Preparing for that Emergency

by Rhona Mahony. The photos of people in the Caribbean and the Mississippi Delta suffering the aftermath of this month’s hurricanes are miserable. Climate scientists tell us to get used to it. They say that unpleasant weather is going to afflict us all more often: hurricanes, floods, and hot spells. Earthquakes are what I need to worry about. I live in central California, five miles from the San Andreas Fault. Its occasional rumbles sway my house. The Big One–when not whether–will be a hair-raising mess.

The best source of practical information about preparing for disasters that I know about is the book, When All Hell Breaks Loose, by Cody Lundin. Cody runs an outdoor survival school in Arizona. His book describes ways to keep safely warm or safely cool, store or find drinking water, get enough to eat, and find a substitute for the flush toilet that no longer flushes. He has tested every method himself. Every tool and technique comes with a photograph or drawing. I’ve taken classes with him. He is exceptionally experienced.

Cody’s information comes with a sense of humor. Be forewarned, your great-aunt may find his humor coarse. She’s tough, though; she can take it. Do you know that goofy jokes are what have gotten the most successful survivors through the most stomach-wrenching perils? Jokes unlocked the PANIC setting of their brains. Then they could do the right thing. After you have learned and done the things in Cody’s book, your reward is to snuggle up with Deep Survival, by Laurence Gonzales.

PLAN!TNOW members are making video recordings of this fall’s survivors of bad storms, for Public Service Announcements. Emotional, first-person accounts on television might motivate more of us to get prepared. The American Red Cross has good lists. Target’s new, free emergency-preparedness brochure is disappointingly patchy. It lists non-essential items, such as carbon monoxide detectors, but leaves out more important items, such as water purification supplies, tarps, or tents. Target stores should really be selling Cody’s book.

What are you doing to be more prepared? Do you know which neighbors will need your help?