March Challenge #31 The Wrap Up

After all of the challenges we have done this month, it is now time to ensure that the answers to the following questions are a resounding "Yes" (if not, see what you can do to change any no answers to yes as soon as possible).

1. Do you have a Bug Out Bag?
2. Do you have a first aid kit (or multiple kits if you need one at home, at the office, in your RV, on your boat, etc)?
3. Have you ensured multiple sources of water for a variety of disaster situations?
4. Have you ensured a comprehensive supply of food to see you through a variety of disaster situations?
5. Does your family have a disaster communications plan?
6. Does you family have an evacuation (bug out) plan?
7. Does your family have a shelter in place (bug in) plan?
8. Have you taken steps to take care of your money situation (be debt free, protect your assets, etc)?
9. Have you ensured that your home can is secure both inside and outside?
10. Do you have (and do you continue to develop) a wide range of skills that would be useful in a disaster?
11. Do you stockpile things that would be useful in a disaster (everything from food to toilet paper to tools, etc)?
12. Do you practice the things that would be useful in a disaster (everything from starting a fire without matches to sewing skills to HAM radio skills, etc)?
13. Have you taken steps to protect your privacy as much as possible?
14. Is everything about you (home, records, work space, etc) organized and are all important things backed up?
15. Do you have multiple ways to protect yourself?
16. Do you have an organized, streamlined, useful Every Day Carry bag?
17. Do you practice situational awareness on a regular basis?
18. Do you have multiple sources of income?
19. Do you own, and are you experienced with, firearms?
20. Are you a minimalist or are you heading in that direction?
21. Have you done a microadventure (or multiple microadventures)?
22. Have you learned and do you practice bushcraft skills?
23. Are you more than familiar with your neighborhood and community?
24. Do you regularly do do-it-yourself tasks?
25. Do you utilize a variety of information sources to stay abreast of current news?
26. Have you prepared for natural disasters that are common in your area?
27. Have you taken on any long-term survival projects?
28. Do you travel (both near and far) regularly?
29. Do you have some semblance of a plan for a TEOTWAWKI situation?
30. Do you utilize your preparedness skills and knowledge to give back to your community?

Congratulations--you are far and away more prepared for any disaster that could happen than the vast majority of the population.

March Challenge #30 Giving Back

Today's challenge is to share some of the preparedness knowledge you have amassed.  Although some survivalists prefer to work in a vacuum, being a "lone wolf" so to speak, there are a number of reasons to share some of the preparedness knowledge you have acquired over the years.

By sharing some of your knowledge, whether by volunteering at the shooting range, becoming a Boy Scout leader, manning a booth at a HAM Fest, or volunteering with the Red Cross in your community, you will not only reinforce your own knowledge but you will build a better community in which to live.  There is often a huge gap of knowledge between the older generation (who knew how to do all kinds of things "the old fashioned way") and the younger generation (who are more often than not raised by single parents and may not have someone to teach them how to hunt and fish and do all kinds of other useful things).  There is also a large knowledge gap between urban and rural folks--one set who have a number of rural living skills and the other set who are more likely than not used to calling for help when they need to do, well, anything.

While some people would rather keep their knowledge to themselves, I, for one, find that the more people in the community that know how to do useful things (shoot safely and accurately, perform CPR, have their own stockpile of food and water for a disaster, can fix a car or plumb a house) the better the community is.  People who strive to be better and learn as much as possible are usually more responsible (it's good to have a lot of responsible people in your community).  These same people can share knowledge with you that you may not yet have, they can come to your aid in a disaster, and most importantly, they won't be totally dependent on others in the event of a disaster (a la the clusterf%*& that was Hurricane Katrina when a whole lot of people were not prepared and could do nothing to help themselves...social unrest follows and people die when this happens).  Perhaps most importantly, by working with people in a casual atmosphere, you will learn about them individually and know who you want on your survival team when TSHTF.

Your challenge today is to do something to help others be prepared for a disaster--from the simple and easy (like sharing information on reddit) to the long-term and in-depth (like volunteering for Search and Rescue or using your HAM skills to volunteer for RACES/ARES).

March Challenge #29 TEOTWAWKI

Today's challenge is to prepare for TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World As We Know It).  While many preppers and survivalists hold this possibility as the "Holy Grail" of their prepping activities, in reality, this is one of the very least of your prepping concerns.  You have about a 99.999% chance of NOT experiencing TEOTWAWKI and about a 99.999% chance of experiencing very mundane and boring disasters like a personal financial crisis, a winter storm, a medical crisis, a job loss, or a natural disaster during your lifetime.

But since we want to be prepared for everything that could happen, giving some thought to TEOTWAWKI is something everyone should do.  Here's some things to consider:

The scenario: total social collapse, roving gangs, no law enforcement, marginal if any medical care, shortages of everything, money worthless, no jobs, pensions/welfare/Social Security are a thing of the past, your investments are worth nothing...you get this idea.

What would you do?

• Would you stay in your home or go elsewhere?
• If you bug in, how will you protect yourself and secure your home?
• If you bug out, where will you go and how will you get there?
• What will you do for food (for an extended period of time with no grocery stores available)?
• Will you be a 'lone wolf' or band together with others?  Who will these others be?
• What if someone gets sick or injured and medical care isn't available?
• How will you acquire and store water and ensure that is is safe for drinking?
• How will you acquire the material goods that you need?
• What will you do for electricity if the power grid is down?
• How will you keep looters and others away from your stuff and your family?
• How will you communicate with others is common communication systems are down?
• How will you survive the weather (extreme cold, extreme heat) without common ways to heat and cool your home?
• What will you do for entertainment without the usual forms (internet, video games, etc) available?
• How will you transport yourself, your family, and your stuff from one point to another when gasoline isn't available?
• What will you do for sanitation if city sewer doesn't work/is backed up/etc?
• How will you keep your pets fed?
• How will you deal with people when all social constructs are gone?
• What will you do in the event that whatever group climbs to power institutes martial law?

These are just a few things that will need to be considered in the event of TEOTWAWKI.  Like any other survival scenario, the ability to prepare and pre-plan for such an event will leave you far ahead of the masses when the worst happens.

