Last Minute Prepper: How to Survive a Disaster when you Failed to
Prepare
Because I work so hard to help people prepare, I need to start this
article off with a huge disclaimer. Waiting until the last minute, or
waiting until a disaster strikes is probably the stupidest thing you can
do. Depending on the severity of the disaster it could get you and the
ones you love killed.
I thought long and hard about writing this article; in fact, it was one of
the early concepts for my book (the publisher suggested it). Looking
back, I’m glad I choose to ax it and go with the Ultimate Situational
Survival Guide. But having run this site for over eight years now, I
know the reality of prepping; most people, even those who claim to
be prepared, don’t take their preparedness planning very seriously.
And no matter how many articles I write about preparedness, a
majority of people – even many of those reading this article – are
going to wait until the final moments to do anything about it.
Last Minute Preparedness: What to Do Right Before a Disaster Hits!
Do Not Panic
While disasters like industrial accidents, earthquakes, and terror
attacks are hard to predict, many disasters tend to come with at least
a little bit of warning. Things like hurricanes, winter storms, and even
wars or social unrest usually will come with some sort of warning
associated with the crisis.
If you know you are about to face an emergency situation, you need
to act quickly. Most of the country is ill-prepared for even small-scale
disasters and will be panicking once the crisis hits. That’s going to
make last minute prepping dangerous and could make the act of
stocking up on these last minute supplies even more hazardous than
the actual coming disaster.
Here’s what you need to do.
Your first priority is delegating duties to everyone in your home or
group. This isn’t a one-man challenge; the more hands that you can
have on deck, the easier it will be to get ahead of the danger.
Immediately start filling any containers you can find with water.
Depending on the disaster, municipal water supplies can become
compromised relatively quickly, making even the water coming out of
your faucet unsafe to drink. If you have an WaterBOB fill it
immediatly, or fil every container you can find and seal it with plastic
wrap.
Water is going to be one of your top priorities so get this one done
quickly!
Head to the bank, get all the cash you can get. Electronic payments
are anything but secure, and anything from a cyber-attack on the
banks to failures in the power grid can mean being stuck without a
way to buy your last minute supplies. Having cash on hand during a
disaster is essential; don’t count on the plastic in your wallet!
Stock up on food and water. If the coming problems are short-term in
nature, stock up on food that you can eat without cooking. If the
disaster looks like it could turn into a long-term crisis, stock-up on
these long-term food supplies now. Don’t forget to buy as many
bottles of water as you can.
Fill up your Gas Tank: You never want to let you tank fall below half
filled; once you know a disaster is coming you need to start topping
off all of your vehicles in case gas deliveries are interrupted. If
possible, and if you have a safe way to store it, fill as many extra gas
containers as you can store.
Buy as many batteries as you can. From marine grade batteries that
can be used to recharge items like cell phones, tablets, and other
emergency gear to AA batteries and other standard sizes, you can’t
have enough batteries on hand.
Get your Medical Supplies in Order. If you have a medical condition,
now is the time to refill all of your prescriptions before it’s too late.
Charge Everything. From your rechargeable batteries to your cell
phones and tablets, charge everything now. It may be your last
chance!
Build a Shelter within your Shelter: Depending on the conditions,
make sure you have the appropriate gear in place to regulate your
temperature should the grid go down. Pull out all your seasonal
clothing (hats, socks, gloves, etc.) gather your blankets, and make a
quick plan on what items you need to buy in order to survive without
power.
If you live in a hot climate, check out our article on staying cool
without Air Conditioning
Grab a backpack and put together a quick Bug Out Bag: Hopefully,
you already have one; but then again this is an article about last
minute preparedness. Immediately grab the supplies you would need
to survive an extended emergency away from home, should the
worst happen and an evacuation is ordered you need to have
everything in place to leave at a moment’s notice.
Some other items you should look for:
Candles: Buy as many as you can find.
Backup solar panels: Here are some good ones that we recommend.
Sanitation Supplies: Toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, garbage bags,
bleach, rubbing alcohol, and cleaning supplies.
A small BBQ Grill for cooking, in case you lose power.
If you’re reading this article because disaster is imminent, GOOD
LUCK!
If you stumbled on this article, and have never thought about
preparedness related issues I’m going to end this article with the
same warning I gave at the beginning: Waiting until the last minute,
or waiting until a disaster strikes is probably the stupidest thing you
can do.
If you are new to preparedness or want to get some ideas on how
you can better prepare yourself and your family to face these types
of issues here are a couple of articles to get you started:
Natural Disasters: Emergency Preparedness Checklist
32 Self-Reliant Resources: Preparedness Skills that Everyone
Should Know
Evacuation Planning: 60+ Preparedness Resources for Bugging Out
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