All too often, we preppers tend to get all wrapped up in one aspect of our planning and let other areas slide. I see it happen most often with firearms and other weaponry. So much time, as well as expense, is devoted to amassing an armory that the effort would have brought a tear (a MANLY tear) to Charlton Heston’s eye, yet the food storage consists of a single case of canned stew.
Preparedness Plans: It's Not All About Defense
Yes, security and defense are very important components of any preparedness plan. But, it is rather difficult to shoot accurately when your hands are shaking due to missed meal cramps in the belly. Tummy rumbling doesn’t make sneaking up on someone any easier, either.
Of course, the opposite is true as well. I’ve talked with preppers who have enough food to last their family at least a few years, but for security have just an old single shot shotgun – that they’ve not fired in a decade or more.
Preparedness Plans: Address Each Area, Not Just One
There are several different components for a truly comprehensive disaster readiness plan. Some of these include:
- Food: Storage, acquisition, preservation.
- Water: Storage, filtration, disinfection.
- First aid: Bandages, meds, equipment.
- Defense: Firearms, other weapons, ammunition.
- Shelter: Expedient, permanent, tools and materials for repair.
- Fire: Means of lighting, firewood procurement and storage.
Further, each of those areas has several sub-components that need to be addressed. It isn’t enough to just have enough food to last a year. You need to have the means to cook it, serve it, and clean up afterwards.
Preparedness Plans: Time to Get Organized – And Serious
One great way to keep yourself on track is to rotate your focus to a different survival planning area each week. If you don’t have one handy, stop in at your local dollar store and pick up a wall calendar. Go through and write just a one word topic in the box for every Sunday through the year. Week 1 is Food, Week 2 is Water, etc.. Rotate through all those areas over and over until you get to the end of December.
I’m not suggesting you spend the entire week working on your food storage. Rather, use the calendar as a reminder to rotate your canned goods, take a quick inventory of the paper goods, or purchase a few extra bags of split peas or rice that week.
Preparedness Plans: Build Them Like a Car
By taking the blinders off, so to speak, you’ll be in a better position to see the whole picture. All these different areas of preparedness are sort of like the different components in a car’s engine. You can change the oil as much as you want, but if you neglect to check the coolant once in a while, you might still find yourself stranded.