March Challenge #28 Travel

Today's challenge is to travel.  Not only does travel allow you to expand your horizons--experiencing new customs and cultures, learning new languages, etc--but you can learn quite a few things that can be useful in the event of an emergency.  Here's what to do:

• Get a passport which is required to visit nearly all foreign countries.
• Decide where you want to go (Europe?  Asia?  Africa? South America?).
• Decide how long you will be gone (from days to weeks to months).
• Determine if you need to do anything else to go to your chosen country (do you need a visa or special vaccinations?  If so, start these processes as soon as possible).
• Determine what you want to do while you travel (museums? intensive language course? humanitarian work? diving?).
• Get time off work.
• Buy your tickets (air/sea, hotel, train, etc).
• Set up everything at home (house sitter, pet sitter, bill payment, etc).
• Do some research on your destination (basic language skills, learn about the culture and appropriate behavior, tourism highlights, etc).
• Save up a reasonable amount of money.
• Pack a (small) bag of stuff.
• Go.

To do when you are traveling: try various types of transportation (bus, tuk tuk, train, jeepney, etc), try a range of foreign food, attempt to communicate with people in a foreign language (or just pointing and smiling), observe how people do things differently in other countries, practice situational awareness, try not to stand out too much, keep your cool at all times, avoid problems with the locals (and local law enforcement), try local activities, make new friends.  Enjoy your trip!

March Challenge #27 Long-Term Survival Projects

Once you pretty much have all of your disaster preparedness ducks in a row, you will have time to take on some longer-term survival projects.  Most prepping projects are fairly quick--stockpiling enough extra food for a week or two can be done in one shopping trip, putting a small emergency fund aside can be done in a few paychecks, etc.

There are a number of survival projects, however, that can take a long time to complete.  The payoff, though, can be many-fold if you are dedicated enough to see these projects through.  Your challenge today is to take on one or more of these longer term projects which will enhance your survival skills.  Some examples:

• Start a garden (an OK garden can be put together in one season, a great garden can take many years to accomplish).
• Add a DIY solar power system to your home (you can purchase/put together one solar panel at a time until you have an entire solar array that can generate enough energy to power your home).
• Take an EMT course (a two to three month proposition) then volunteer to be an EMT in your community.  Not only do you provide an invaluable service to your community but your field medical skills will improve dramatically.
• Build a bug-out shelter.  This can be as extravagant as building a second home on land you own away from the city to building a tiny home/renovating an old RV/renovating an old boat to be used for family vacations as well as bugging out in an emergency.
• Set a physical fitness goal.  One lady I know set a goal to run a marathon everyday (beginning at the first of this year, prior to this she ran 500 marathons over the course of a few years), another lady I know will spend four months running across the US this summer, a guy I know does more than 300 volksmarches each year, yet another guy I know will complete a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail this summer.

These are just a few examples of longer-term projects that will benefit you immediately as well as into your future.

March Challenge #26 Prepare for Your Natural Disasters

Each state has certain types of disasters that are more likely to hit their area than other kinds of disasters.  Southern Nevada, for example, can look forward to flash floods, heat emergencies, and the very rare earthquake.  Hurricanes and winter storms would obviously be out of the question here.  Other places I have lived have been subject to tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, typhoons, and wildfires.

Your challenge today is to prepare for the types of natural disasters that are most likely to hit your area.

First, you need to find out what types of disasters are common in your area.  Check here, here, and here for details.

And then you need to prepare.  Here's how:

• How to prepare for a tornado (here, here, and here)
• How to prepare for an earthquake (here, here, and here)
• How to prepare for a hurricane (here, here, and here)
• How to prepare for a winter storm (here, here, and here)
• How to prepare for wildfire season (here, here, and here)
• How to prepare for a flood (here, here, and here)

You will also want to make special preparations if you live next to any sort of unique feature that could cause a disaster such as a chemical company, volcano, tsunami prone area, landslide prone area, nuclear power plant, etc.

March Challenge #25 Gather Your Information Sources

Your challenge today is to collect up apps or add links to your start page/favorites list that will provide you useful information in the event of a disaster.  Here's some you should have:

• Facebook (with appropriate pages "liked" such as your local fire department, department of emergency management, etc)
• Twitter (be sure to follow the above mentioned agencies as well as others)
• Reddit (specific subreddits such as www.reddit.com/r/yourcity provide lots of information on local happenings)
• Your local newspapers
• Your local TV news stations
• National news sources (New York Times, ABC news, USA Today, etc)
• International news sources (BBC, Al Jazeera, etc)
• Weather (National Weather Service, etc)
• Your local fire department(s)
• Your local law enforcement agencies (police, sheriff, etc)
• Your local department of emergency management
• Disaster Alert Services (GDACS, RSOE EDIS, etc...there's a list on the CNI homepage)
• State agencies (State Patrol, State Department of Emergency Management, State Department of Transportation, etc)
• Federal Agencies (CDC, FEMA, Red Cross, etc)
• Disaster alerts specific to your area (FloodWatch, Hurricane Tracker, etc)
• Other useful apps (WAZE, Scanner Radio, Shelter View, etc)

March Challenge #24 Do It Yourself

When you have money, it is much easier and generally more efficient to throw it at any problem you are having.  On the other hand, there is a great deal of value to be had in fixing problems yourself.  This is not the most efficient use of your time, of course, and generally ends up being a huge PITA (and occasionally a much bigger expense than just paying to fix the initial problem in the first place), however the upside is that you acquire some useful skills in the process.  Having a large collection of skills can be very useful in a disaster.  Thus the challenge to fix things yourself before calling in the professionals.

Here are some examples of things you can do:

• Your microwave makes a *poof* sound and quits working.  By Googling the problem and watching a couple YouTube videos, you find out it is probably a blown fuse.  You buy a new fuse and fix the problem.
• You come out to your car after work and find that a tire is flat.  You could call AAA and wait an hour or more for someone to show up and fix it or you could break out a spare, a jack, and a how-to manual and change it yourself.  You choose option two and find it is a pretty painless and quick process.
• Your dryer keep shutting off for no apparent reason.  It's happening more and more often and the spouse has started talking about buying an entire new set.  You hop online and Google the brand and model along with a short description of the problem and find that this is a pretty common problem with this model.  By ordering a tiny circuit board you can fix the problem yourself.  Within a couple of days and $30 the problem is fixed and visions of new appliances are no longer dancing in the spouse's head. 
• The vacuum cleaner is doing a craptastic job of picking up anything but the biggest pieces of crud.  You could toss it out and buy a new one but first you decide to try and fix it yourself (worst case scenario, you are not being able to fix it and end up throwing it out anyway).  With a bit of patience, a bit of effort to clean the filters, and a longer time pulling out everything twisted around the beater bar, the vacuum is nearly good as new.
• Your down sleeping bag is starting to get so crusty it can practically stand up by itself.  You could spend the money to ensure that is is washed correctly and professionally and give yourself a great deal of peace of mind.  On the other hand, you could Google the process of doing this (notably difficult) task yourself, save some money, and acquire yet another useful skill.  You pick option two.
• You are starting to run through so much ammo when practicing that you are pondering whether you should call your financial adviser and shift your investment account to an OLN/ATK/SWHC direction.  While pondering that investment conundrum, you meet a couple of guys at the range who are heavily into reloading and ask to learn some make-your-own ammo skills from them.  They agree.  Your ammo expenses drop dramatically (after recouping the cost of reloading equipment of course).  Paying it forward, you then pass these hard-earned skills on to others who are interested to learn.

