Could You Survive a Disaster?

The earthquake in Haiti is an immense tragedy. And the strength of the Haitian people to survive under such conditions is to be admired. We should all help in whatever way we can. But this catastrophe should make you sit back and think what you would do to provide for and protect your family if something similar happened in your community. Granted, the infrastructure in most parts of the U.S. is far better than in Haiti. However, look at what went on when Hurricane Katrina struck? Traffic was gridlocked, people had to be plucked from their rooftops, no food, no water, and looters ran amuck. No one is immune from disasters — be it a flood, a hurricane, a wildfire or a snow blizzard. And your best defense is to be prepared. That means becoming as self sufficient as possible. There are some up front benefits, too: It gives you a chance to save a few bucks on things like vegetables, and it gets you outside for some exercise and fresh air. After living through the Flood of the Century in 1995 and the hurricanes of 2004 and not having electricity for days on end, I’ve taken a number of steps. Here are just a few of them: • Solar-powered gated entrances to our property, • Generators to pump drinking water, run a small A/C, keep the refrigerator going, • Orange, tangerine, lime and avocado trees, • Chickens that produce eggs, • A month’s worth of can goods and MREs (meals ready to eat). We are fortunate to have a small river that’s full of tasty fish less than 200 yards from our back doorstep. And most recently we started a worm farm for bait and worm castings (poop) that’s great for composting. Of course there’s always more ... a solar powered water heater is next on my list. Ultimately I’d love to get completely off the grid so I could tell Florida Power & Light to take a hike. You might not be able or interested in some of the things I’ve done. Or maybe you want to do more. Either way, to help you get started on your road to self sufficiency, I suggest you read The Ultimate Suburban Survivalist Guide written by my good friend Sean Brodrick. Inside you’ll find all kinds of helpful hints that you can easily implement without spending an arm and a leg. Best wishes, George