Prepping Challenges 91 Thru 100--You

Sometimes you go through the previous 90 prepping challenges, you have a massive amount of food and water stockpiled and...you end up a refugee with only the clothes on your back.  Of all of the refugees I have known--from the previously very wealthy to the previously very poor--many ended up fleeing war-ravaged countries with basically what they could carry with them.  So this is perhaps the most important section as you are your most important secret weapon for surviving whatever disaster comes along.

#91--You make your health one of your top priorities.  You eat healthy, keep up with your vaccinations, keep a handle on your health markers (weight, blood pressure, blood sugar cholesterol, etc), and de-stress on a regular basis.

#92--Your next priority is your fitness.  You can walk long distances, you can easily climb under a desk if there is an earthquake, you can easily lift heavy objects to clear your way from a disaster zone...you are fit, flexible, strong, and have excellent cardio abilities.

#93--You are educated and continue to enhance your education on a regular basis.  Whether is it improving your job skills, learning more about prepping, or seeking out new sources of information, you don't stop learning just because no one is requiring it.

#94--You got skills.  While other people spend countless hours surfing the web and overdosing on social media, you spend your time learning new skills.  When your community offers a CERT class, you are first in line to sign up, when you realize your are missing critical defensive skills, you seek out a close-quarters combat course to increase your ability to protect yourself and your family.  Learning new skills is a fun (and infinitely useful) way to spend your free time.

#95--You have people.  While it may be easier to stay home and become a hermit to avoid the craziness of our world, you realize that exercising your social skills muscle is a great way to build community, meet new and interesting people, and develop the relationships necessary for survival in a SHTF situation.

#96--You plan, complete with checklists, for everything.  There is no need to keep all of your "to dos" in your head and you need to be organized to get everything done so you know that using checklists and writing things down will make you more organized and more successful.

#97--You have a generally good attitude.  Your attitude can often be the defining factor when it comes to enduring difficult situations.  Read more about this here, here, and here.

#98--You aren't afraid to try new things.  Maybe grandma wants to teach you how to knit a sweater.  Not very manly but a useful skill nonetheless and it makes grandma happy.  Maybe your kids want you to go on the 'Plunge of Death' roller coaster with them.  Well that doesn't sound like fun, per se, but it is a new experience so why not.  And always take the opportunity to travel, you will learn a lot.

#99--You are ready to travel.  You have your passport, yellow card, visas if necessary, spare passport pictures, and travel gear ready to go at a moment's notice.  Traveling teaches all kinds of survival skills from negotiating in a language you don't understand to learning from new experiences.

#100--You help others.  Whether it's lending a helping hand during a disaster or volunteering to teach a preparedness course at your local community center, helping kids site in their hunting rifles at the local range or ensuring that your kids know how to cook for themselves, helping others learn vital skills and just generally helping others out during their time of need goes a long way towards increasing everyone's ability to survive a disaster.

And check out this list which will help you make a 'clean sweep' of your entire lift.

Prepping Challenges 81 Thru 90--Special Circumstances

If you are young, rich, and healthy, prepping can be a pretty easy thing to do.  That isn't most people.  Many people have a bundle of circumstances that often make prepping difficult to virtually impossible.  Here's what to do if you are any of these special circumstances...

#81--You have an infant or young children.  Generally kids are pretty portable and resilient but they do require extra attention when preparing for a disaster.  From having (a lot) of extra diapers on hand (of both the cloth and disposable type) to having appropriate nourishment for them (formula even if you breastfeed, stockpiled foods that can be easily mashed) there are several things to do to prepare to either bug in or bug out with infants or small children during a disaster.  Find more info here and here.

#82--You are poor.  When people are poor, just surviving from day to day can be a challenge but there are things even poor people can do ahead of time to prepare for a disaster.  First, find out where your local shelters are in case riding out a disaster in your home isn't an option (ie: you live in a trailer in a tornado area).  You can easily stockpile water is used 2l soda bottles, and you can hit up the dollar store for items that can be used during a disaster (a $1 tarp and some paracord are better than nothing when it comes to shelter).  Dumpster diving, even flying a sign asking for handouts isn't out of the question when it comes to procuring needed disaster supply items.  More info here.

