What Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, & The Pandemic Should Have Taught People but Didn't

Get the Edge on Preparedness with These Tips

This was the scene at my local Sam’s Club here in Tampa, Florida on Saturday afternoon, September 24, 2022.

Empty shelves where bottled water once stood. The Sam’s Club was mobbed with people grasping for whatever bottled water, toilet paper, & paper goods they could find.

“Floridians are bracing for Tropical Storm Ian, which is expected to rapidly intensify and become a hurricane Sunday before hitting western Cuba, bringing with it the threats of strong winds and storm surge as high as 9 to 14 feet, according to the national Hurricane Center.”

The panic buying of bottled water, bread, milk, & other household goods surrounding these events still astonishes me especially after what has taken place around the world in the past two never mind ten years. Did these people, especially Floridians, not learn anything from the harsh lessons of lockdowns & wave after wave of CAT-2 through CAT-5 hurricanes that have passed through the state over the years? Granted, many people have moved to the state over the past several years & things have been relatively calm weather-wise but still…everyone in the world experienced what happened during the pandemic lockdowns.

Photo Credit: Nine News Media

In addition, if you have been paying attention to anything in the news lately, I’m sure you are at least remotely aware of the energy crisis & food shortages that are beginning to impact Europe & South Africa. Not to mention the 9-10% year-over-year cost of food increases we have been experiencing.

What is anyone’s excuse for being unprepared? It costs too much? Inflation is not going to get better any time soon. Even if you purchased an extra can or two of food & a water filter each shopping trip, you can start building a pantry that will get you through the storm. Whether the storm comes from natural causes or government chaos, you won’t have to be the one partaking in civil unrest battling over the last roll of toilet paper IF you prepare for what is to come.

How to get Started? Take a 3-way Approach:

1. Create an Emergency Bug-out Bag - have it on standby in case you need to evacuate your current surroundings. There are different levels of bug-out bags as well.

   • To Travel by Car or Airplane - have a few sets of clothes, hygiene items, cash, & travel documents ready to go in a suitcase to get from point A to B relatively unincumbered. Store scanned or photographed important documents & contacts on a thumb drive in case something happens to your residence while you are gone. I keep two sets of toiletries in travel bottles. One is permanently in my suitcase, the other is in my shower. Not only am I saving space in my shower by using travel bottles, I can just swipe them up & put them in another bag quickly if I’m not taking my suitcase. Roll-up Toiletry Bag

     

   • To Keep in Your Car for Road Emergencies - include an emergency blanket, flares, first-aid kit, food bars or packets that won’t melt, water in a BPA-free container, pre-charged &/or solar charged USB charger for cell phones with built in flashlight. Solar Power Bank

     

   • A Backpack to Bug-out with On-Foot - get a backpack with a waist strap to fill with items such as a multi-tool, emergency blanket, first-aid kit, foldable saw, small axe, miniature camping stove, waterproof matches, lighters, Ferrocerium fire starter or ferro rod, compass, local map, flashlight, poncho which may be used as a tent, poncho liner which may be used as a blanket, MRE’s or other freeze-dried food rations or bars, Wet Wipes, Vaseline, paracord, monocular, tent stakes, foldable shovel, & more. Make sure it doesn’t get too heavy though! The average recommendation for a long hike rucksack:

     • “A loaded backpacking pack should not weigh more than about 20 percent of your body weight. (If you weigh 150 pounds, your pack should not exceed 30 pounds for backpacking.)” Source: REI & YouTube

   There are plenty of YouTube videos by camping & military experts that I’ve watched over the past several months. I recommend the Canadian Prepper & The Gray Bearded Green Beret for some great tips on a practical bug-out bags. Tactical Backpack recommended by Canadian Prepper.

   

2. Build a Rotating Pantry - take an inventory of the foods you consume on a daily & weekly basis. Each shopping trip you make or grocery delivery you receive, add what you are willing/able to spend to build up your inventory. You can decide how much of a working pantry you want based upon your fiscal means & storage space. My working pantry goal is 1-year. Here is a good article written by Stephanie in more detail on getting started with a working pantry - Pantry Tips .

3. Build a Long-Term Food Storage Solution - invest in some long-term foods for storage like beans, rice, oats, sugar, flour, pasta, quinoa, powdered milk, powdered butter, pancake mix, lentils, mashed potato flakes, & spices. Some grow their own food & livestock & get into jarring & canning. You may want to start a garden to help facilitate this process. My local Costco had a special deal on a FoodSaver system last month which I started using a few weeks ago. That thing is amazing!

Photo Credit: Stephanie

Water Supplies:

• If Staying Home - you can buy a water filter pitcher such as the Zero Water & stock up on filters &/or buy a gallon or two each time you go shopping. YouTuber, Alaska Prepper, had a great video reviewing the Zero Water pitcher & it comes with a water particulate tester. It was so impressive I bought one & verified it myself. In addition, I just purchased this WaterBob which is a sterile bag that lines your tub to give you up to 100 gallons of water for you to use for drinking, bathing, flushing your toilet, etc.

• If on Foot - you can get a Life Straw water bottle/straw or mini filtration system like the Sawyer Mini to filter water in the wild. As a compliment you could always use water purification tablets. Have a stainless steel water bottle or mug handy to boil the water/cook your food in.

Other things to think about are emergency supplies of medications (ask permission from your doctor to get an extra supply), supplements such as multivitamins, & protein powders.

My favorite prepper YouTube channels are The Alaska Prepper, Poplar Preparedness, & the Epic Economist. They not only cover preparedness tips but also they incorporate the latest news & updates when it comes to food shortages both locally & around the world.

Although these ideas aren’t a comprehensive list by any means, if it gets my fellow Warriors to take action for a better future, I am happy to share my research that I’ve conducted over the past six months or so on my preparedness journey. My Warrior pantry isn’t complete, but I’m certainly way farther than I was. Preparing in advance has already saved me from battling it out with others for bottled water before a tropical storm. It’s a good feeling! Join me so you don’t have to stand in line when the SHTF. You may want to stock up on ammo/self & home defense items too, but I’ll save that for another Substack. Until next time, Ever Forward!