Post by SA Hunter on Jan 22, 2015 17:55:15 GMT 8
aussiehomepreps.com.au/preparedness-101/
What is preparedness?
Preparedness means taking action to mitigate the effects of a disaster or emergency before it happens. If we are prepared for an emergency, then when or if it happens we are in a better position to respond and recover.
In Australia, preparedness is most often discussed in emergency risk management circles, and gains in profile whenever a disaster or potential disaster — such as a bushfire, flood or cyclone — threatens our communities. But ongoing, home preparedness is important, too, as it helps you to identify and reduce everyday risks, as well as those that come with storms, fires and floods. It’s about keeping your family safe … and it’s something that many Aussies don’t attend to seriously enough.
You might also have heard preparedness referred to as ‘disaster preparedness’, ‘emergency preparedness’, ‘disaster readiness’, or just plain ‘readiness‘. In the preparedness community, it’s commonly referred to as ‘prepping‘. Subsidiary discliplines of preparedness include urban and wilderness ‘survival’.
What counts as a disaster?
Disasters are most often thought of as being either ‘natural‘ or ‘man-made‘. Natural disasters include cyclones, bushfires, earthquakes, famine, tsunamis, volcanoes, blizzards, heatwaves, and the like. Man-made disasters caused by things such as train crashes, stockmarket crashes, wars, chemical and radiation leaks, and aviation accidents.
To home preppers, ‘disaster’ includes all of the above, but the term also has a broader meaning, and one that encompasses much-less spectacular events. A ‘disaster’ could be a job layoff, a sudden disability, a death in the family, or some occurrence that sees you having to deal with an unexpected life event.
Preppers recognise that the magnitude (in terms of broad-scale severity and consequences) and frequency of disasters have inverse relationships, that is, the higher the magnitude of an event, the less likely it is to happen. Working on this principle, it means that you are more likely to suffer a personal job loss than you are to be the victim of an earthquake that kills tens of thousands of people.
Reasons to prep
•Prepping is a form of insurance against the things that can go wrong in our lives. If you lose your job and you have three months’ worth of food in your pantry, you have a chance to get back on your feet without having to worry about feeding the family.
•Prepping gives you sense of safety and security for you and your family. Knowing that your house is fitted with working fire alarms, and that your family has practised its fire evacuation plan gives you great peace of mind.
•To take pressure off the emergency services during times of crisis. While the SES is off helping the elderly or disabled to repair their storm-damaged roof, you are looking after yourself.
•To save money. Buying food at today’s prices acts as a small hedge against inflation next week.
•It’s kinda fun.
•To fight off the zombie apocalypse. (OK, so that last one’s not serious.
)
What are the preparedness basics?
Below is a basic list of preps you should be working towards.
•Water. Access to a clean and plentiful water supply is a survival necessity, not just a preparedness basic. The usual recommendation is to have at least 4 litres (approx a gallon) of water per person per day stored for the anticipated crisis period. Rainwater tanks come to the rescue, here.
•Food. Having at least a three-month store of food ensures that most crises can be handled with just a little rationing. It also means that you don’t have to go to the shops so often!
•Documentation. Preppers have all their paperwork in order. That includes having multiple copies of important documents, including wills, insurance policies, mortgage documents, birth certificates, passports, and licences.
•Home disaster and emergency preparation. This includes having functioning smoke detectors installed, and that they are tested weekly; up-to-date first aid kits handy; storm and flood kits ready for use; and emergency lighting, heating and cooking options available. Amongst other things.
•Garden. Most serious preppers will make some effort to grow and maintain a garden. Having access to your own food source is seen as a smart thing to do.
•Skills. Preppers work at building their skills in everything from first aid to food preservation to raising seeds. All the gadgets in the world are no replacement for knowledge.
What is preparedness?
Preparedness means taking action to mitigate the effects of a disaster or emergency before it happens. If we are prepared for an emergency, then when or if it happens we are in a better position to respond and recover.
In Australia, preparedness is most often discussed in emergency risk management circles, and gains in profile whenever a disaster or potential disaster — such as a bushfire, flood or cyclone — threatens our communities. But ongoing, home preparedness is important, too, as it helps you to identify and reduce everyday risks, as well as those that come with storms, fires and floods. It’s about keeping your family safe … and it’s something that many Aussies don’t attend to seriously enough.
You might also have heard preparedness referred to as ‘disaster preparedness’, ‘emergency preparedness’, ‘disaster readiness’, or just plain ‘readiness‘. In the preparedness community, it’s commonly referred to as ‘prepping‘. Subsidiary discliplines of preparedness include urban and wilderness ‘survival’.
What counts as a disaster?
Disasters are most often thought of as being either ‘natural‘ or ‘man-made‘. Natural disasters include cyclones, bushfires, earthquakes, famine, tsunamis, volcanoes, blizzards, heatwaves, and the like. Man-made disasters caused by things such as train crashes, stockmarket crashes, wars, chemical and radiation leaks, and aviation accidents.
To home preppers, ‘disaster’ includes all of the above, but the term also has a broader meaning, and one that encompasses much-less spectacular events. A ‘disaster’ could be a job layoff, a sudden disability, a death in the family, or some occurrence that sees you having to deal with an unexpected life event.
Preppers recognise that the magnitude (in terms of broad-scale severity and consequences) and frequency of disasters have inverse relationships, that is, the higher the magnitude of an event, the less likely it is to happen. Working on this principle, it means that you are more likely to suffer a personal job loss than you are to be the victim of an earthquake that kills tens of thousands of people.
Reasons to prep
•Prepping is a form of insurance against the things that can go wrong in our lives. If you lose your job and you have three months’ worth of food in your pantry, you have a chance to get back on your feet without having to worry about feeding the family.
•Prepping gives you sense of safety and security for you and your family. Knowing that your house is fitted with working fire alarms, and that your family has practised its fire evacuation plan gives you great peace of mind.
•To take pressure off the emergency services during times of crisis. While the SES is off helping the elderly or disabled to repair their storm-damaged roof, you are looking after yourself.
•To save money. Buying food at today’s prices acts as a small hedge against inflation next week.
•It’s kinda fun.
•To fight off the zombie apocalypse. (OK, so that last one’s not serious.
)What are the preparedness basics?
Below is a basic list of preps you should be working towards.
•Water. Access to a clean and plentiful water supply is a survival necessity, not just a preparedness basic. The usual recommendation is to have at least 4 litres (approx a gallon) of water per person per day stored for the anticipated crisis period. Rainwater tanks come to the rescue, here.
•Food. Having at least a three-month store of food ensures that most crises can be handled with just a little rationing. It also means that you don’t have to go to the shops so often!
•Documentation. Preppers have all their paperwork in order. That includes having multiple copies of important documents, including wills, insurance policies, mortgage documents, birth certificates, passports, and licences.
•Home disaster and emergency preparation. This includes having functioning smoke detectors installed, and that they are tested weekly; up-to-date first aid kits handy; storm and flood kits ready for use; and emergency lighting, heating and cooking options available. Amongst other things.
•Garden. Most serious preppers will make some effort to grow and maintain a garden. Having access to your own food source is seen as a smart thing to do.
•Skills. Preppers work at building their skills in everything from first aid to food preservation to raising seeds. All the gadgets in the world are no replacement for knowledge.