#83--You are elderly.  Often the best preparedness activities elderly folks can do, in addition to the usual stockpiling some water and food and medications, is building community and relationships as an informal mutual aid society.  Seniors watching out for each other, either by calling each other often or going to check up on each other in person if someone hasn't been seen for a couple of days, is very common in many senior communities.  Seniors being able to call for assistance, and having family call to warn them about impending disasters, is also useful as a relative can drop off needed water or groceries ahead of time, pick up their prescriptions, etc.  Lot's more information on senior preparedness here, here, and here.

#84--You have a chronic illness.  Being chronically ill usually means being reliant on daily medications/therapy/special devices and within easy reach of medical care if needed.  During a disaster all of these things can be impacted so preparing ahead of time is critical for chronically ill people.  One of the simplest things you can do is have your doctor give you 90-day prescriptions instead of 30-day prescriptions; this will ensure you always have extra medication on hand.  Speak with your doctor and care givers as well as your pharmacist and public health planners to determine what plans you should make ahead of time (you may find out that your county public health office already has a plan in place to assist chronically ill citizens).  There may also be special plans for healthcare-specific shelters, delivery of items like food and meds during a disaster, and other things you didn't even know about going on in your community that can help you before, during, and after a disaster.  Find more info here, here, and here.

#85--You are disabled.  Similar to other plans above, people with disabilities often need physical assistance during a disaster.  Again, planning ahead of time with your support network (doctor care giver, family members, etc) can help a disabled person be better able to deal with an emergency.  Is there a need for a generator to keep critical devices charged?  Is a plan in place for special assistance evacuating from your home?  Are local shelters equipped to help disabled people?  All of these things should be determined ahead of time.  More info here and here.

#86--You have legal issues.  Legal issues, like being on parole, being on the sex offender list, or having a custody order that does not allow you to remove your children from the county can all have a big impact on what happens during and after a disaster.  Recent disasters have brought to light just how these sorts of legal issues can impact disaster survivors (read this and this).  While I usually opt for seeking forgiveness after the fact instead of asking for permission first, in these cases, not following whatever court order you are under could result in a trip back to prison so it is important to ask whoever has you on a short leash what you should do in these instances and GET IT IN WRITING.

#87--You are mentally ill.  Like the aforementioned special circumstances, folk who are mentally ill have particular challenges when planning for a disaster.  Having access to meds is important, as is being able to seek shelter in a shelter that can meet your needs.  This is why pre-planning ahead of time with your team (family, doctors, care givers, therapists, etc) is important in order to develop a workable plan for what you should do before, during, and after a disaster.  More info here, here, and here.

#88--You are homeless.  On the one hand, homeless people impacted by a disaster aren't being displaced from actual homes, but they do become displaced from important parts of their life which includes friends, their children's school, meal programs, homeless shelters and support staff, even friendly locals who help them out with food and supplies.  And while homeless folks are pretty resilient and have top notch survival skills, they can still be severely impacted if, for example, the car they are living washes away in a flood.  It is important that homeless folks keep up with the news (flash flood warnings often go out via cell phones to warn the homeless who live in the storm drains under Las Vegas so they can escape before a storm hits), find out where the public shelters are, and keep up with community information and take advantage of any help being offered.  More info here, here, and here.

#89--You are a first responder or an essential staff member.  First responders are a unique population because they are usually exceptionally prepared yet when disaster strikes, and even before, they need to leave their family to go help others while hoping their family remains safe.  It is important that first repsponders share their knowledge with all family members so that not only do they have the resources (water, food, emergency shelter) but they have the knowledge to survive a disaster when mom or dad isn't there.  Banding together with other first responder's families is another idea.  The first responder's agency can, and should, be instrumental in assisting families before, during and after a disaster so that their responders can give their full attention to the mission at hand.  More info here, here, and here.

#90--You don't care.  Well not you because if you didn't care about preparedness you wouldn't be reading a preparedness blog, but we have all come across people who would rather stick their head in the sand than take a few steps to become better prepared for a disaster.  Spouses, friends, co-workers, and family members can all be quite reasonable in general but have no interest in preparing thinking that either nothing will happen to them or that the city has everything taken care of and will come to their rescue.  You can either go it alone and wait to say 'I told you so' after a disaster hits (and the family is all snug and secure because of your advanced planning), you can stock even more preps then happen to drop by your stubborn aunt's house before a huge snowstorm is predicted to hit and tell her you had some extra food and water on hand and wanted to share it with her, or, like a friend of mine, you can buy an RV because all of his friends had RVs and his wife loved the idea of an RV because then the group would hit up the local parks each summer weekend and it was a big party and then when a minor disaster hit they ended up sheltering for a few days in the RV and all was well and the wife had no idea he was actually using the RV opportunity to be even more prepared than he was before.  YMMV on that one.

