

What would you recommend?

So far i got clothes, important documents, first aid kit, important memorabila and nothing else.

what am i missing? I don't assume i will be on my own if something happens,.as i said, house.fire is the thing i can think of and that would mean i can rely.on friends for help.

I am indeed!

And I'm glad you're planning to prepare. Even if your area hasn't had a natural disaster in so long, you just never know. There could be an unexpected natural disaster, a man-made disaster, or just a personal one like a house fire as you mentioned.

Really, my wildfire prep chart applies here too. The things you need to take in a disaster are really the same across the board:

Basically, just make sure you have the things you need to survive a minimum of three days and work out from there.

Prep isn't just about LEAVING, though. You should also be sure to prepare to shelter in place if you have, say, an extended power outage but your house is otherwise safe. Make sure you have shelf-stable food and an easy way to cook it. Make sure you have some bottled or canned water. Make sure you have a way to stay warm or cool(er) depending on the weather.

And MAPS. Have paper maps both in your house and in your car and make sure you know how to read them. I stress this one more than a lot of things because you cannot rely on GPS during a disaster. You have got to got to got to have a paper option.