Note: This is the 29th day of National Preparedness Month. Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NatlPrep #BeReady or #PrepMonth hashtags
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This month, as part of NPM26, I’ll be rerunning some updated preparedness essays, along with some new ones.
#19,353
Over the summer - and most particularly the past 4 weeks - we've looked at a number of personal preparedness scenarios (see links below), covering topics such as earthquakes, severe weather, prolonged power outages, and even pandemics.
#NPM26: It's a 12 Volt Life
#NatlPrep: 75% of Americans At Risk Of Experiencing A Damaging Earthquake
We've also looked at a number of governmental concerns and/or reports; with an emphasis on this winter's El Niño, an increasingly stressed power grid, risks to the global food supply, and a plethora of other threats.
NERC Reliability Report: Large Computational Load Risks Due to Voltage Sensitivity
UK National Risk Register 2026 - Urges Citizen Preparedness
NERC Issues Level 3 Alert As Grid Faces `Unprecedented Challenges' Due to Surge In Large Power Consumers
While I can't tell you what untoward events may happen in the months ahead, or when or where they might occur, it is a pretty safe bet that some - potentially large - number of people will be affected by one or more local or regional disasters.
How they will cope with whatever comes will depend in large part on how well they've prepared.
While I'm a huge proponent of having a good first aid kit (or three), emergency power options, and a full pantry, I can think of no prep more valuable than having one or more `disaster or flu' buddies on whom you can rely in an emergency.
Simply put, a network of family, friends, and neighbors to whom you can turn for help in a emergency, who can turn to you for if they need it. My disaster buddy and I have saved each other's bacon more than once.
Most disasters boil down to unscheduled camping - for days, or sometimes weeks - in your home, in a community shelter, or possibly even in your backyard. So having the right gear - before an emergency arises - can make life far easier.
Every year I publish a long list of preparedness items that I've either bought for myself, or as gifts for other people. While I'll update that list for the holidays, you'll find my most recent list at The Gift of Preparedness 2025.
Since being sick with the flu, of COVID, during an emergency can seriously degrade your ability to cope, I've long recommended staying current with yearly vaccines (see #NatlPrep: Giving Your Preparedness Plan A Shot In The Arm).
Which is why later today I'll be getting both the fall flu and COVID shots from my local pharmacy. I'm also current with my tetanus shot, and pneumonia vaccines.
Long time readers know I love to tinker with solar panels and emergency power options, and I've put together some low cost systems for myself, and for a couple of friends (see Emergency Solar Power: Revisited).
For as little as $100, you can buy off-the-shelf plug-and-play components to keep phones charged, and a couple of LED lights powered. Double that, and you can have comms, fans, and an emergency shortwave radio.
My older (circa 2019) basic $200 kit
While solar generators are the preparedness rage, a system capable of running refrigerators, TVs, and other appliances for more than a few hours can run into the thousands of dollars. For me, that isn't an option.
In 2024 I described building a rudimentary LiFePo4 power station (see picture below), which packs a whopping 600 Watt/hour capacity. LiFePo4 batteries are lighter than lead/acid, are far less dangerous, and can be charged and discharged (fully) thousands of times.
I now have 3 of these battery systems, and 2 solar panels. They won't run my fridge or big-screen TV, but they will keep lights, radios, MP3 player, fans, DVD player, and other creature comforts going for weeks or even months.
And most importantly, there is enough redundancy built into these systems than if one (or even two) should fail, I'm not left in the dark. The old prepper's adage, that `one is none, and two is one' applies.
I've also got 60 gallons of water stored, water filters, a full pantry, a propane stove, and enough books (audio & physical), MP3 radio shows/podcasts, and DVDs to keep me from going stir crazy for months if need be.
While my investments have been small, they have already paid off, since I've been without power twice in the past 10 years - each time for several days - thanks to Hurricanes Irma (2017) and Helene & Milton (2024).
The road to preparedness needn't be terribly expensive, but it's a journey you need to start before the next crisis occurs.
So . . . if a disaster struck your region today, and the power went out, stores closed their doors, and water stopped flowing from your kitchen tap for the next 7 to 14 days . . . do you already have:
- A battery operated NWS Emergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials
- A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries
- Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration
- A way to provide light when the grid is down.
- A way to cook safely without electricity
- A way to purify or filter water
- A way to stay cool (fans) or warm when the power is out.
- A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working
- An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy, and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag
- Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need
- A way to entertain yourself, or your kids, during a prolonged blackout
is now.