So the bottom line to prepping for special populations is that advanced planning is even more important than it is for the average person.  And not just planning ahead but planning with an entire team to make sure that there is a triple, even quadruple-redundant, plan in place to help those who will need extra assistance before, during, and after a disaster.

Prepping Challenges 71 Thru 80--Protection

You are responsible for protecting yourself and your family at all times.  While you can call the police for help, they usually don't arrive until after the fact.  And during a disaster, you will be lucky if you can even get through to 911 so it is up to you to develop some basic protection strategies.

#71--You are safety aware at all times.  You pay attention to what is going on around you, you know what is going on in your community, in your country, and around the world, and you always lock your doors behind you.  You are careful of the places you go at night, you don't hang out with troublemakers who are a target all their own, and you don't flash your money around.  Basically you follow all of the basic safety tips that would otherwise be known as common sense.

#72--You take extra steps to make your home and vehicle safe.  At your home you have a fence around your property, safety doors and locks, a home security system, etc.  In your vehicle you have an alarm, a dash cam, etc.

#73--You know how to protect yourself physically if needed.  While hand-to-hand-combat should be the very last thing on your list of ways to protect yourself, you are skilled in martial arts of some sort and keep in good physical condition.

#74--You have determined if you want to use firearms for personal protection and have taken steps to do this in the safest, most effective way possible.  If you choose to use firearms, you understand how to store them safely, you are licensed for concealed carry, you practice with them often, and you have taken advanced classes in things like tactical shooting in order to become an effective shooter.

#75--You have other weapons on hand of varying leathality, and know how to use them.  Some people want to take a step down from firearms yet still keep some sort of weapon on hand to use in an emergency.  Things like a knife, baseball bat, kuboton, pepper spray, bear spray, etc. can be used to protect yourself.  Laws vary by jurisdiction about possession of these types of weapons and while any of these is better than nothing in an emergency, YMMV about their effectiveness.

#76--You take precautions when traveling, avoid unsafe areas, and follow general travel safety rules.  You know where the nearest embassy is, have given your itinerary to a trusted friend or relative, and keep in regular contact with folks back home to the point that they would know if something goes wrong due to your lack of contact.

#77--You try to keep yourself out of situations that can turn dangerous and are aware of steps to take if something like workplace violence, school violence, domestic violence, or terrorist activity happens where you are.

#78--You are careful about who you associate with.  Many crimes--from gang banger shootings to domestic violence murder-suicides to theft or robbery--occur between people who know each other or are otherwise associated.  The door-to-door salesman you let into your house may be casing your place for a future robbery or home invasion, the shifty guys you hang out with may be a target for violence and you could inadvertently end up in the cross-fire, the crazy ex could turn into a stalker or worse.  You can nip may of these problem in the bud by being choosy about who you hang out with or otherwise deal with.

#79--You always opt towards deescalating a situation instead of escalating it.  This is easier said than done when someone cuts you off in traffic, is acting like an aggressive idiot in the gym, or is otherwise asking for a good ass kicking but the potential outcome of escalating the situation to the point of violence (an assault or murder charge, court time, lawsuits, etc) simply isn't worth it.  Take a breath, adjust your attitude, and try to flip the situation to a happier outcome.

#80--You have the relationships, and social skills, to band with others during a disaster.  There is safety in numbers and when TSHTF do you alone want to deal with roving looters or would you rather band with the neighbors to ensure the safety of your home and neighborhood?  Having good social skills, and knowing who you can rely on during an emergency, can make survival situations go much better than being an individual alone.

Find more personal safety tips here, here, and here.

Prepping Challenges 61 Thru 70--Vehicle

And the disasters don't stop, last week was Hurricane Harvey, next up Hurricane Irma.  So there is more prepping to do...

#61--You have a vehicle of some sort and you keep it in tip top shape.  For most people this means a car but some people don't have cars so a moped, motorcycle, or bicycle may be their vehicle of choice.  Which ever type of vehicle you choose, you want to keep it in good mechanical shape and always keep the gas tank at least half full.

