Five Disasters on the Horizon

Some summer disasters to consider...start prepping now.

1. It seems weird to warn about wildfire season in early May but there it is.  It seems wildfire season is starting earlier and earlier each year.
2. And while hurricane season doesn't officially start until June 1, it is never too early to start preparing.
3. Of course infectious disease are always a threat (check out info on measles and the flu here).
4. Many families move during the summer, if you are finding a "forever" home, take rising sea levels into consideration.
5. And as long as we are talking about summer, consider that there could be problems with overtaxed grids or proactive shut downs of power supplies.  Prepare accordingly.

National Preparedness Month Day 21--50 Common Disasters

You may never live in a place that will experience a typhoon or a tornado or an earthquake but part of preparedness planning is to have a general knowledge of common disasters so that in the event that you find yourself in said disaster situation (on vacation perhaps?) you will at least some idea of how to react.  These are 50 common disasters you should know about:

1. Active shooter
2. Earthquake
3. Hurricane
4. Wild fire
5. Tornado
6. Flood/Flash flood
7. Heat wave
8. Winter storm
9. Extreme cold
10. Tsunami
11. Volcanic eruption
12. Landslide
13. Chemical spill
14. Biological agent
15. Radiological incident
16. Nuclear attack
17. EMP Attack
18. Common medical emergencies
19. Avalanche
20. Workplace emergency
21. Wildlife incident (wilderness)
22. Wildlife incident (water)
23. Influenza pandemic
24. Infectious disease outbreak
25. Famine
26. Airline crash
27. Railway accident
28. Major car accident
29. Tropical diseases
30. Social unrest
31. Societal collapse
32. Drought
33. House fire
34. Food poisoning
35. Wilderness emergency
36. Terrorist attack
37. Electrical storm
38. Power outage
39. Gas line break
40. Maritime disaster
41. Sink hole
42. Hail storm
43. Blizzard
44. Robbery
45. Financial crisis
46. Kidnapping
47. Oil spill
48. Mass evacuation
49. Infrastructure failure
50. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

10 Personal Disasters That Can Happen During a Disaster

We have all seen the big disasters that have happened around our country and the world recently; for most of us, the closest we have actually been to these disasters is quick news reports on TV.  And while we can look at these disasters from a distance and think about how we could prepare for a possible hurricane/earthquake/wildfire, there are a number of personal disasters that can happen to you in the midst of these major disasters.  Are you prepared for:

1. Getting injured or being severely ill in the midst of a hurricane or earthquake?
2. Having no money when you are told to immediately evacuate your area due to a wildfire or flood?  Maybe your money is in the bank and ATMs aren't working or your ready cash is in your home safe and your home has been wiped away by a mudslide.
3. Being in the midst of a major flood or winter storm and having all of your family members (spouse and kids) spread out at several locations around your city?
4. Having no way to evacuate?  Whether your vehicle is crushed by a downed tree or your evacuation routes are blocked by water or fire, what can you do if your evacuation is impeded by circumstances beyond your control?
5. Having everyone and their brother decide to rely on you when disaster strikes?  It's a given that you are prepared to help your immediate family (spouse, kids, maybe parents or elderly neighbors) but what happens if, since you are the only one in your large office known as "the prepper", everyone you even vaguely know thinks they can show up during a massive bout of civil unrest when power is out, grocery store shelves are empty, and water stops flowing from the pipes, and beg/expect you to help them out?
6. The place where you work is wiped away in a flood or burned to the ground during a wildfire?  How long can you survive if you are dealing with said disaster (flood, wildfire) AND you stop receiving your paychecks?
7. A disaster that lasts for months on end a la Puerto Rico?  It's one thing to be prepared for a power outage or destroyed home when help is a week or so away but what if help doesn't come for months?
8. You have multiple personal disasters at once?  I've met more than a few people, usually middle aged, who are in the midst of a divorce, health insurance will be cut off soon, they have chronic medical conditions, and either haven't worked in a while or have been downsized right out of a job.  What would you do in this situation?
9. You are on vacation and a disaster like a tsunami/mass shooting/massive winter storm hits where you are?  Sure you have all of your preps at home but what happens if a disaster strikes when you are not at home?
10. All of your electronics go down during a disaster?  Whether it is an extended power outage due to a massive storm which renders your internet null and useless or an EMP attack, what happens if there is no cell service, no internet, no nothing electronic while you are facing another disaster at the same time?

Prepping for a disaster is one thing, but during your preps, consider what would happen if other disasters happen at the same time.