There are literally hundreds of things you can learn to do yourself that will not only increase your confidence but increase your ability to solve problems and fix things, especially in the event of a disaster.

March Challenge #23 Know Your Community

Your challenge today is to find out as much as you can about where you live.  You might think "I drive in my community every day...of course I know all about it" but there is probably more to learn.  Here's what you need to do:

• Use Google Earth to check our your neighborhood and immediate area via satellite.  What do you see?  Parks you didn't know about?  Waterways you didn't know about?  Industry you didn't know about?
• Walk around your neighborhood during a week day, during a weekend day, during a week night, and during a weekend night.  Neighborhoods can have varying activities during these different times.
• See how many ways there is to evacuate your neighborhood and your town in the event of a disaster.  Pay attention to things that could block your way such as downed bridges and overpasses, known landslide areas, choke points in traffic, etc.
• Find natural sources of water around your area (useful to know during a disaster).
• Where are the woodlots, forests, places to hunt and places to fish near your neighborhood?
• Are there dangerous places near your neighborhood (industrial plants, chemical plants, high crime areas, roads used by street racers, etc)?
• Do you know your neighbors?  Who would be able to help you during an emergency?
• Are there overland shortcuts (accessible by foot or bicycle, not on a roadway) you could take to get out of town, get from your home to the police department/fire department/hospital, get to a friend's house, get to the airport, etc.?
• Practice walking, bicycling, and taking public transportation to get from your home to where you need to go (work, the store, etc).
• Know where the railroad lines are in your community and where they go.
• Where are the community shelter sites in your city?
• Does you community have posted evacuation routes (these are usually found in tsunami-prone and flood-prone areas)?
• What are the most likely types of natural disasters common to your area?
• What are the most likely types of man-made disasters common to your areas (chemical plants, etc)?
• Where could you find food in your community during a major disaster (stores, restaurants, shipping transfer stations, etc)?
• Are there community groups you could join to learn some survival skills (hiking club, volunteer for Search and Rescue, HAM radio club, shooting ranges, etc)?
• Do you know who your city, county, state, and federal politicians are?
• Do you have pertinent community apps on your cell phone (newspaper, TV news stations, Department of Transportation, Department of Emergency Management, local and state police, local fire department, etc)?
• Do you know of any foraging areas in your community (wild berries, wild nut trees, wild mushrooms, etc)?

The purpose here to to know everything about your neighborhood and community...it could come in handy during a disaster.

March Challenge #22 Bushcraft

Today's challenge is to learn and practice some bushcraft skills.  Bushcraft, also known as old-timey wilderness skills, covers a wide range of old-time skills that are part necessity (for survival) and part fun (many can be the basis of a hobby).

While many of these skills have been rendered unnecessary by modern technology, knowing how to do these things can still be useful in a disaster, if you end up lost in the wilderness, or if the kids are bored and you want to give them something to do.  Here are a bunch of bushcraft skills to consider learning:

• Make and use a bow and arrow
• Forge your own knife
• Build traps for small animals
• Skin said animal and preserve the skin
• Leatherworking
• Build a solar oven and cook something in it
• Make your own musical instruments
• Learn how to throw a knife
• Forage for wild edibles
• Make fire without a lighter or matches
• Catch fish and cook them over a fire (using only what you can find in nature)
• Spin wool into yarn
• Knit a sweater
• Whittle a toy
• Build your own snowshoes
• Carve your own canoe
• Learn orienteering
• Learn animal tracking skills
• Learn how to tie a variety of knots
• Navigate by the stars
• Build a natural shelter
• Learn how to predict the weather

March Challenge #21 Microadventures

Today's challenge is to go an a microadventure.  Or multiple microadventures.  Often times people say they wish they could go on a week-long backpacking trip but they can't take that much time off of work.  Often times people say they want to spend the weekend taking the family on a camping trip but due to lack of money, everyone's busy schedules, or procrastination, they never do.

One of the basic tenants of survival--whether surviving a long-term power outage or getting lost in the wilderness--is to practice the sort of skills needed in a variety of survival situations before you actually need the skills.  That's where microadventures come in.

The term microadventure was originally coined by Alastair Humphreys in the not too distant past.  He is an adventurer who has traveled to the ends of the earth doing exciting things, having amazing experiences, and building a following of arm-chair adventures who enjoy following his wild escapades on his blog but have about zero chance of actually partaking in similar adventures themselves.

So he came up with the concept of microadventures.  You don't need an entire week or even an entire weekend to venture into the wilderness but instead you can pack up a few items and the minute you get off work head for the hills, enjoy the outdoors, learn to set up a shelter or sleep under the stars, cook up some grub, fend off wildlife, pick some wild berries, put together a campfire...and then be at work the next morning.  It's a quick way of getting the value of wilderness/survival experience in a short amount of time.

Your challenge is to figure out what a microadventure is (info here, here, and here) then go do one.

March Challenge #20 Minimalization

Years ago (and maybe because it was consistent with the "have it all" times of the 70s, 80s, and 90s) I wanted everything.  And the bigger the better.  Big house?  Check. Multiple vehicles including a big truck?  Double check.  A massive amount of food and supplies stockpiled, more consumer goods than anyone in their right mind needs, and the best...everything with no expense spared?  Check, check, check.

And then a whole bunch of things happened at about the same time.  The kids had been moved out for a while and the spouse and I were rattling around a house about ten times bigger than we needed (and heating it and painting it and cooling it, etc).  The economy tanked and with it some of my bigger clients.  And then it dawned on me that having it all meant running on the hamster wheel just like everyone else to afford the out-sized lifestyle that had become the norm.

So we sold nearly everything we owned, packed up our backpacks, and decided to travel until we decided what to do next.  That single act of changing our mindsets from having it all to having just enough, no more and no less, brought about a paradigm shift to the wonders of minimalism.

Your challenge today is to minimize.  Everything.  Do you really need four vehicles when there are only two drivers in your family?  Do you need 300 cable stations when an over the air antenna and Netflix will serve the same purpose?  Does your closet still contain clothes from decades ago?