#62--You always have reserve fuel for your vehicle.  During Hurricane Harvey some people used stored cans of fuel to top up their tanks while others siphoned fuel from an RV or boat to fill up their car when gas stations were shut down or ran out of fuel.  Remember to rotate stored fuel and to store it in a safe location in appropriate containers.

#63--Your vehicle is set up as your "home away from home".  This includes having food, water, a first aid kit, an emergency kit, and sleeping bags or blankets in your vehicle at all times.

#64--You have other types of vehicles on hand, according to your situation.  It would be rather useless for me to keep a boat in the middle of the desert but the folks down in Houston made good use of their boats, jet skis, and kayaks during all of the flooding.  Keeping a bicycle for exercise is a good idea and it can also be used as a secondary vehicle in an emergency.  Of course having an RV makes an excellent bug out vehicle.

#65--You have actually went out and tried several evacuation routes in your vehicle.  You know where the choke points may be, have determined alternate routes around these areas, and have noted any impediments to your evacuation routes (ie: bridges and overpasses that may collapse during an earthquake, low-lying areas that will probably flood first, etc).  In addition, you keep a GPS device in your vehicle as well as paper maps which can be used even when cell and GPS don't work.

#66--You have learned skills for (and practiced!) driving in a variety of conditions including heavy rain, snow, ice, dust storms, high wind, etc.  You don't want your first experience driving in snow to be during an emergency.  You want to have studied enough about flash floods to know that driving through them can be deadly so avoid this and head to higher ground anytime flooding starts.

#67--You have experience driving as many different types of vehicles as possible--car, motorcycle, bicycle, boat, kayak, backhoe, jet ski, 18-wheeler, plane, helicopter--the more vehicles you can drive, the better off you will be in an emergency situation.

#68--You are comfortable using all kinds of public transportation--bus, plane, subway, tuk tuk, jeepney, chicken bus.  In the event that you can not evacuate with your own vehicle, knowing (and practicing) using public transit is another skill that will prove useful during an emergency.

#69--You have off-roading experience and, hopefully, the vehicle to do this in.  As you saw during Hurricane Harvey, roads were washed out and even when the water receded, driving around the area required more off-roading skills than most people have.  Having a basic knowledge of off-roading skills is a good thing to know.

#70--You know what to do in a vehicle emergency situation.  You can change a flat tire, do basic car repairs, pull yourself out of a ditch, unstick yourself from sand, know what to do right after a car wreck, and know how to tow another vehicle, among other things.

More information about using and stocking your BOV here, here, and here.

Prepping Challenges 51 Thru 60--Money

Having enough money in reserve to see you through a disaster can mean the difference between living in comfort while your home is rebuilt or living in a mold-infested, partially broken down home.  Between being able to prep the basics like food and water ahead of time and waiting for when (or even if) food handouts will be given in your neighborhood.  Being on sound financial footing as soon as possible is one of the best ways to be prepared for a disaster.

#51--You have $1000 cash on hand.  Carry some with you and keep some hidden in your home.  This will cover most minor emergencies.

#52--You have an emergency fund that will cover six to twelve month’s worth of bills and living expenses.  Obviously the lower your expenses and the fewer debts you have, the smaller this fund will need to be.  Not only will this carry you through most disaster scenarios but this will also carry you through getting laid off from work or coming down with an illness or injury that prevents you from working for months.

#53--You are insured.  Most people these days cannot self insure as a simple liability claim could set you back millions.  You need to have homeowner/renters insurance as well as health insurance, car insurance, life insurance if you are financially responsible for others, and long term care insurance.

#54--You have multiple sources of income.  Having money fall into your bank account regularly from various sources is a great way to keep all of your eggs out of one desperately important basket.  If you have one job and one source of income and that job dissolves/moves overseas/closes due to a disaster, you will be in a world of hurt financially.

#55--You are debt free including the house, the car, credit cards, student loans, etc.  When you are debt free you are truly FREE.  You have many more options when it comes to the work that you do, the place that you live, and the way that you live.  Can you imagine only having utilities to pay each month?

#56--You have a variety of money and money-equivalents.  Cash, regular income, investments, a retirement account, home equity, some gold and silver, barterable items…the more sources of cash you have stashed, again, the better off you will be when facing a financial crisis.

