Emergency Survival
Emergency Survival - Hurricane Katrina FEMA News photo
Emergency survival depends on preparedness and proper training, which includes a multitude of basic skills. Knowing how to swim, being physically fit enough to run or move efficiently, and having basic self-defense skills can all make a difference in your potential for survival. First aid skills, CPR certification, and wilderness survival skills are also useful tools that can help you in an emergency. Many people also believe that mental survival skills such as stress management and knowing how to establish leadership and order in a group of people can help in an emergency situation.
Many people believe that disasters and other emergencies simply can’t happen to them. A real emergency such as a volcanic eruption or disastrous hurricane is something they see on television, not something that could affect them or their families. People with this point of view are often totally unprepared when disaster does strike. Since many of us associate emergencies exclusively with weather conditions, people who live in mild weather areas believe that they’ll be safe. They forget about other threats such as terrorist attacks, and fail to prepare for an emergency.
Education is equally important to emergency survival. This encompasses a wide variety of information, some of which varies by location. For example, it’s important to know information about your local area in the event of an emergency or evacuation. This sort of information can often be obtained from local emergency personnel such as police and fire, or from local chapters of disaster relief associations such as the Red Cross. Knowing safe traveling routes, where to find high ground or where your local community will meet in the event of an emergency are all important pieces of information to keep in mind.
Once you’re mentally and physically prepared with the right information, skills and fitness, having access to the right items makes up the other half of emergency survival. Prepare and maintain an emergency kit to keep yourself and your family safe. This kit should be stored in a cool, dry place in your home that can easily be accessed in the event of an emergency. It is also advised to keep smaller backup kits in your vehicle and at work, to ensure you’re never caught unprepared.
Your main emergency survival kit should contain provisions for every member of your household, including any pets. A well-stocked emergency kit should contain enough food and water to last at least 3 days. Each person should have a gallon of water per day; one half-gallon of bottled water for drinking, and another half-gallon for washing, cooking, or medical needs. Non-perishable foods such as canned goods and dry foods that don’t require cooking or additional ingredients should be your food staples. Cooking and eating utensils, tools, blankets, light sources and first aid items are also important additions to your emergency survival kit. The items that make up your emergency kit should be packaged in easy-to-carry containers like waterproof duffel bags, in the event you need to move quickly.
Don’t wait for disaster to strike. By taking proper precautions in advance, you can greatly improve your chances of surviving an emergency.