By minimalizing your life and your lifestyle you not only save a boatload of money but you have less things to keep track of, maintain, and insure.  You make space both physically and psychologically when you don't have a bunch of stuff dragging you down.  You can buy higher quality things because you will only have one of those things, not a half dozen of those things in various places around your home.

As Thoreau said "simplify, simplify, simplify!"  And he was right.

March Challenge #19 Firearms

We've previously talked about how you can protect yourself, however the ownership and use of firearms deserves its own challenge.  If you decide to own and use firearms (and this is strictly a personal choice) there are a number of things you need to do:

• Determine which kinds of firearms you want to own.  A good way to do this is to take a course or two (see next point) and/or hang out at the shooting range and try a variety of firearms.  What may be the perfect handgun for one person may not be exactly right for you so trying a variety of guns will give you a better idea of what you want to purchase for yourself.
• Take some classes--from a beginner firearms course to tactical shooting to close-quarters combat to reloading--in order to enhance your firearms knowledge and skills.  Trying to figure this out yourself with a YouTube video or learning from an (annoying) SO probably won't work out so well.
• Build up your arsenal over time.  A nice 9mm handgun is a good first purchase but .22s are fun to shoot at targets (plus the ammo is much cheaper), a shotgun may be a better choice for home defense, and having a nice rifle on hand is also good.
• Have a way to safely store your weapons.  We have secure yet easy to access places in each room of our house for weapon storage.  We take extra precautions when we will be having children (or mildly irresponsible adults) as visitors to our home.
• Stock up on ammo.  Even though ammo has become astronomically expensive compared to, say, 20 years ago, having a good supply of it on hand is always a good idea.
• If you are looking for a new hobby and shoot a lot, consider learning how to reload your own ammo.
• Know the firearms laws in your town/city/county/state as well as federal laws so that you don't inadvertently find yourself in legal trouble.
• If you plan to carry concealed, become licensed to do so according to the laws of your area. 
• Practice shooting.  A lot.  
• Support the shooting sports by joining a shooting league or other shooting competitions.  Become a member of your local shooting range.  Put your time, effort, and money towards shooting by becoming a member of the NRA, volunteering at your local range, participating in an open carry event, or otherwise supporting the Second Amendment.
• Always, always, always practice gun safety and teach your children to do the same.
• Put your shooting kit together.  Get a shooting bag, throw in some hearing and eye protection, some targets, and all the other goodies that make up a useful shooting bag that you can take to the range with you.
• Learn how to disassemble and clean all of the firearms you own.  And always keep your firearms clean and ready to go.
• If you are going on vacation, add in some interesting shooting stops (like here, here, and here).
• Always be willing to learn from other people (there is a wealth of shooting knowledge to be gained from many of the people you will meet whether at the range, in class, or at gun shows...and a few goofballs so be aware of that as well).
• Always be aware of your shooting environment.  Most people at most shooting areas are safe shooters most of the time...other times not so much so you need to be on higher alert when shooting than, for example, when you go fishing.
• Clean up after yourself.

March Challenge #18 Multiple Sources of Income

No matter what disaster you are preparing for--from a job loss to a tornado to TEOTWAWKI--the ability to make money (whether in currency, gold, or bartered goods) is a skill that everyone should have.  Your challenge today is to develop as many sources of income as possible.  Here are some ideas:

• A job.  This is often the only source of income many people have but most jobs are not nearly as secure and sure as people think.  What would happen if you go in to work tomorrow and the doors are locked, there is a note on the door saying that the company is out of business, and you won't even be getting a final pay check?  While everyone should have the skills to get a job, and if you are so inclined you can make this your main source of income, but you should also look towards other sources of income as well just as a back up.
• Owning a business.  Back in the day (way back) nearly every kid started out their work life as a small business owner.  Whether it was mowing yards, having a paper route, or babysitting, kids had to learn all about being a good business person (showing up on time, charging competitive rates, advertising, etc).  Unfortunately this seems to be a lost art for kids these days but everyone should be able to cobble together a small, money-making business for a bit of side income.
• Investment income.  Why not let your money work for you, even while you are sleeping?  You can do this with a little bit of money and a sound investment strategy.  Whether you want to try your hand at investments (choose a good mutual fund over individual stocks to get started) or owning rental property (much more complicated than most people think), by investing your money, you can rake in the dividends without having to do much work at all.
• Royalties.  Another way to work once and reap the rewards long after is to do something that creates royalties.  Writing a book, acting in a film, singing a song, all of these are ways to get paid, repeatedly, from your work.
• Reselling.  Wednesday is senior day at the Goodwill in Las Vegas.  Occasionally, like today, the spouse and I will be at the Goodwill when it opens on Wednesday morning in the hopes of finding some good, half-priced deals.  There is a small army of seniors--and others--however, who take this Wednesday morning ritual a whole lot more seriously than we do.  Many appear to be resellers.  They find good deals, whether at the Goodwill, at garage sales, or on Craigslist, then clean up the items and re-list them for sale, making a bit of profit in the deal.
• Online income.  There are a number of ways to make income without even leaving your house.  From low-paying Mechanical Turk jobs to more lucrative deals (freelance writing, freelance website design) many people can eek out a living from online income only.
• Providing skills.  Even if you don't have a formal business set up, by refining and selling or trading your skills (everything from cutting hair to plumbing to fixing the neighbor's car) you can earn some extra cash and help others in the bargain.
• Renting your stuff.  Do you have a spare bedroom?  Do you have a car?  Do you have a parking space in a densely packed city that you don't need?  Chances are that if you aren't using these things 24/7 someone would like to rent them from you thus allowing you to make extra cash from something you weren't using anyway.

These are just a few ways that you can create multiple sources of income so you are never at the mercy of one employer or one paycheck coming in each month.