#57--You have good credit and access to credit and loans if needed.  It’s always a good idea to have a few credit cards (from different financial institutions) on hand to use if needed during a crisis as well as access larger sums of money in the form of secured or unsecured loans if needed. 

#58--You utilize online banking for bill paying, receiving income, and investments.  This way you don’t need a brick and mortar location to have your paycheck deposited, to get cash, or to pay your bills.  Money can easily be transferred online, bills can be paid, income can be direct deposited, investments can be made and changed…basically everything you would otherwise have to do in person has been automated for your convenience.

#59--You have non-cash sources of emergency assistance if needed.  This can range from thousands of air miles to quickly get a plane ride for free if needed to people who “owe you” and would be happy to help out/pay you back when you need it to a collection of gift cards and gas cards that can be used at any time (be sure to use them before they expire)…you get the idea.

#60--Your financial records are up-to-date, digitally backed up, and easy to grab and go if needed (ie: all in one organized location).  If you have to piece your life back together after a disaster that wipes your town off the map, the first place to start is with your insurance information and your asset information.  Hopefully your income will keep rolling in, you can easily pay your few bills remotely, and everything else can be done online from no matter where you have bugged out to. 

More information on financial preparedness here, here, and here.

Prepping Challenges 41 Thru 50--Medical

Among the most important prepping skills to have are those of the medical variety.  As you can see from reports on Hurricane Harvey, medical services are often few and far between right after a disaster.

#41--You have a variety of well-stocked first aid kits, for your home, vehicles, a tiny one for your EDC bag, for your Bug Out Bag, for your RV/boat, and for your work place.  There are numerous lists online to guide you in making useful first aid kits.

#42--You have medical training and skills which would be useful in a variety of disaster situations.  Many community centers/fire departments/Red Cross offices offer First Aid/AED/CPR courses and these cover the basics, an EMT course is even better, paramedic training is better yet.

#43--You have stocked up on any prescription medications needed by you or your family members.  Ideally, you can get 90-day prescriptions from your doctor for these and maybe automatic reordering for medications for chronic conditions so you always have medications on hand (don't forget to grab these if you need to evacuate).  As a side note, be sure to take photos of each prescriptions and always carry these with you in case you need an emergency prescription.

#44--You have basic medical texts on hand for general browsing and/or use during an emergency.  Books like 'When There is No Doctor' and 'The Doomsday Book of Medicine' are two of many texts that spell out the how-to of emergency medical care.

#45--You are well versed in herbal medicine, old fashioned home remedies, and basic home care.  Of course when you need an antibiotic you need an antibiotic but many simple conditions can be taken care of with basic home care and natural remedies that your grandmother would have used.

#46--You have done your best to stock your emergency medical kit with prescription pain killers and antibiotics.  This is simple if your regular doctor knows you, will give you a prescription, and is pretty sure you won't use it for nefarious purposes.  You don't want to be caught with prescription-only meds if you don't have a prescription for them as that is illegal.

#47--You keep other, higher scope of practice, medical supplies on hand not necessarily for yourself but to have for emergency providers during a disaster.  An EpiPen, asthma inhaler, ET tubes, a needle decompression kit, and other supplies can be useful in a disaster but only by people properly trained in their use.  A good argument for NOT having these items on hand is that they are generally expensive, hard to acquire unless you are a medical professional, and expire so need to be replaced regularly.

#48--You pay particular attention to cleanliness, especially during a disaster.  Simply washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, properly disposing of sewage, and properly cooking food goes a long way towards preventing the spread of infections and diseases after a disaster.

#49--You have pre-planned the care resources, right up to early evacuation, if you have a medically fragile family member.  People who are on a vent, require oxygen, have serious chronic diseases, require dialysis, or are severely immuno-compromised need to be evacuated prior to a disaster, not after.  While there are some things you can do, like keeping extra tanks of oxygen on hand or having a generator for necessary electrical connections, trying to find care in your area after your hometown is wiped off a map is a deadly gamble to take so early evacuation only makes sense.

#50--You have planned to have back-ups if you or a family member needs special equipment for everyday functioning (dentures, denture adhesive, hearing aids, hearing aid batteries, a cane, walker, spare pair of glasses, etc).

More information on medical preparedness here, here, and here.

