Gaye Levy, Contributing Writer

Activist Post

Back in January I did a walk-around-the-house inventory to assess the state of my preparedness. On that day, I officially became a prepper.

A lot has happened since then, all of it mostly good. Today, as I walk around my little cottage homestead, I find a 55-gallon water barrel, I find Berkey filters and I find 4 cases of bottled water. I have 25 pounds each of various types of legumes, twice that in rice, and multiple cases of canned goods. I have a robust first aid kit, a bug out bag, and a go bag. And I have a shotgun to defend myself. The pièce de résistance? A 10KW whole house generator.

Yes, it has been a good year so far. But I am not done. Nope, not even close. During today’s walk I envisioned my day in the worst of all circumstances: a disaster has occurred, the fuel line to my generator has failed, and there is no running water or sewer service. Holy moly. That would be bad.

And so I plan to keep prepping and to continue to expand my knowledge of all things preparedness. To help get to this next stage, I found this great Preparedness Test buried in an LDS Preparedness Manual which is a 100% free download thanks to the site abysmal.com. Want to give the test it a try? Let’s get started.

THE PREPAREDNESS TEST

1. Has your family rehearsed fire escape routes from your home?

2. Does your family know what to do before, during, and after an earthquake or other emergency situation?

3. Do you have heavy objects hanging over beds that can fall during an earthquake?

4. Do you have access to an operational flashlight in every occupied bedroom? (use of candles is not recommended unless you are sure there is no leaking gas)

5. Do you keep shoes near your bed to protect your feet against broken glass?

6. If a water line was ruptured during an earthquake, do you know how to shut off the main water line to your house?

7. Can this water valve be turned off by hand without the use of a tool? Do you have a tool if one is needed?

8. Do you know where the main gas shut-off valve to your house is located?

9. If you smell gas, do you know how and would you be able to shut off this valve?

10. Gas valves usually cannot be turned off by hand. Is there a tool near your valve?

11. Would you be able to safely restart your furnace when gas is safely available?

12. Do you have working smoke alarms in the proper places to warn you of fire?

13. In case of a minor fire, do you have a fire extinguisher that you know how to use?

14. Do you have duplicate keys and copies of important insurance and other papers stored outside your home?

15. Do you have a functional emergency radio to receive emergency information?

16. If your family had to evacuate your home, have you identified a meeting place?

IF AN EMERGENCY LASTED FOR THREE DAYS ( 72 HOURS) BEFORE HELP WAS AVAILABLE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY:

17. Would you have sufficient food?

18. Would you have the means to cook food without gas and electricity?

19. Would you have sufficient water for drinking, cooking, and sanitary needs?

20. Do you have access to a 72-hour evacuation kit?

21. Would you be able to carry or transport these kits?

22. Have you established an out-of-state contact?

23. Do you have a first aid kit in your home and in each car?

24. Do you have work gloves and some tools for minor rescue and clean up?

25. Do you have emergency cash on hand? (During emergencies banks and ATMs are closed)

26. Without electricity and gas do you have a way to heat at least part of your house?

27. If you need medications, do you have a month’s supply on hand?

28. Do you have a plan for toilet facilities if there is an extended water shortage?

29. Do you have a supply of food, clothing, and fuel where appropriate: For 6 months? For a year?

So how did you do? If you are like me, you have a new checklist of things to do to continue your preps, for this is a work in process and will undoubtedly never end. Our fragile planet, the global financial mess and the threat of man-made, terrorist activities are here to stay for a long, long time.

I hope that the worst will not happen. But just in case it does, I am going to be darn sure that I am prepared!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation! Gaye Levy, the SurvivalWoman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable, self-reliant and stylish lifestyle through emergency preparation and disaster planning through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. SurvivalWoman speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of mayhem swirling around us.