8 Tips to Survive After a Disaster

By Ben from Ready Store

1. Stop. Think. Don’t Panic.

Natural or human-caused disasters can be unexpected and overwhelming. Because a focused mind is your most important asset, panic, stress, anger, and frustration will only make the situation worse. After a disaster occurs, observe your surroundings, assess immediate problems and danger; then make a plan to take care of the problem.

2. Render First-Aid if Necessary and Possible

When you assess the after effects of a disaster, make sure to stabilize the health of both you and anyone else who is in critical condition. If anyone is bleeding badly, do what you can to prevent blood loss. Make sure everyone is able to breathe and that nothing is obstructing their airway. It is very important to have everyone stay calm and to not go into shock. When building your first aid kit, make sure to have all of the essentials plus warm clothes or a wool blanket to retain heat.

3. Find a Safe Place

Depending on where you are when a disaster strikes, assess the location to see how safe it is. If the building is falling apart or close to any threats, move. It is important to make sure that everyone under your care is in decent condition to move. Once in a safer location, stop, think, observe and plan.

4. Signal for or Find Help

Depending on where you are located during a disaster, finding help may be easy or incredibly difficult. Don’t let that stop you. Find a whistle, flashlight, reflective mirrors or bright clothing to signal for help. If practical, start a fire to signal others. Make sure to be cautious when in an urban environment where there could be dangerous fumes or flammable items in the area.

5. Find Drinkable Water

Staying hydrated is very important to your survival since it’ll keep you alive. If you are hesitant about the water available, boil, filter or purify it to make the water drinkable. When preparing your 72-hour kit, make sure to have at least 3 gallons of clean water available or a water purifier or tablets. It is important to avoid dehydration while in the middle of a crisis.

6. Find Shelter

To survive after a disaster, it is important to find shelter that will block you from any outside elements. Stay out of the wind, rain, sun, cold and heat. Long exposure can drastically affect your overall health. In some cases, you may need to make yourself a temporary shelter. Use whatever you can find and again, assess any risk or danger nearby.

7. Have a Way to Start a Fire

Having a source of fire can help you stay emotionally and physically calm. A fire will help you stay warm, boil water and cook food. If possible, keep waterproof matches, a lighter and a magnesium fire starter in your 72-hour kit. Before starting any fire, assess your surroundings and decide whether or not it is safe to start a fire. At Ready Store, we want you to be smart and not scared when preparing for an emergency. Knowing basic survival skills will absolutely increase your likelihood of staying healthy while going through shock.

8. What tip would you give to other emergency preparedness folks?

8 years ago

Comments

Jim Daniel

8 years ago at 9:47 PM

Be prepared for day 3! The first two days, everyone else is as dazed as you might be. Stop and work out where you want to be BEFORE everyone starts moving. Know what resources you have and weigh carefully the option of staying where you are (if that's safe) or moving very quickly. Day 3 is when the Beer and much of the food really becomes a problem. The TV and Internet have been off long enough for people to realize there is a world out there and they are getting really hungry. If it's obvious that you have food, water, shelter, and other goods, you must disappear or be a huge target. MOST folks who survived day 1 will die starting on day 3.

Tiera Ville

8 years ago at 1:46 PM

Driving Fear Program Scam

7 years ago at 1:43 PM

where can i find the quiz "how long will you survive?"?

Mike Terrell

5 years ago at 4:28 AM

During an extended disater (man made or natural), the most dangerous time will occur, if the power is off for more than 3 days. Without power, you can not withdraw money from an ATM. You can not buy gasoline or diesel fuel for your car or generator. You can not buy groceries from the store or WalMart ( chances are, the looters have already hit all the stores and liquor stores). Your cell phones and computers won't work and emergency services won't know you need help and probably don't have the fuel to get to you. Water will not be flowing in your city or county water lines, without power to the pumps that push it to your house. Three day supplies should be you minimum emergency supply. In reality, you need to plan ahead and store enough supplies (including fuel for you vehicle) to be able to get you and your family out of the affected area or to a predetermined secondary location with food and water. After day 3, especially if you live close to high population areas, there is a greater chance of being confronted by a few or even a large group of hungry, desperate people, who will go to any length to take your shelter and supplies of emergency food and water to feed themselves and their family. They might even rape or torture a family member if you can't stop them or you are overwhelmed! You and your family are of no concern to a desperate person or group of desperate people! This brings up the question of should you arm yourself, or share your food with these people? Chances are, if they are desperate, they are probably armed with a weapon or weapons and at this point, there is no reasoning and no sharing. If you are armed, you at least have a chance to defend you and your family against these thugs! How many rounds of ammo should you have? In my oppinion, a carrying200 to 300 rounds for a pistol would be a starting point. If you also have a self-defense semi automatic rifle,200 to 500 rounds are a must. Your secondary shelter should have 1,000+ rounds of ammo for each weapon. That will be your last stand to protect yourself and your family! After 3 days of sheltering in place (your primary single family residence) cautiously travel to your predetermined secondary shelter at least 100 miles away, or outside of the effected area. It's not to late to prepare...create your plan, practice running through it and be safe! Mike!

Kim P.

3 years ago at 8:36 AM

Get to know your neighbors BEFORE a disaster strikes, they are a resource! It's easier to survive when neighbors work together for the community with pooling of resources like first-aid, water, food, debris removal, etc. Where I live is tornado alley and we've made it through the aftermath of a direct hit with neighbors helping neighbors - be there for each other! Helpful hint: If there's room, a storm cellar makes a smart place to keep a week's worth of non-perishable foods, bottled water and camping gear during storm season (keep it locked when not in use off season).