Prepping Challenges 31 Thru 40--Grab and Go

In honor of Hurricane Harvey, today's challenges will be aptly termed 'grab and go'...

#31--You have a fully stocked bug out bag which is easily accessible and always ready to go.  If you had to leave your home, shelter elsewhere, and possibly not have a home left when you returned, what would you need to take?  A change of clothes, some food and water, some sort of emergency shelter, important documents...there are numerous lists online to help you determine what to pack.

#32--All of your important documents are up-to-date, in one place, and backed up.  You have your passport, driver's license, Will, Power of Attorney, bank records, and other important documents. ready to grab before you evacuate.  You also have all of these documents digitally backed up and off-site, along with a back up of all of your computer files.

#33--You keep all of your portable electronics (cell phone, tablet, laptop) charged and located in one place when not being used so they will be easy to pick up as you are exiting your home.  Don't forget to have a battery pack or two (fully charged) to take as well for emergency gadget charging.

#34--You have an evacuation plan.  You know several evacuation routes from your home and work, you have pre-planned places to evacuate to, and you have memorized (and practiced) your evacuation checklist.

#35--You have several forms of cash on hand at all time.  You always carry cash in your wallet, you have cash in a hidden home safe, and you have other currencies in your safe as well (Euros, Yen, etc).  You have several debit and credit cards (from different financial institutions), some gold and silver, and other barterable items on hand as well.

#36--You keep informed of developing situations via radio, TV, internet, social media, and cell phone alerts.  No one has to tell you a hurricane or wildfire is heading your way as you have been tracking it since its inception.  With this knowledge you know if you need to evacuate and you do so before your entire city decides to do the same.

#37--Your vehicle (actually assortment of vehicles) are ready to evacuate you at any moment (more on this tomorrow).

#38--You have options for where to go if you must evacuate your home.  You can easily transport yourself and your family AND resettle yourself and your family (either temporarily or permanently) at one of several pre-planned locations across your city, across your state, across the country, or across the world.

#39--You have a robust communications plan which can be used before, during, and after a disaster.  You can quickly gather your family during a disaster, you have a long distance contact that can act as a hub for communication between yourself and your loved ones (local phone service may not work but you may be able to contact someone far away), you know which websites you can use to check in as safe (and your loved ones know to monitor these sites as well), you have people you can call for assistance evacuating if needed (or for bringing supplies to you if needed/possible).  You also have all necessary contact information, from family member's phone and email to insurance company contacts to FEMA contacts to emergency shelter locations, saved as both written copy and on your laptop and cell phone.

#40--You know when to stay put.  This is often an educated guess as situations can turn out to be much less intense than predicted or much worse.  Your first option, if possible, should be to shelter in place however there are many situations (wildfire, hurricane, flood, chemical leak) that will require evacuation for survival.  You have studied this topic and evaluated the current situation and make good, educated choices to ensure your family's safety.

More information on evacuating can be found here, here, and here.

Prepping Challenges 21 Thru 30--Shelter

Next up for your survival challenges...shelter.

#21--You have been camping or backpacking (and have the necessary gear) for at least a week during the past year.  Shelter is easy when you have an actual roof over your head, a bathroom down the hall, TV and internet for entertainment, and a well stocked kitchen.  Shelter becomes a challenge when you need to figure out how to shelter yourself and your family from a storm with only a thin tarp tent over your head, a bathroom that requires a trowel, and entertainment sans electricity and internet.

#22--Your home is as secure as possible.  This includes a video/audio security camera system, bolt locks on all doors, fire extinguishers in the kitchen and garage, smoke detectors and CO2 detectors in your home, a secure fence around your home, motion detector lights around your home's exterior, appropriate landscaping, etc.  If you are bugging in, you want your shelter to be as secure as possible.

#23--You know what natural disasters are most common in your area and have taken steps to mitigate the effects of these types of disasters.  If you live in an earthquake-prone area, you have "earthquake-proofed" your home, if you live in an area prone to flooding you have taken steps to mitigate the effects of flooding to your home, ditto wildfire areas, winter storm areas, hurricane-prone areas, etc.

#24--You have adequate homeowner's/renter's insurance to cover any disaster that may strike your home.  You also have any necessary riders for special circumstances (ie: flood insurance, earthquake insurance, jewelry riders, art riders, etc) as well as robust liability coverage too.  In addition to insurance, you make an annual home inventory video in case of insurable losses.

