Keep Your Family Safe: Survival Tips from the Show
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 5:00AM
In Anderson's "Could Your Family Survive a Disaster?" show, Anderson speaks with the cast of National Geographic's show, "Doomsday Preppers," who provide tips and insight as to how you can keep yourself and your family safe in the face of disaster.
For them, staying safe is a matter of following a few simple guidelines and being prepared at all times.
Click through to see tips from the "Doomsday Preppers" cast and from a real-life couple who survived in the face of their own emergency.
You can watch "Doomsday Preppers" on National Geographic at 9 PM ET/PT.
Filed Under: As Seen On The Show
Comments
Hey there - late to the party as usual because I Tivo 'Anderson' to watch later.
I began putting together my disaster gear after rather subtle messages by Ready.gov started appearing around Denver a few years ago. The message was simple, "Are you ready?" I picked up a flier at Walmart and from then on have been getting prepared for a disaster or pandemic. I had the rather harsh realization that I'm not part of anyone's disaster planning, so I'd better be ready to take care of myself and hopefully a few other people around me. No one in particular, but just a few people who may not have anyone else.
I don't think the families who appeared on your program were terribly over-prepared. Out West here we have a lot of people who are more militia-type preparers, so these folks seemed pretty tame to me. I'm not as outfitted as they are - I've been unemployed for almost 2 years, but I have plenty of extra food and water in my apartment and a 72 hour kit (in a Rubbermaid tote) in my truck.
Since I love camping and the outdoors, a lot of my gear is just camping gear. I have several stoves, from a tiny backpacking stove to a big 2 burner Coleman stove. I have 5 sleeping bags for various situations and 2 tents, one for backpacking and one for car camping.
In my home, I have a kerosene heater and a gallon of kerosene for it. I don't store more fuel because it's really not that safe to keep in my apartment. I have 5 gallons of water in my apartment and 2 flats of bottled water in a cooler in my truck in addition to a 3 gallon container of water and a gallon of gas.
I do have a couple of tips for stocking up without breaking the bank.
Rice and Dried Beans. Yes, they take time and water to cook but a 1 lb bag of each will make a LOT of food for yourself and others.
Canned goods - keep an eye on Big Lots and other outlets. They often have some Progresso soups and cans of fruit much cheaper than in your local grocery store.
First aid - a box of bandaids is not a first aid kit. I have a very extensive first aid kit complete with suture material, but that isn't really necessary. Do have some triangular bandages or bandanas around to use for sprains, strains and bindings for a pressure bandage to slow/stop bleeding. Bandanas can be found for $1 apiece at Walmart sometimes or you can go to your local thrift store pick up some sheets and make your own.
Buy stuff that you (and your family) will actually eat. Buying a bucket of MREs is really expensive and I think you'll soon find they aren't very palatable. Don't make surviving a disaster harder than it needs to be. Kids especially will do better if you have a few cans of Chef Boyardee Ravioli around. It doesn't need to be heated, usually has a pull ring top and is easy to eat and digest.
Always have what my grandparents called 'staples' on hand. Nowadays people think of staples as milk and bread, but 10 pounds of flour, some yeast packets and a little sugar will make LOTS of bread. If you have electricity, you can just bake it in your oven at home, but if not, check around some camping stores and you can find pans and things that will work as ovens on a camp stove. I have an Outback Oven I bought years ago, but they're not cheap and I kind of blew mine up on a backpack trip last fall. Oops! (Actually, I think it'll still work but it needs a little first aid)
This year I decided to take my preparedness to the next level by taking CERT training through the Regional Transportation District in Denver. RTD offers the program to people who use the trains and buses on a regular basis. We're trained to be watchful and helpful as well as act as our own First Responders during a disaster. I finished Basic training this month and will begin Advanced training in March. In return for a two-year commitment to the program we each receive a backpack with gear similar to what you gave your audience. We also get an ID card to identify ourselves to Police and EMS in a situation.
I hope it's okay to post this here, but this is where you can find more information on CERT - Community Emergency Response Team.
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/
I hope this helps. Don't be scared, be prepared
(I just made that up just now, but I'd be surprised if someone else hasn't thought of it before me)
When will this air again? Meant to record for husband but didn't. He LOVES the show on NG.
Mike - did you find how to enter? On the slide show tips - on the slide showing the "create an emergency bag" - the last words of the caption says "enter here" - click on the link.
Hi
I am trying to find the contest where you are giving away the survival pack after seeing the show I can see I am noy prepaired
All the Best
Mike
There are two key words everyone should remember with preparedness. Those words are "confidence" and "balance."
Whatever you do, your prep measures should instill confidence in family members, and your efforts and expenditures should be reasonable and balanced with your lifestyle, family goals, and the realistic threats you face.
Too many info sources try to carry folks to unnecessary extremes. Ready.gov is too vague and limited (though a good place for the very beginner) and the outdoor survival stuff and advanced "prepper" lifestyle is at the other extreme.
One of the things we've done to help people choose a realistic preparedness plan for their family is to post numerous how-to articles at no cost on our articles page at http://www.disasterprep101.com/news.htm.
Of particular interest might be our two most popular pieces among emergency responders which are "Top Twelve Myths of Disaster Preparedness" and "The Secrets of Teaching Disaster Preparedness."
--- Continued from previous post --- See Homeland Security (Ready.gov): Get a Kit http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
Quote: "You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least 72 hours. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours or it might take days."
Homeland Security, FEMA and the American Red Cross have ALL been advocating home preparedness in more recent years, with programs like the ‘Be Ready’ campaign. They have openly suggested that households prepare from 3 days to 2 weeks AT THE MINIMUM. If they suggested anything further it would turn people off even considering emergency home preparation because they would be overwhelmed at the mere thought of preparation. Unfortunately, their message has been a relatively quiet one, so many folks may have missed it.
See American Red Cross/FEMA: Food and Water in an Emergency http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf (page 4)
Quote: "Even though it is unlikely that an emergency would cut off your food supply for two weeks, consider maintaining a supply that will last that long." --- continued in next post ---
For information on how to prepare for all kinds of emergencies go to www.EmergencyHomePreparation.org