Being A Girl Scout...

Nobody wants to be in a state where disaster happens yet we can’t seem to do anything to help ourselves because we didn’t expect to come upon such misfortunes. It’s not every day that we come upon a deluge, or a fire or earthquake, but as they say, it’s always better to be prepared than to find yourself helpless against the strike of calamity or accidents. Moreover, there’s no such thing as being too prepared if you’re talking about saving your life and that of your loved ones from disaster. That’s why you’ll have to arrange a disaster preparedness plan.

But preparing the plan can be overwhelming. How do you prepare for the unexpected? Here are a few suggestions you might want to consider.

Firstly, check out what you and your family basically need. When I say basic, I mean the “food-shelter-clothing” categorization. You don’t need to worry too much on the “shelter”, since you will surely be under safe roofs if there will ever be a need for you to evacuate. To be more organized, create a checklist. Then start organizing the necessities included in the checklist, and set aside a budget for it so that you can purchase these things.

For your food, select those which are canned or dehydrated—you will need those that won’t perish or expire soon, so check the expiration date and don’t pick those which would wither and rot. Don’t worry so much about the contents of the canned or processed goods; remember that you would only have to endure it for as long as you can’t drive to the nearest grocery store because of the flood or other calamity. Anyway, there are now a lot of processed foods that are still nutritious and healthy.

For the clothing, choose the light and comfortable clothes you have. Include blankets that are warm yet not so heavy. Seriously, you’d have to carry a lot of other heavy materials so you must take particular consideration on the weight of your load.

Don’t forget to prepare a container of water, a first aid kit, a rope, firewood, a box of match or lighter, flashlights with batteries and a few spares, an emergency knife and all other things that you think you would need in case of emergency. A Swiss knife is best for emergency so you might want to have one. Make sure that everything is the most necessary tools for survival.

Disasters can strike when you least expect it, so it would be much better if you can keep safe until the calamity subsides or until rescue comes. You can’t always count on luck to spare you from the blow. So always be prepared.

--- This relates to what had happen in Japan recently and what is happening in our world now.