#25--You have additional SHTF preps in your home.  Examples include a generator if your area is prone to power outages, hidden safes in your home, a solar power system if appropriate, an ax and breaker bar in your attic to escape through the roof if necessary, storm shutters in reserve if you live in a hurricane-prone area, etc.

#26--You regularly practice good security around your home.  You check window and door locks before bed, you re-key locks when you first move in and when several people have had access to your keys, you never leave your house key attached to the car key you leave with the valet, you never invite strangers into your home, you teach your children age-appropriate home safety skills, you don't leave your garage door opener in your vehicle if it is parked in the driveway, etc.

#27--You have appropriate tools--and the general skills--to make repairs in your home.  Basic plumbing, construction, and electrical fixes are easy enough for most people to accomplish on their own.  Of course you always take safety precautions (use safety glasses, turn off the electricity when making any electrical repairs, etc) and use the knowledge of friends and YouTube if in doubt.

#28--Your home includes alternate cooking, heating, refrigeration, and sanitation options.  Do you have a gas grill outside that your can use if your kitchen stove isn't working?  Do you have a kerosene heater and electric space heaters to use if your gas heating system and/or electricity is out?  Do you have coolers you can use to store cold food if needed?  Do you know how to dig a latrine and/or have 5 gallon buckets, plastic bags, and kitty litter to use if needed for sanitation?  And don't forget to have a bunch of hand wipes as well as hand sanitizer on hand for waterless hand cleaning.

#29--You have alternate shelter plans in case you need to evacuate or bug out.  This can be plans to go to a friend or relative's home if a disaster hits your area (have several of these places pre-planned including someone across town, across the state, and across the country), a boat or RV on standby, or a separate bug out cabin/location.

#30--You have stockpiled disaster supplies in your home.  These include blue tarps, rope, duct tape, heavy rolled plastic sheeting, shovels and rakes, candles, flashlights, batteries, matches, lighters, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, blankets, etc.  Basically if your home needs to be an island for an extended period of time, do you have all of the supplies you need on hand without having to go to the store to get them?

More information on disaster-proofing your home can be found here, here, and here.

Prepping Challenges 11 Thru 20--Food

Next in importance to water when it comes to survival is food.  These challenges will ensure that you have enough food to survive an emergency...

#11--You have enough food stored for you and your entire family so that you wouldn't need to go to a grocery store for at least two weeks, preferably a month.  It makes sense to buy and store the food your family eats anyway so you can easily rotate the stored food into your daily meal prep.  On the other hand, during a disaster, water and power/gas for cooking may be limited or unavailable so you will want to lean heavily on canned and jarred foods (fruit, vegetables, soups, pasta sauce, etc), packaged foods (crackers, granola bars, rolled oats, etc) and other simple to make foods (couscous instead of spaghetti since it cooks quicker, Minute Rice instead of regular rice, instant potatoes instead of the real thing, etc).  Ideally your preps will include a mix of items to power you through a disaster.  And don't forget treats like chocolate, Pop Tarts, etc. as comfort food goes a long way towards keeping up morale during trying times.

#12--You have a few day's worth of emergency food in your vehicle.  This food would be of the non-cooking, easy to open, and easy to eat variety.  Granola bars, jerky, nuts, dried fruit...it doesn't have to be fancy but it does need to be edible and provide some quick energy for emergency situations.

#13--You always have some sort of food stuff in your daily carry bag.  You never know when you will be delayed getting home (or hit with a sudden food craving) so it only makes sense to carry some sort of food stuff with you at all times in your EDC bag.  Again, granola bars, jerky, packets of nuts and raisins, a candy bar...simple to eat foods that have a long shelf life are your best choices.

#14--You have a few day's worth of food stored in your desk/work locker.  While you may take lunch with you to work everyday, it pays to have extra food stored at work just in case.  Dry soup mix, insta-pouch meals, instant oatmeal packets, peanut butter and jelly, cookies, candy, crackers, cheese, tuna...the list is pretty endless depending on your work environment (and whether you have storage space/a mini fridge available).

#15--You can go an entire week eating only food from home.  This includes every single thing you eat and every singe thing you drink.  For an entire week.  Which is easier said than done for most people who can barely function until their morning run through Starbucks.  This may be one of the biggest challenges you undertake as fast food/vending machines/restaurants/coffee shops/etc are ubiquitous in our culture.

