As a man on a mission to help as many Followers of Christ as possible to become Disaster Ready, firmly believing that, whenever the next disaster takes place, I believe it should be Believers in the incident area - just like the Bible's Noah or Joseph - who should be the most capable of assisting other Victims there.
Since the subject of Disaster Preparedness regularly comes up when others are speaking with me, it's not uncommon for me to hear someone, seeking assurance, say something like, "We're pretty safe around here, aren't we?"
In general, such individuals are convinced they are safe from nuclear plant meltdown, hurricanes, a tsunamis and the like. Fact is, the top three most common disasters in the U.S. are 1) Floods 2) Tornadoes and 3) Fires.
Actually, heat waves kill more U.S. residents than any other natural disaster. As many as 10,000 people have died in past heat waves. As urban areas get hotter, aging electrical systems are strained and, as the population ages, too, the risk is increased.
Earthquakes in unusual places. Yellowstone's super volcano has the potential to destroy life for hundreds of miles with 3 feet of ash. Asteroids, tsunamis, nuclear war, economic collapse... the list goes on and on. At the last Republican debate, when Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich was asked what his greatest concern for this nation, his response was, "An EMP."
What kind of an impact would a broken water main, the death of a bread-winner, an ice storm, a gas explosion, a derailed train carrying toxic material, a giant sink hole leading to the evacuation of your neighborhood, have on the world you've grown comfortable with?
My suggestion? Prepare bug-out bags for your family. Don't forget your pets! Buy some extra water, meds, a first-aid kit, whenever the budget allows (a simple adjustment in purchases such as reduced purchases of cigarettes, alcohol, DVD's, fast food, could help your cause). You can Google a bug-out list off the internet. Turn your paper cash into small, user-friendly silver and gold amounts.
Be redundant in your preparations. Again, be redundant! In other words, have several methods of getting water. Buy freeze-dried foods but also canned goods and grow your own groceries, too. Carry stuff in your car. If the whole region has to hit the freeways at the same time, it might be nice to have a can of gas, warm clothes, food and water, an empty bottle in case you gotta go tee-tee.
Make up your mind that YOU will never find yourself standing in line for gas, food or water. Purpose in your heart that YOU will be self-sufficient. You CAN stay cool, warm, dry, fed, watered, protected, medicated without anyone else's help.
Don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed, or go broke, prepping. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time. Little here, little there.
You can do this.
You simply must.
Trust me, you'll sleep better.
Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
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