My viewpoint on emergency preparation is that it starts with any unexpected situation and only varies as a function of the length of the emergency, resources needed, and potential risks. Under this umbrella, immediate self-defense situations, first-aid, and fire safety are all forms of higher-risk, short-length emergencies that require fewer resources. All three of these scenarios are about mitigating an event while awaiting emergency services. What can I do between now (the emergency occurring) and when services arrive (fire, EMS, police)?
The first real step to being prepared for emergencies is acquiring the skills and tools required for immediate response to common emergencies. Once that is done, it becomes a matter of how long you could go if emergency services and infrastructure (power, water, food, waste, etc.) failed.
Most people, based most likely on accurate risk assessment, prepare for days to weeks of interruption, making sure needed supplies like water and food are available for such an event. Additionally, basic supplies and a plan may need to be created if a localized emergency makes leaving the area (bugging out) a preferred option. As you prepare for longer and longer potential emergencies the resources required tend to go up as the likelihood of the event (month-long disruptions) goes down. I have discussed ways to conceptualize the length and risk of emergency situations in previous Emergency Preparation articles.
As I have gone down my own personal journey of preparing for longer and longer events, many lessons have been learned. Toward the end of 2020, I started teaching a four-hour Emergency Preparation class at our firearms training academy. In addition to enjoying talking about a subject that I am passionate about, each class has involved detailed conversations with the people taking the class. These exchanges have helped cement some core ideas about emergency preparation but have also resulted in new ideas that I have incorporated into my own preparations. This article is focused on some additional concerns for emergency preparation from the short-term to the long-term, loosely
based on these conversations.
Communications and Detection
A hand crank, solar-powered emergency radio is on most lists for being prepared for short-term emergencies. Many of these also have the ability to charge other devices through USB ports and the ability to recharge devices with muscle power is a plus. For any emergency, having access to emergency announcements and information can be very helpful when the power is out. In my initial preparations, such devices were an early purchase.
However, what happens if the emergency announcement via standard radio and cellular services stop working (both power-dependent and cell tower dependent)? Though still vulnerable to worldwide power outages, satellite phones provide a much more reliable way to communicate. They are more expensive than cell phones and are mainly limited to GPS and telecommunication uses. Their advantage is that they directly communicate via satellites (compared to being relayed by ground towers) and work anywhere worldwide.
Additional methods of communication include short wave radio (receiving only), civilian band radios (short range), and HAM radios (requires a license, but allows for worldwide communication). Having such devices increases your access to information if national communications are disrupted. Our move to a more rural area with poor cellular service made a satellite phone a no-brainer and we have purchased a short-wave radio. As we continue to build out for longer disruptions, I have started the journey toward obtaining a HAM radio license.
Detection is the ability to know if an environment is compromised for human survival. We are all used to self-contained fire detection devices. We also have radon and CO² detectors in our home. However, as far as radiation, chemical, and biological concerns, our focus has been protection and mitigation with detection being left to emergency transmissions and information.
As with communication, we started thinking in terms of longer-length disruptions. Reliance on outside sources for information about chemical, biological, or radiation threats is less and less likely to be of help. Radiation detection can be acquired fairly cheaply, and we quickly purchased a higher-end Geiger counter for the home and lower-end card-based detectors for our preparedness bags. We also purchased potassium iodine to mitigate potential exposure. Unfortunately, quality chemical detectors (beyond what is commonly found in homes) are expensive, and biological detection kits even more so. We have yet to invest in either of these but continue to weigh the costs versus the risks. Currently, there are other items we are building up that are lower cost with a higher likelihood of being needed.
Currency
Having an available backup of cash can be of use for emergency purchases, trading, and bribing in short to intermediate service disruptions lasting from days to a week. Again, as a part of our early preparations, we made sure to build up a solid cash reserve we could access without needing to use banks or electronics in an emergency.
As we continued preparing for longer disruptions, we started to think about what would have value if people started to prioritize survival over money. Although some turn to precious metals as a more solid investment than paper money, to my way of thinking both lose value at approximately the same time in an ongoing disaster. (A potential value of precious metals is that if the economy (and currency) collapses during a long-term disaster, but some new form of government is eventually reinstated, previous paper/digital money will likely have no value, but precious metals are more likely to retain value in such an eventuality.)