#16--You know how to procure food.  This includes experience hunting, fishing, growing a garden, foraging, and even dumpster diving.  Many people have no concept of how food is actually created so 'going to the source' so to speak is quite the challenge.  All of these skills take time and effort to develop and in our have-your-every-desire-delivered-in-30-minutes-or-less world, it may seem unnecessary to go to the trouble and effort to go fishing or plant a garden but the skills learned doing these things can be life saving in a disaster.

#17--You know how to preserve food.  Again, food comes preserved for you in cans and jars and from the frozen food section at Costco so why bother?  Is it necessary to know how to can and pickle and smoke and dry a range of foods?  Not really.  Are these skills that everyone should take the time and effort to learn anyway?  Absolutely.

#18--You know how to cook.  Again, necessary?  Not really in our culture where prepared food can be found just about everywhere.  Important skill to know anyway?  Most definitely.  Prepared food is usually loaded with salt and fat and chemicals so eating healthy often comes down to what you make yourself so you can control the contents of what you eat.  Plus cooking and baking can be an enjoyable, money-saving hobby.

#19--Every month you have food-related activities that the entire family participates in.  Clam digging season, the smelt run, huckleberry picking in the summer, searching for mushrooms in the fall, u-picking fruit and vegetables at local farms...many family memories are made (and skills learned) doing this.

#20--You have adequate food storage space.  In a small apartment this may be difficult so consider closets, under beds, and on top of cabinets.  Larger homes often have space for a freezer, storage areas in a basement or garage, a gas grill and/or fire pit in the back yard for alternate cooking areas, etc.

More food storage information can be found here, here, and here.

***Be sure to rotate your food stocks regularly!

Prepping Challenges 1 Thru 10--Water

This week's prepping challenges to get your ready for anything: having enough stored water to see you through an emergency.

#1--You have enough stored water for two weeks for you and your family.  At one gallon per person per day, if it is just you, that would be 14 gallons of stored water (or three of those five gallon water jugs you can get filled up at your local store for a couple of bucks).  For a family of four that would be 56 gallons (about 11 of those five gallon water jugs you can get filled up at your local store).

#2--You have at least a case of water in your vehicle.  This is simple.  For a couple of bucks you can buy a case of bottled water which you can keep in your vehicle for emergencies.

#3--You have went out and actually found sources of emergency water in your community.  This can be a river, a lake, a stream, a seep, an abandoned well, a cistern, etc.  In desert areas this can be a particular challenge (some ideas here).  BTW, while you are at this water source, collect up a bottle of the water.

#4--You know how to purify water for emergency use.  In fact you have actually used and actually practiced purifying water with a variety of methods.  You can practice on the water you collected in challenge #3.

#5--You always have a bottle of water in your daily carry bag.  Never get caught without water--from drinking purposes to using it to get the pepper spray out of your eyes--you should always have a bottle of water with you.

#6--You have a case of water in your office/work area.  Your co-workers may think you are weird (or brilliant depending on where you work) but if a disaster happens at work, you will need water there just as much as you need it at home.

#7--You go to the store and buy a couple of bottles of water, drink the water, then put the empty bottles with your travel gear.  Get sturdy bottles like AquaFina or Gatorade bottles as these hold up much better than thin, flimsy bottles.  Once you get through airport security, fill up the bottles with water (many airports now have filtered water fountains for just this purpose) and you are good to go.

#8--You have practiced making a solar still.  There are numerous videos on how to do this and while it probably won't provide you much water, it is an interesting experiment nonetheless.

#9--You have several "water tanks" available to fill in an emergency.  These can be actual water storage jugs, large plastic garbage cans, a water barrel which collects rain water, empty plastic soda bottles, etc.  If you know an emergency is coming, fill these and any other containers up for emergency use later.

#10--You practice general water conservation on a normal day but can ratchet that up x100 in a disaster.  You can use a gallon of water to brush your teeth if you let the tap water run while you are brushing.  On the other hand, you can use a tablespoon or so to brush your teeth if you are pouring it out of a water bottle and are conserving water as much as possible.  Lot's more ideas here, here, and here.

And a few more things about water during a disaster here, here, and here.

*** Be sure to rotate your stored water regularly!