The Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared." If we have some money put aside that it isn't so scary to lose a job. Glenn Reynolds, aka Instapundit, writes about some Lessons for U.S. Preparedness From Haiti Relief Efforts: Analysis:
----------
Which brings us back to a theme Popular Mechanics has been driving home for years: self-reliance. If you're at the scene of a major disaster, it may be a long time before outside help arrives. But one person is sure to be there: you. And nobody cares more about helping you and your family in time of disaster than, well, you. So it makes sense for you to be prepared to take care of yourself—and look out for your neighbors—for some time afterward. That means having adequate stocks of food, water and basic tools on hand. (Experts say that Haitians should have had at least two weeks of food on hand, but of course many Haitians can't afford to keep such reserves. Americans, generally speaking, can.)
Here at Popular Mechanics, we've posted a number of special issues on disaster preparedness, with stories on the top first-aid kits you can buy, steps to save yourself when a natural disaster hits, stories about smart survival tactics that saved lives, hundreds of must-have survival gadgets and gear and a lot more. There's also lots of government help on such topics. (This L.A. Fire Department guide (pdf) on earthquake preparation is actually applicable to a lot of other potential disasters. And there's much more information available at Ready.gov.)
----------
You might check out some of the links so you can be prepared.
----------
Technorati tags: emergency, disaster
2 comments:
You don't even have to think in terms of the horrible circumstances in Haiti to see the value of having a stash of supplies. Snow storms, a car in the shop, even family illness can make this something that you want to dip into.
Great point.
My father worked at IBM for years. In the early 1980s he decided to join a startup. He felt fairly comfortable because he had paid off the house, had some money in the bank and we had some food storage.
By being prepared he was able to take a risk.
Post a Comment