March Challenge #17 Situational Awareness

Your challenge today it to pay attention.  Sounds simple doesn't it?  But situational awareness is much more than pulling yourself away from your cell phone occasionally.  By developing the skills of situational awareness, you will put yourself miles ahead of everyone else in a disaster situation.  Situational awareness is composed of a number of skills:

• Having an extensive and varied knowledge as it relates to where you are.  It's an infinitely long list to 'know everything' but to give you an idea of what you should learn consider these examples.  Just before the devastating tsunami ten years ago in Thailand, the people who were able to escape and run for the hills were the people who knew what the signs of an eminent tsunami were (rapid sea level change not related to the tide, huge waves, etc).  Everyone else was quite oblivious until the deadly waves started crashing on the beach.  In another example, you can tell city folks because they head for the mountains on a very windy days (trees are more likely to fall on you then) or run from wild animals like bears (you will look like prey to the bear and they will chase you).  Drilling down, locals know the risks of certain parts of town and are #1 more likely to avoid dangerous places and thus problems, or #2 know the area well enough, and be known well enough by the local gangs, to know where they can and can't go without problem (although the risk of being an innocent bystander during a drive by increases exponentially so most logical people will avoid such places all together).  And the camper who runs out of TP and uses leaves will either #1 know what poison ivy/poison oak looks like, or #2 learn quickly enough.  All knowledge is good knowledge but the more you know the more likely you are to be able to put your knowledge to good use during a disaster.
• Paying attention to what is happening in your surroundings.  Some people are simply oblivious most of the time which can make them easy victims for crime (like pick pockets or rapists) or can get them injured or killed (I've lost track of how many videos I've seen where people were so busy looking at their cell phones that they walked into fountains, onto railroad tracks, into traffic, etc).  Don't be that person.  Where ever you go you need to do a quick scan of your area and see what's going on.  Usually everything will look "normal" but if you see something out of the ordinary (like a pressure cooker sitting on the sidewalk in a busy city) you should probably take another look (not too closely in the case of the aforementioned incident).  Things you should consider: the weather, the day of the week and time, the general political climate, the recent news of the area, the type and age of the building, what the signage says, what, if anything, looks like it doesn't belong, etc.
• Paying attention to people.  The 'wild card' in most situations is people.  An empty building isn't going to "do anything" unless there is an earthquake or something.  A building full of people is a whole different animal.  Generally people will act in a predictable manner (actually this is usually only common in semi-rural areas with a close-knit, homogeneous, upper social-economic population), but in more and more situations these days, people can be hard to read.  The mentally ill, racially divisive areas, people on drugs, a high population of young men, areas that can inspire anger or violence (like bars and nightclubs), high stress situations, etc. can all lead to unexpected but not unpredictable violent outbursts.  While you always need to be on alert when you are around people, the more potential there is for people to have problems, the more alert you need to be to their expression, their tone of voice, the words their use, how they are carrying themselves, if they have any sort of weapon, etc.  You want to observe as much as possible in order to be able to formulate a plan of action if needed.
• Making plans for "what if".  The last task, when it comes to being situationally aware, is to always have a plan B, C, and D.  Plan A might be to hang out at a local bar with your buddies.  Plan B would be how to exit the building in a hurry (do you know where all the exits are and who/what is between you and the exits?).  Plan C would be how you could protect yourself in the event of an unruly customer or a fight (run, fight, or hide and the usual options).  Plan D would be a previously practiced team effort by you and your buddies to come out safely in the event of a disaster (everything from an earthquake to a major brawl).

Being situationally aware requires practice (you should practice observing your environment all the time).  By becoming more observant, blending what you observe with your general knowledge, and formulating "what if" plans, you will be way more aware, and way more likely to react appropriately, than the general public.

March Challenge #16 Every Day Carry

Whether you are out for the day and have a tiny emergency (like a migraine headache) or you are out for the day and there is a major emergency (like your neighborhood has been locked down and no one is being allowed in or out for hours) it is easy enough to be prepared for a wide range of disasters if you put together and refine your EDC (every day carry) kit for maximum usefulness and efficiency.  Here's what you need:

A method for carrying your EDC

• Backpack, messenger bag, briefcase, etc.

Common items that you will use throughout your day

• Keys
• Cell phone/charger
• Wallet (with cash, ID, credit cards)
• Sunglasses
• Lunch/snacks
• Bottle of water
• Pen/notebook
• Tablet or laptop
• Earbuds
• Tissue packet
• Pocket knife
• Thumb drive with backup files

Emergency items that you may not use often but which would come in handy in a disaster

• Umbrella
• Matches or lighter
• Safety pin
• Rubberband
• Flashlight
• Packet of aspirin
• Bandaids
• Paracord
• Carabiner
• Chapstick

Note that everyone's EDC will be different based on the items they are most likely to use.  Also note that you don't want this bag to weight 20 pounds.  It isn't your BOB, it is simply a few useful items that you will use during the normal course of your day (plus a few extras).

March Challenge #15 Protect Yourself

You are your best (sometimes only?) asset when it comes to a disaster so it will pay to protect yourself now and into the future so that you can respond to any threat you may run into.  Here's how:

• Eat right (and skip the junk food)
• Exercise daily (it will get you in great physical shape and protect your overall health)
• Keep up with your vaccinations (to protect yourself from random measles outbreaks or tetanus among other things)
• Learn hand to hand self defense methods (karate, krav maga, etc)
• Use the layered defense method for your home
• Always be situationally aware
• Practice blending in to your environment
• Learn to use weapons for self defense
• Get your concealed carry license
• Don't get yourself into situations that can have a negative outcome for you (drunk in public, having an affair, hanging out with people who are always in trouble, etc)
• Always be security conscious
• Always consider an exit strategy for whatever situation you are in
• Carry yourself with confidence
• Disengage yourself from problem people in your life
• Consider the legal consequences of your actions to stay out of legal trouble
• Take care of problems that arise as soon as possible (medical problems, psychological problems, social problems, etc)

March Challenge #14 Organization and Back Up

Today's challenge is to get organized and ensure that all of your important things (files, documents, pictures, etc) are backed up.

First, get organized:

• Scan all of your important documents onto your computer.  Documents include but are not limited to your driver's license, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, loved one's death certificates, adoption paperwork, military records, car titles, deeds, Wills and power of attorney, etc.  Be sure to store these original documents in a safe place.
• Scan all of your old pictures into your computer.
• Scan other paper items into your computer (children's art work, old recipes, etc)
• Keep a current list of all of your important information: financial account info, online user names and passwords, medical information (health record, vaccinations, allergies), info on debts/creditors/monthly bills, etc.
• Update your resume.
• Organize your computer files (delete items you will never need again, group your computer files and sub files, etc).
• Clean out your email files and organize your calendar.
• Do a home inventory video and store this on your computer.
• Try to digitize as much as possible (in a disaster do you want to be hauling crates of stuff or a tiny thumb drive?)

And then back up all of these digital documents on a thumb drive or an external hard drive and store this unit off-site so that in the event of a disaster which ruins your computer, you will still have all of your files available.

