Preparing for Everyday Life by D.W. for Survival Blog
This article doesn’t address When The Schumer Hits The Fan (WTSHTF). No, this is just about preparing for everyday life, and everyday hazards to your property.
Life will always be a higher level of importance than property. However, in this article we will be discussing property and how to mitigate its loss. When we think of being prepared, we think about the worst things imaginable happening, EMP blackout, Nuclear war and civil unrest are just a few. But more likely than not, our individual lives can be affected more frequently by smaller-scale incidents that can have a huge impact on us. A fire, flood, tornado or even a residential burglary. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reported 1.3 million fires in 2017. And according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics of 2015, 11.2 households out of 1,000 will be a victim of a property crime. Add to these, the unpredictable number of tornadoes and flooding or even earthquakes that can occur from year to year in the United States. Being prepared for these is just as important as preparing for any other critical incident. These types of events can happen to anyone, whether you still live in an urban environment or have established a retreat further out from your neighbors.
When thinking about preparedness, one might fall into the trap of tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is explained as being so focused on a result or goal that we lose focus on everything else around it. I have developed the mentality of being an All-hazards preparer rather than focusing on just one incident. Much of the time, the cross-over from one to another only adds a couple of steps, but being mindful to look at what can occur everyday to you or your neighbors is just as important as navigating the larger picture.
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During our lifetime, we accumulate a vast variety of items; electronics, tools, jewelry, not to mention any equipment you might have collected to help you prepare for those larger scale incidents. As a police officer of more than 20 years, I see burglary on an everyday basis. Living in tornado alley, I’ve responded to several incidents where entire neighborhoods were ripped from the earth. I was activated into service as a National Guardsman to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In each of these cases, families had lost some or all their possessions. What steps can you take to protect yourself?
Obviously, your mind goes to protecting your homestead and with just cause. Consideration needs to be given to proper security, deadbolts, long screws, security systems, etc. as the first steps in protecting your property. You’ll find several articles on this topic alone. This article isn’t about how to fortify your home, but about preparing for the eventuality of being a victim of either a property crime or mother nature. Whether it’s against fire, flood and mother nature these steps do very little. In the case of property crimes, they go a long way, but as you watch the evening news, you see time after time, a determined thief will get past defenses and leave you feeling vulnerable. Facing the inevitable, some reading this have or will be a victim of any one of the scenarios I’ve laid out before you. What you’ve done before this happens determines how well and how quickly you can recover. We’ve spent an enormous amount of time, energy and dollars preparing ourselves for when the Schumer and the fan come together. Let’s discuss how a small amount of time and energy and a cost of little to no money can minimize the impact.
INVENTORYING IS CRUCIAL
Over the years, I’ve taken hundreds of police reports from residential and business victims of burglaries and larcenies. I’ve always recommended that these individuals purchase a spiral notebook to record what they have in inventory. It is obviously too late at that moment, but for the next time. I’ve told them, no one will steal a spiral notebook, they don’t need it or want it. You could document all you own and have it in stored on a laptop or tablet but you run the risk of having that laptop or tablet stolen, lost or destroyed. Start with any room in your home or business, and list everything that has a make, model and serial number or is of any value to you. It’s also a good idea to document the date you purchased it and how much it cost.
