The term “prepper” is used to describe someone that takes steps to make sure they’re fully prepared for disaster and emergency situations. Preppers are prepared for many scenarios, including natural disasters and food shortages. If you’re interested in learning how to become a prepper, these steps will get you off to the right start.
Step One: Know What to Prepare For
Ideally, you’ll want to prepare for any disaster that may strike. However, the emergencies you’re at risk for will vary based on your location. If you live in a hurricane zone, you’ll want to prepare for flooding and have an evacuation plan in place. If you’re in an area that’s prone to earthquakes, that should be your main focus.
Step Two: Start Small
Investing in emergency supplies can be expensive, which is why it’s best to start out small. Begin by ensuring your household is ready for a 3-day emergency. From there, expand to preparing for a 7-day emergency, and then a 30-day emergency. Work to expand your supplies gradually.
Step Three: Prepare for Power Outages
Items like matches, candles, flashlights, and batteries can ensure that you have light when the power goes out. To be truly prepared, however, you’ll want to invest in a generator. A smaller generator can be used to charge phones and power smaller electronic devices, but a larger generator may be able to keep the power on for your entire home.
Step Four: Stockpile Food and Water
When stocking up on supplies, you’ll want to make sure you have a large supply of water and shelf-stable foods. Focus on long-lasting foods that will be safe to eat for a long time, even if you don’t have access to a refrigerator or a freezer. Canned foods are an excellent thing to have, as are freeze-dried foods.
Step Five: Have a List of Emergency Contacts
Who would you call in an emergency? You should put together a large list of emergency contacts that includes friends and family members as well as the numbers for the police and fire departments, hospitals, and other important contacts. Save email and phone numbers. Keep information stored in your phone and keep print them out on paper as well.
Step Six: Have Multiple Plans in Place
Being prepared is all about planning. If a disaster were to strike tomorrow, what would you and your family do? You should have numerous plans in place, including a plan for what you would do if you weren’t at home during a disaster.
Step Seven: Work to Develop More Skills
The fewer people you have to rely on in an emergency, the better. You should develop various skills so that you can become more self-sufficient. Work to grow your own vegetables and preserve foods. Make sure you know how to build a fire. Find out how to treat wounds. These kinds of skills can be invaluable in the case of an emergency. Developing skills like this is one of the most crucial things to master when learning how to become a prepper.