EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

We know that emergencies come in all sizes and shapes…from a bothersome power outage for an hour or so during a summer storm, to a 9.0 earthquake that rocks our world. As an emergency prepper, we look at worst case scenarios. This is why we advocate a supply stock for sheltering in place, ‘grab and go’ bags for leaving, a common contact person hundreds of miles away for all family members, etc. I’d like to discuss the worst case scenario in this blog, prompted by a trip I took last weekend to the west coast of Vancouver Island.

When an emergency moves from an inconvenience to desperation, the challenge becomes mental, physical and social.  Mentally, we can anticipate emergencies and make steps toward preparedness, so they don’t take us by surprise. (Hopefully this blog helps!) Physically and materially is perhaps the easies part — collecting and storing supplies to carry  us thru the disaster. Socially is different in one distinct way — it is out of our control. This difficult and unknown dimension is the unpredictability of those around us. It’s the mob mentality.  The irony is that being diligently and thoughtfully prepared for a long-onset emergency can be wiped out in hours, even minutes.  The masses who are unprepared will stop at nothing to get to our supplies, if they know we have them.  We could immediately be put in harm’s way. The worst case scenario is when anarchy reigns. No law and order. Indiscriminate acts of violence.

The plan to have in case a desperate situation erupts is to ‘bug out’. This means get out off the street, away from the neighborhood, out of town. Get away from population centers. Some supplies are ready to grab, and will be carried with us; some supplies are pre-positioned at this location. Don’t think this is one of those ‘prepper’ reality shows on TV. I have seen only a couple of those episodes, and they seem sensational. I think they are fueled by a huge and growing business in prepper structures and supplies. Everything from pre-fabbed bomb shelters to sealable earthquake-proof bed canopies to gourmet foods with decades of shelf life.  Many of these preppers have a veritable arsenal to keep others out – those who’ve not prepared and now have come to take. I question what that post-catastrophe existence would look like. Would I be willing to kill a trespasser? Or ten? Or a hundred? Doesn’t sound very sustainable. Or moral!

I would prefer to concentrate on a reasonable Plan, that incorporates some key elements.  A plan that takes forethought. At the top of the list is the location. It would have unique characteristics — a location that is isolated, reachable, sustainable, livable. Isolated as in away from the madding crowd. Reachable as it’s possible to get there asap when the emergency unfolds. Speed and routing is key, as others will be leaving also.  Reachable is that it must be pre-stocked with supplies, which is a good place to test the routing.  Sustainable because the supplies would provide only the ‘gap’ needed during the onset of the emergency, after which essential services would kick in to make the location sustain itself for how long is needed.  And livable, because this location wouldn’t be there just to endure these post-emergency days. If set up properly, it would actually be enjoyable. Life would not be easy, but it could be satisfying.

With the right location, everything else that might be necessary to live well through a disaster could fall into place. I have found such a place on Vancouver Island. It’s called Esperanza. Sorry  to keep you in suspense, but I will tell you about it in my next blog.