What would people value for bribes and trade once paper money or precious metals have no perceived value? The initial answer is that anything you would stockpile would likely also have value to others: food, water, fuel, ammunition, and survival gear (see my pervious article on charity bags). Don’t forget that those that use substances will still be driven by those same needs if not more so in a disaster. Thus, having a supply of alcoholic drinks and tobacco products may provide valuable currency even if you do not personally use them.
A final thought from survivors of the civil unrest in and around Kosovo — when asked what was the most desired and traded-for item, their answer was cheap disposable lighters. For a few months, I picked up a pack of four or eight lighters every time I was at a place that sold them and added them to the long-term supplies. I have continued to build up our food, water, ammunition, and whiskey (an easy task for me) supplies, allowing some to be considered potential currency in a disaster.
Long-Term Power
The most obvious sign of an emergency stretching past a short-term issue is a long-term disruption of power. Building up alternatives to external electricity dependence is the next consideration. Our initial preparations in this area included having natural gas available (we have the tank refilled at 40%), plenty of grilling supplies, and a small stockpile of fuel. Depending on your personal needs (e.g., refrigeration for needed medicines), geography (air conditioning or heating needs), and housing, your needs for alternate power sources may vary. Many turn to solar but recognize that even though most smaller and cheaper solar-powered units work, they are very slow to charge even smaller devices.
The questions to ask regarding power are:
- How much at a minimum do you need?
- What are your sources?
- How much fuel (if needed) do you have?
Basically, how long can you rely on your backup power plans? Although a backup generator may sound like a clear solution, how much fuel will you realistically have to keep such a device going if weeks become months?
Our absolute power needs are lighter than some. We have added several larger solar collecting panels and a solar power station as well as other solar options. We also have over 10 acres of wooded land and two fireplaces for heat. Finally, I have converted most of our power tools to battery units that can be charged from the solar panels as needed.
Trapping, Farming, Hunting
A constant reminder for long-term disruption is that if you can’t grow it, make it, or have it stockpiled then you likely won’t be able to get it if a disaster results in a disruption lasting months. Do you have the supplies needed to farm the land available if you need to start moving towards producing your own foods? In addition to the skills do you have long-term supplies needed for hunting, fishing, and trapping? Do you have the materials needed to process and store the food you acquire?
Our initial work in this direction was to make sure we had basic tools, seed vaults, and farming guides as well as what was needed to can or smoke what was grown or caught. As we continue to slowly move into preparing for longer-term to permanent service disruptions I have been building out these supplies. Additionally, I have been considering adding a hunting crossbow to the firearms and ammo collection, and will likely be buying a harness and plow for our draft horse in the near future.
Raw Materials Sandbags, Hardware, Lumber
Building on the idea that in a long-term disaster what you don’t have you likely won’t be able to get, is the need for raw materials. It is great if you have the skills (or bought a book) to build your own outhouse but do you have the hardware, tools, and lumber to do so?
Recently someone asked me how many sandbags I had back stocked. I answered none, but also realized that they would be very useful in a long-term emergency, and we already have a large hill of fill sand (mainly to maintain the horse arena) on the property. I almost immediately added 1000 empty sandbags to the backstock as well as a book on sandbag uses. Additionally, I have the hardware, tools, and supplies for the most needed repairs around the property. More recently I have been adding additional lumber to the workshop including the plywood that would be needed to secure all ground floor windows if needed.
Conclusion
Preparing for longer and longer periods of disruption will differ for each and every person. Limitations impact these decisions: the realistic risk, your own resources, where you live (rural, urban, large amount of land, small, hot, cold, etc.), and how many people and what would it take to support them.
After initial planning regarding what would be needed if you had to leave your location and preparing to sustain your family in the face of disruptions, the next steps will likely vary greatly and there is no right or wrong (assuming rational choices). However, as you consider longer-term planning, it is easy to overlook additional factors, and hindsight only works if Amazon or Lowes is still available. Though needed drugs, food, water, and tools may come easily to mind, it is a worthwhile thought exercise to evaluate everything you need to regularly purchase. Ask yourself, “What would happen if I could not just head to Lowes, Tractor Supply, or Target?”
Even clothing may become an issue in a long-term to permanent disruption of services. For example, I keep a few more pairs of jeans than I used to, but realistically I have about five years before they would all be falling apart if I could not replace them. Such thoughts should not dominate your enjoyment of the now. But, as much as you can safely prepare within your own budget and needs, the better off you will be if something does happen.