March Challenge #13 Privacy

Today's challenge is to look at your privacy and, if necessary, take steps to insure that you are protected from invasions thereof.  Here's how:

• Remove your name from your mailbox (if you must have some sort of identification on your box, tape your name inside of it for the mailman's use only).
• Have a locking mailbox if at all possible.
• Put up a 'no soliciting' sign on your door and get in the habit of not answering your door unless it is to someone you know.
• Be careful when allowing people into your home to provide services (such as the cable guy, a plumber, etc) they could be casing your home for a later burglary.
• Remove any identifying information from your vehicle (the "my kid goes to X school" and the stick figures on the back window with each person's name on it.  This is just dumb--and too much information for anyone who may be wishing to do you harm).
• Pull your free annual credit report and correct any incorrect information immediately.
• Get in the habit of checking your bank and credit accounts regularly.  If you don't recognize a transaction, even something small, contact your bank immediately.
• Get a shredder and shred any mail or other papers with your personal information on it.
• Get in the habit of paying cash for most purchases (unless it is a big purchase and you want the added consumer protection of using a credit/bank card).
• Don't sign up for contests and drawing that ask for your personal information.
• Change your online passwords every three or four months.
• Don't join social media networks (if you must, provide only very generic information).
• Be careful of what you post on social media (ie: vacation plans are an easy invitation for burglars if they know you won't be home).
• Password protect your phone/tablet/computer and any back-up drives.
• Browse the web in an incognito window.  And use a VPN when using the internet over public wi fi.
• Change the name/password for your home wi fi on a regular basis.
• Rekey all of the locks in your home when you first move in and when anyone moves out.
• Get on the Do Not Call list.
• Don't fall victim to fraud and/or scams (Google can often help you figure out if the situation you are dealing with is one or the other).
• Don't give personal information to anyone who calls you (businesses and government agencies will not call you out of the blue and ask you for personal information).

The proceeding information is only a short list of things you can do to ensure your privacy and protect yourself from scams, fraud, or worse.

March Challenge #12 Practice

Do you know why schools hold fire drills every month and, in some areas, earthquake drills just as often?  The reason is because when people practice what they should do during a scary situation, the situation becomes less scary and people are more likely to respond with correct action instead of panic.

Your challenge today is to practice disaster scenarios so that everyone in the family will know what to do if a scary situation/disaster should strike.  Among the things you may want to practice:

• A fire drill so that everyone will know how to escape/respond to a fire in your home.
• A home lock down drill in the event that you and your family need to quickly lock yourselves in your home.
• An earthquake drill/tornado drill/hurricane drill so that everyone will know what to do in these scenarios (even if they are not common in your area as these could happen when you are on vacation so you still need to know how to be prepared in these cases).
• A child abduction drill (teach your kids what they should do if someone tries to grab and take them such as screaming, fighting back, running away, noticing details, etc).
• A medical emergency drill.
• A gun safety drill (so kids will learn what to do if they find a gun...obviously this drill should be done with a toy gun or an unloaded gun).
• An outdoor weekend survival drill (take your BOBs and head for the hills for the weekend).
• An indoor weekend survival drill (turn off the power and water for the weekend and practice what would you would do in the event of an extended power outage.  Note don't turn off the gas or you will need to have the gas company come and turn it back on for you).

March Challenge #11 Stockpiling

I'm always rather amazed when a disaster like a hurricane, snow storm, or other situation that gives adequate notice is about to happen and all that the television reporters need to do to get a story is wait outside the closest Walmart or grocery store.  They get some great video of empty shelves and harried customers picking up items that can't survive without for a week or so (like milk and toilet paper) as well as some good interviews ("I can't believe such a big storm is coming!!!" even though the area gets big storms every year).

So today's challenge is to stockpile the things you use most often.  There is really no excuse for people who end up in the same situation every year (snowstorm, tornado season, hurricane season) to be shocked and surprised and unprepared when it comes to having basic necessities on hand.  With an adequate stockpile of useful items (we covered food and water earlier this month so here we are talking about disposable goods mostly) you will not need to run to the store with hoards of other unprepared people to grab what you can before the shelves are empty.

Consider what items you use all the time (toilet paper, baby diapers, batteries), what items would be needed for your most common disasters (snow shovel, blankets, hurricane shutters), and what items would be useful after a disaster (garbage bags, work gloves) and get to work making these items a regular part of your shopping list until you have an adequate stockpile to last you for weeks or months.  Also consider items from this list as it covers the most needed items before, during and after a disaster.

March Challenge #10 Skills

You may have none of the aforementioned items (money, a house, a security system, a BOB, etc) yet you can still survive a disaster if you have skills.  In fact, I've met numerous people (generally immigrants and refugees) who have had to flee their countries, their families, basically everything they had ever known, with only the clothes on their back. Yet they did survive.

Many had never been to a city before, many did not read or write, but what the majority of these people had in common was that they were intelligent and clever.  Plus they had skills.  Granted their only skills may have been how to plant rice or how to harvest coffee but they could quickly assimilate information, had good people skills, and reasoned things out--even things that they did not fully understand.

You will be in a much better position to survive a disaster if you develop skills.  The wider your range of skills, the better, of course.  If you don't know where to start, consider these ideas:

• 100 Skills Every Man Should Know
• 25 Skills Every Man Should Know
• 50 Things Every Man Should Know
• 32 Skills Every Man Should Know
• 54 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do
• 50 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do
• Boy Scout Merit Badge List

March Challenge #9 Your Home is Your Castle

Since your home pretty much is your castle, today's challenge is to get your home is ship shape so that not only is it a shelter for you and your family but it also can provide the safety and security that you need.  Here's how:

• Clean and organize your home from top to bottom.  You should be able to find anything you need in your home in the dark and in a hurry.
• Declutter your home (most people have way too much useless junk in their homes).  Getting rid of stuff you don't need will make room for the things you do.
• Ensure that everything in your home works.  Besides preventive maintenance like a furnace tune up or chimney cleaning, any other annoyances like leaky faucets and deteriorating wax rings on the toilets should be switched out.
• Do a safety review and make sure your home is a safe place to be (ideas here, here, and here).
• And then go further and harden your home against break ins and burglaries (ideas here, here, and here).
• Make sure your home insurance is adequate.
• And don't forget to do a complete home inventory (in the event of burglary you want to have all of this information for insurance and legal purposes).
• Finally, if you are so inclined, you can go all out with an off-grid solar system, built in safes and safe rooms and an extensive alarm system, and a full-blown armory.

