If you think “prepping” is foolishness based on senseless fear-mongering, don’t bother reading any further.
The types of disasters or cataclysmic events that we may face depend on a number of factors:
- Where we live
- Where we travel
How well we survive such disasters depend on several other factors:
- How seriously we take these risks
- How responsible we are
- How physically fit and healthy we are
- How much we rely on others, such as our neighbors or our government
- How prepared we are
- How much we trust God
What types of disasters are most likely in Central Florida?
I’ll arbitrarily place these in levels of probability within a 10 year time frame:
70% to 100%
- Hurricane, Category 3 or less
- Damaging wind gusts or lightning strikes
- Power outage lasting up to 4 hours
- Flooding rains (in low lying areas)
30% to 79%
- Hurricane, Category 4
- Power outage lasting up to 24 hours
- Flooding rains (location dependent)
- Increase in crime, civil unrest or home invasions
- Short term food shortages (several days)
- Short term medicine shortages (a few days)
- Sewage and garbage disposal disrupted (a day or more )
Less than 30%
- Hurricane, Category 5
- Power outage lasting longer than 24 hours, i.e. a week, month or more
- Devastating lightning strike
- Sinkhole that affects your property
- Economic collapse of our nation
- Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) either solar or nuclear
- Chemical, nuclear, or biological attack, epidemic or pandemic
- Significant, widespread, and persistent civil unrest
- Long term food and water shortages (weeks or months)
- Long term medicine shortages (weeks or months)
- Sewage and garbage disposal disputed for weeks or months
Your probability placement of some of these events may differ from mine – this is just a start for your consideration.
This last category is the real nail-biter crunch time that few of us will be adequately prepared for. Of course if we travel to other parts of the country, a different set of risks will result: Blizzards, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires, land/mudslides, terror attacks, and more.
How well we survive any of these disasters depends primarily on how seriously we take these risks, how responsible we choose to be, and how physically and mentally capable we are. How much do we choose to or are required to rely on others: Our neighbors, our care givers, our government? In some scenarios, the government will not be available to help.
If we are both responsible and choose to take the potential of these risks seriously, we are more likely to take action NOW to prepare for what we believe to be the most likely disastrous events. We will do our research, make a plan, gradually acquire the necessary food and water supplies, bug out bags, self-defense provisions and survival procedures to ensure our greatest possible level of comfort during a very uncomfortable event.
A big variable is the level of calmness and rationality we can maintain during a major disaster. Getting scared and going nuts does not help. Preparation reduces the need for this sort of reaction. So does our trust in God – that He will keep us safe in His arms after all we can responsibly do ourselves.
Here is one source of preparation advice and motivation among many I have found helpful in preparing for SHTF scenarios.
To end with a high probably event, death from any number of causes is an “event-certain” in the lives of all of us, and within this 10-year time frame for many. How prepared are you?
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