Japan

Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with the people of Japan today as they deal with this disaster.

I would also like to remind everyone that, as we teach/preach on TBD/SURVIVAL that you owe it to yourself and your family to have some level of preparedness. We're not talking about the gearing up for the end of the Mayan Calendar of the Zombie (and, yes, I do joke about that), but simply to be able to get your family through a disaster and its aftermath.

At TBD/SURVIVAL we use a color code to refer to disasters of all stripe, based on their duration and impact. A GREEN level disaster is 1-14 days, say a tornado or a blizzard; a YELLOW level disaster is a 1-3 month event, say a moderate hurricane and its aftermath; a RED level disaster goes beyond 3 months and has profound societal and even worldwide implications.

We think in general people should prepare for a YELLOW level disaster -- that is, your family should be able to continue on its own without outside hep for 3 months. That means water, food, necessary medicine and medical supplies, power, heat, security, etc. to ride out a 3 month "social dislocation." At the every least, be ready for a GREEN level disaster.

A key element that we believe very strongly in is understanding your risk. This is no different than what we teach for self-defense on THE BEST DEFENSE...step one is having a realistic threat assessment of your situation, whether it is for personal defense or disaster preparedness. Do you live on a coast subject to hurricanes? Along a major fault line (hello Memphis and St. Louis!)? In a wildfire zone, along a railroad track where hazardous materials are transported, in a community near large-scale chemical plants, in harsh winter areas with frequent blizzards, in a flood plain, etc.? Is the nature of your risk such that you need to "bug in," that is, stay in your home for the duration of the emergency, or "bug out," evacuate to a safer location?

Preparedness is ultimately an extension of our personal protection philosophy...it only makes sense!


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