March Challenge #8 Your Money and Assets

One item that none of us can live/survive without, especially during a disaster, is money and to a lesser extent, assets.  Your challenge today is to put together a money plan.  Here are the things to incorporate in your plan:

• Be debt free.  The last thing you need when a disaster hits is to already be drowning in a sea of debt.  Being debt free is one of the best ways to give yourself and your family freedom.
• Have money in your pocket.  Sometimes you might run into minor disasters that a bit of cold, hard cash can fix.  For this reason I always carry a couple hundred in cash on me.
• Have money at home.  Preferably in a safe.  If you need emergency cash and the ATMs aren't working and it's a weekend, the money you have at home can tide you over whether you need food or gas or other sundries to keep you going until you can access your other cash.
• Have money in savings.  Having an emergency fund of at least six month's expenses should be required for everyone.  You never know when a job loss, medical crisis, or other problem will sideline you, and thus your income earning ability.
• Have good credit.  Having access to credit--by way of credit cards, signature loans, or other kinds of loans (not the crappy PayDay type loans though)--is yet another part of your financial back up plan.
• Have multiple income sources.  Even if you have a good job, you never know when it might end without warning.  Having multiple sources of income is a great way to spread out the risk and always ensure you have money coming in.
• Have insurance.  You need life (maybe), health (definitely), home (probably) and auto (if you own an auto) insurance in order to protect your biggest assets from a court judgement in the event that you find yourself dead. sick. robbed, or in a car accident.
• Have investments.  The best way to create an additional source of income is to have investments.  This way your money works for you even when you are sleeping.  Investments allow you to save, tax free, for retirement as well as allow you to invest in such a way as to draw dividends, or develop assets that can later be sold (such as real estate).
• Which brings us to assets.  If you are going to spend your money anyway, you might as well buy things (assets) that either hold their value or appreciate in value.  The latest cell phone is not an asset.  The price drops as soon as you buy it and after a few years it will be worth nothing.  Buying a house, however, is almost always an asset (meaning it grows in value while you own it).  Buying a brand new car isn't an asset (the value drops immediately as soon as you drive it off the lot), however buying a good used car which will hold its value plus give you transportation can be a good investment.  Other items that hold their value: guns, gold, tools.  The food you have stockpiled can be seen as an investment, your education can (in come case) be considered an investment, and the tools you use to earn money can also be considered investments.

Your goal with this challenge is to ensure your financial fitness now and into the future.  When a disaster like Hurricane Katrina hits you don't want to be the one begging for help on the national news simple because you didn't have the money and assets to see yourself relocated until the disaster has passed.  Job loss, a tornado, a lengthy illness and other personal disasters can be easily mitigated if you have the forethought to set yourself up financially ASAP.

March Challenge #7 Your Bug In Plan

As we discussed yesterday, during a disaster you will usually have one of two options--bug out (leave your home and go elsewhere) or bug in (we will talk about this today).

Bugging in, or sheltering in place, is a common option when there is no immediate threat to your home yet there has been some sort of disaster that makes it unsafe for you to venture from your home.  The massive snowstorms that have covered most of the US this winter is one example.  Other situations may arise when there has been a chemical spill, or there is an active shooter situation in your neighborhood, or there has been a disaster in your city and officials are asking everyone to stay put and stay out of the way of responders.

In all of these cases, you will want to bug in, or shelter in place, in your home.  Here's how:

• Lock down your home immediately.  This means lock all of your doors and windows, close the gates and garage door.  Make sure that no one can come in or out of your home.
• Depending on the problem you may need to turn off all HVAC systems in your home (heating, air conditioning, fans, etc) so that, for example, any chemicals that have been released will not be sucked into your home.
• Also depending on the situation, you may be told to seal off your house.  This means using plastic sheeting and duct tape to cover all areas where air can come into your house (windows, doors, vents, etc).
• Listen to the radio or TV news for additional instructions (you may be asked to turn off the gas at the main, turn off your electricity main switch, call and report anyone suspicious in your neighborhood, etc).
• If it is safe to do so, get out the buckets and fill them with additional water (ditto the sinks and bathtubs).
• Wait for further instructions (this will probably be the hardest part).
• Be prepared to carry on without leaving your home.  This means eating (remember not to light a barbecue appliance indoors), sleeping, and entertaining everyone until the disaster has passed.
• You may also need to defend your home.  
• When the all clear is given you will know you can safely come out of your home.

Remember that each situation is different.  Sometimes you will be told to shelter in place, other times it will be left up to your best judgement.  Knowing how to shelter in place is just one more skill to have in your survival arsenal.

You can find more information on sheltering in place here, here, and here.

March Challenge #6 Your Evacuation Plan

During a disaster, you will usually have one of two options--stay where you are (in your home) or evacuate.  Today we will talk about your evacuation plan.

When you evacuate you will need stuff.  Your BOB will be the minimum you will take with you, and, depending on your destination, you may toss as much gear into your vehicle as possible (camping gear, crates of food, jugs of water, etc).

And then you will need a destination.  Depending on the situation, you may end up evacuating:

• to your yard.  In the event of an earthquake or other situation which makes your home unlivable, you may want to evacuate as far as your yard or barn in order to stay on your property.
• to the neighbor's house.  Again, in a situation where your home is temporarily unlivable, you may want to go as far as next door so you can remain close to your home.
• to a local hotel.  Depending on the problem, a local hotel may be your best option for shelter.
• to family or friend's homes in your area.  If you have friends or family who live in your town, this may be a better option for longer term accommodations.
• a disaster evacuation center.  Communities often put up shelters when there are a great deal of people with no where to go.  While this may be an option, it wouldn't be something I would look forward to unless there were no other options.
• family or friend's homes far away.  If your entire area becomes unlivable, a la Hurricane Katrina, you might want to evacuate to a friend or family member's home in another state.
• going off into the hills.  Although many people say that when TSHTF they will head for the hills, literally heading for the hills could be an option (but then again, many other people will probably have the same idea).  On another note, if you are evacuating from a tsunami, heading for the highest hill you can find should be the plan.
• to your bug out cabin.  This would be an ideal place to evacuate to if you have the option.
• to your RV.  Another good evacuation option is to hit the road in your RV.  You will have all the comforts of home plus be mobile.
• to your boat.  Ditto...if you happen to have a boat and live near a waterway.
• to another country.  In a worst case scenario situation, you may need to evacuate to another country.  Would you be prepared to do this?

Once you have your stuff and your destination set, you will also need:

• a route and means of transport.  Depending on why you are evacuating your transport may be your feet, your bike, your vehicle, public transit, or an airline (or maybe a combination of all of these).  The situation will also dictate your route (closed roads, downed bridges, and other complications of the disaster can affect how you evacuate as well).
• money.  Whether you need to stay at a hotel, set yourself up in another living situation, pay for airline tickets, buy gas for your vehicle, or share expenses when you temporarily move in with friends of relatives, the most important item you will need is money to do all of these things.
• a semi-assurance of a warm welcome.  If you are planning to bug out and stay with other people, you may want to plan ahead so that everyone involved will know what to expect.
• a way to let people know where you evacuated to (a note on your door or on the kitchen counter or a phone call/text to loved ones will take care of this).

