by Robert Heston

Created on: January 09, 2010   Last Updated: January 10, 2010

What would you do in case of a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or a break down of the nation's infrastructure?  Have you even spent much time thinking about it?  Are you fully prepared for an emergency, partially prepared, or not at all?

Emergencies can hit us in numerous ways.  It could be a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina, or the California earthquakes.  We'll never forget 911.  Or it could be a breakdown of the power grid causing certain parts of the country to go without electricity for a few days.  A common thread in preparing for any of these emergencies, is a need to become self reliant.  The Boy Scout saying, "be prepared" is appropriate here.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

 Anyone who is well outfitted for camping already has most of the gear needed for surviving an emergency, like those mentioned.  Naturally, if you can remain in your home, or apartment, you can have more amenities than if you need to evacuate.  Clothes and a personal hygiene kit are things that you already have.  Camp stoves, matches, cook ware, lanterns, or flash lights, non perishable foods, water, sleeping bags, or blankets, first aid kit and batteries should also be included in our gear. 

People on medicines should keep stocked up on them.  Having a radio is important.  A portable, wind up/battery powered, AM, FM, short wave, is recommended.  There are some fine water purifiers on the market that can be purchased for under forty bucks.  Keep your important papers together, and if you have to evacuate your home, take them. 

A "bank holiday", where all the banks close and don't release any money isn't as far fetched as it once sounded.  Having cash on hand for coping with an emergency is highly recommended.

So far so good, you've prepared yourself to cope with some fairly major emergencies while at home.  Now, let's suppose that you need to evacuate your home.  You certainly can't take it all with you, so you need to downsize.  In a nutshell pack as though you're going backpacking, instead of being able to drive right to your camp site.  In fact packing your gear in a backpack is a good idea.  You'll have to eliminate some clothes, some food, some water, etc., but you still want to have the necessities for survival.  If you're able to evacuate in a car or truck, you'll be able to take more than if you're on foot.  If

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