What if you had to do an emergency evacuation? How well could you do it, bringing along your essential papers and other things? It could be due to fire or wildfire, earthquake, hurricane, some human craziness, or other disaster. This article will cover the most useful tip I’ve found and that is to create your own checklist in advance and keep it someplace very convenient. How about on the refrigerator or in the front of a handy file drawer? We are all different, and no personal emergency evacuation plans template will be exactly right for your situation. They can be good … Continue reading →

How prepared are you for the uncertainties of life? Do you have some water and food stored? What about your crucial documents? Despite writing about the importance of preparedness, and having purchased some good books on it, I have to admit that other things tend to take priority. If something disrupted my routines, I would have enough toilet paper and AA batteries for a while, but I’m not sure how well I’d do overall! Chances are that you too have gaps in your versatility. That’s why this online course is such a good thing. It’s put together by Daisy Luther … Continue reading →

I’d say that the times call for doing at least a little preparedness, so recently I turned my librarian’s eye to the plethora of resources on the internet. My question was: What are the best prepper sites to get a sense of the world of preparedness? Let’s Begin with More than Just Surviving I loved the name of this site when I saw a link to it somewhere, and when I went there, I discovered a beautifully made and thoughtful website. It defines itself better than I could: More Than Just Surviving is a survival blog that features wilderness survival and … Continue reading →

When the power was out for nearly three days and nights in an Australian town, one of the residents sent a report to an American friend of his. People did surprisingly well but there were many problems that could have been avoided with a little preparedness. The man who wrote was one of the few who were truly ready. The outage was statewide for about half as long and it was caused by a category 2 hurricane which was preceded by some low-level tornadoes. The webpage article I read is interesting and could be eye-opening. Take a look. I have … Continue reading →

Many people love headlamp flashlights (or just headlamps as they are widely called), and they have strong opinions about which are the best. These flashlights are widely used in outdoor activities, from adventurous ones like caving, to jogging, hiking, and bicycling, to just walking the dog after dark. You might want one for camping, RVing, or for times when the electricity goes out.  Sure, any flashlight is a help at those times, but hands-free can be very useful. I discovered these flashlights many years ago, when my husband Kelly made himself a Halloween costume with one, but it was much clunkier … Continue reading →

Sometimes people have to leave their homes in a hurry due to forest fires, earthquakes, and other events. How clearly would you think and what would you have to do if you had to get out fast? Without projecting that you will need to use a family emergency binder (also called a grab and go binder), it’s comforting and practical to have one. Here is a list of 10 things to keep in it. That’s a great start, and if you think of a good 11th or 12th, let me know in the comments! 10 Things to Put in Your Binder [1] A check you … Continue reading →

Being forced to leave home is something I’d really rather not think about. But if it should ever happen, I’d definitely rather have a home evacuation checklist to help me get out. And actually, there are a lot more evacuations every year than you might think. Here are some of the causes of people having to evacuate their homes: Flooding Fire, whether a house fire, a fire in a small region, or a vast forest fire Hurricanes Tornadoes or more likely their aftermath Earthquakes’ aftermath Industrial mishaps, for example, ones that release noxious gases   So in this article, I’ll come … Continue reading →

Has the power gone out at your place in the past year? Are you more or less prepared for being without electricity for a while? I’ve got five tips. With the power grid vulnerable to a variety of events, it’s a good idea to set things up so you can do okay if your power is out for a while. UPDATE: Since I wrote this, newsman Ted Koppel has written Lights Out,  a sobering book about the risk of longer term power outages. Here is my review of it on this website. We lived in Mexico for several years recently and … Continue reading →