Consider all of these things while putting together your evacuation plan.  More information on the topic can be found here, here, and here.

March Challenge #5 Your Communication Plan

In the event of a disaster, the first thing most people want to do is communicate with others.  Whether they are trying to call 911 or need to contact loved ones to let them know they are OK, being able to communicate right after a disaster can often be a challenge.  Here's some things to consider:

• Land lines will often work after a disaster when cell towers are overloaded.
• Texting often works even when cell towers are being overloaded with phone calls.
• Communicating can be done via: phone calls, texting, email, an IM program, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and other social media platforms, and video game consoles.
• Prearranging a meet up spot in your neighborhood and at another location (should your neighborhood be inaccessible) in your town is a good way to gather the family after a disaster when all communications are down.
• Even when local phone systems are down you can often call to other states without a problem.
• Use a friend or relative in another state to be the emergency communication hub should there be a disaster in your area (be sure all family members have this person's address, email, and phone number for this purpose).
• Have a way to charge your cell phone and laptop in your car should all electricity be down in your area (like an AC/DC converter that plugs into the lighter).
• Don't forget the oldest ways of communication: leaving a written note on your door (with your evacuation details or messages for others) as well as sending a runner if needed (ie: if communication systems are down and you need 911 help, run--or bike or drive--to the nearest fire department).
• HAM radio is one of the best ways to communicate when all other systems are down.  Consider getting licensed as a HAM operator and joining your local HAM NET to practice your skills.  For even better practice, volunteer with ARES/RACES to help during a disaster.
• Two way radios usually only have a couple mile range but you never know who might pick up your call so consider keeping these radios (and extra batteries) on hand.
• Satellite phones are an option however they have plenty of drawbacks (the phones are expensive, monthly service is expensive, you need to be in direct line of the satellite, and, at different times during the day your location may be out of satellite range).
• If you are in a disaster area (or are looking for someone in a disaster area) consider posting on the Google Person Finder or Red Cross Safe and Well sites.  The reddit site for the closest city is also an option.
• Personal Locator Beacons are another option to call for help.
• Keep a wind-up/battery-powered radio on hand.  While you can't call out on this type of radio, you can receive news and information from the outside world with it.

Here are some more communication resource information: here, here, and here.

March Challenge #4 Your Food Supply

After a disaster you can go quite a while without food but who would want to?  If you are preparing for whatever may happen, you need to ensure a pretty steady supply of food in order to keep yourself energized and healthy no matter what is happening in your immediate environment.  Here's how:

• Always keep a small stash of food in your vehicle, office, BOB, and daypack or briefcase.
• Always carry food with you when you go out hiking even if you only intend to be gone for a few hours.
• Keep enough food on hand at home to allow you to bug in for a month or so without having to go to the grocery store.  This food can be bought on sale or as loss leaders in order to save money but remember to rotate it regularly.  With this stash, not only will you be ready for a disaster but you can put together a big party without having to hit the store, you will have plenty to eat if you suddenly lose your income and can't afford food, and you can even use it, in bulk, to make a donation to a local food bank or family in need if necessary.
• Consider what would happen if you couldn't access factory/factory-farm produced food for a couple of months.  Could you hunt and dress an animal for cooking?  Do you have a garden growing?  Can you fish?  Can for forage for edible and medicinal food in the wild?  Once you have all of this food (or once you get a great deal on a giant box of produce at the grocery store) do you know how to preserve this food for future eating?
• Learn food storage methods (practice now), food preservation methods (ditto) and, when storing disaster food, aim for storage longevity (canned food, long-term grain storage methods, etc).
• Keep your food costs as low as possible.  Of course you can buy pallets of MREs or Mountain House backpacker food but those are pretty expensive options (and not very likely to be rotated into your everyday food supply).  
• On the other hand, you never know if the disaster is going to make you flee your home and thus all of your stored food.  In this instance you would want some MREs or freeze-dried/dehydrated foods for easy carrying but you don't want to leave thousands and thousands of dollars of food behind.
• Learn how to cook a range of foods.  During a disaster, you may not have access to restaurants and take out food.  All of those dry staples (beans, rice, spices, etc) can turn into a pretty tasty meal if you know your way around a kitchen.
• Be sure to store enough food that doesn't need a whole lot of prep (canned soups and stews, Pop Tarts and granola bars, etc) since often after a disaster you may not have the time/water/fuel to cook an entire meal and clean up after yourself.  In this sort of scenario, any kind of quick, easy to prepare food is the best option.
• Be sure to have a range of foods on hand (in order to get enough vitamins and minerals in your diet).  Also make sure that you have a suitable balance between fats, protein, and carbs.
• Consider augmenting your diet with vitamin supplements since disaster meals often won't provide all of the nutrition you need.
• Don't forget comfort food.  During a disaster, comfort food can make you happy.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a chocolate bar, a bottle of whiskey...all of these items can make a bleak situation look a little better.

Find more info on food preps here, here, and here.

March Challenge #3 Your Water Supply

Your challenge today is to ensure your water supply.  No matter the type of disaster, the most important item on your "must have" list, before your BOB, before your first aid kit, is water.  And while the scenarios may be different (a boil water order, lost in the desert, water supply pipes breaking, etc) the preparation is the same.  Here's how:

• Always have a supply of bottled water on hand (in your home, in your office, in your vehicle, in your backpack, etc).
• Always have a method to purify water available (by boiling, with water purification tablets, with a back country water filter, etc)
• Have additional methods to store water available (5 gallon buckets, collapsible folding water containers, water barrels, etc).
• Find additional water sources (besides the water that comes out of your faucet, where else in your area can you get water?  Check out local creeks and natural water sources, determine if hand digging a well is feasible where you live, does putting together water barrels or other rain collection systems make sense in your area?).

Check out additional information on ensuring your water supply here, here, and here.

March Challenge #2 First Aid Kits

Today's challenge is to put together first aids kits.  Whereever that you are that you may need to have first aid supplies should get its own kit--your home, car, RV, boat, office, backpack, briefcase, etc.

The first aid kits need to fairly comprehensive, the items need to be rotated occasionally, and, of course, you should know how to use all of the items in the kit.

Here's how:

• Put together kits that meet your specific needs (examples here, here, here)
• Take some first aid courses (examples here, here, and here)
• Be sure to stock any necessary prescription meds
• Consider stocking additional items that would be useful (like tissue, Pedialite, etc)
• Keep some first aid books on hand (examples here, here, and here)