Step One - How to Make a Preparedness Plan that Works & Not Go Broke

Step One: Identifying the various crisis’s to prepare for. This will be different for each member of each household; however a general “meeting of the minds” should be possible once you complete this exercise.

Before we get started lets define Crisis and Preparedness

cri•sis
noun \ˈkrī-səs\
plural cri•ses\ˈkrī-ˌsēz\

–noun
1. a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.
2. a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change.
3. a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person's life.
4. Medicine/Medical .
a. the point in the course of a serious disease at which a decisive change occurs, leading either to recovery or to death.
b. the change itself.
5. the point in a play or story at which hostile elements are most tensely opposed to each other.

–adjective
6. of, referring to, or for use in dealing with a crisis.

crisic, adjective
post•cri•sis, adjective, noun, plural -ses.

Origin: Middle English, from Latin, from Greek krisis, literally, decision, from krinein to decide — more at certain
First Known Use: 15th century
1375–1425; late ME < L < Gk krísis decision, equiv. to kri- var. s. of krī́nein to decide, separate, judge + -sis -sis

—Synonyms

1. See emergency.

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.


pre•pared•ness
noun \pri-ˈper-əd-nəs also -ˈperd-nəs\

: the quality or state of being prepared; especially : a state of adequate preparation in case of war

Examples of PREPAREDNESS

1. The military is in a state of preparedness.

First Known Use of PREPAREDNESS
1590

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.

[prepār′ed-nes]

the state of being ready beforehand for a given event.

Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.


Now let us define Crisis in terms of Preparedness. Any crisis will have three common characteristics:

Category

• Bad Luck/Clumsiness: Laid off, illness, injury, accident, crime, house fire and the like
• Natural: Planetary/universe actions out of human control (solar flares, asteroids, earthquakes, volcanoes etc.) Extreme weather (hurricane, tornado, flood, ice storm, etc.); Epidemic (Hanta virus, Legionnaires Disease)
• Man-Made: Failure of man-made structures and/or ideologies (bridge/dam collapse, war, terrorism; economic and/or civil collapse)
• Metaphysical/Spiritual: Armageddon, Nostradamus, Mayan Calendar, Newton’s Bible Code and other like predictions and prophecies

Scope of Involvement

The number of people and size of area affected

3000+ people, injured dead or dying, in a high rise

vs.

3000+ people injured dead or dying, spread out over an urban area

are two completely different scenario even if caused by the same category crisis.

• Small: A few families or individuals to local to your city, town or county
• Medium: State to Regional
• Large: Several Regions to National
• X-Large: International to Global

Duration

The time from the point the crisis hits to the time one is getting back to a pre-crisis environment.

• Short: Hours to 7 days
• Medium: 7 days to 4 weeks
• Long: 1 month to 2 years
• X-Long: 2+ years

Ok now that we have defined what a crisis is in terms of preparedness, it is time to make a list and check it twice. To accomplish this and balance all those human tendencies this will take several steps. It’s well worth it though, I guarantee it.

First create your Possibility List: List and prioritize all the crisis you are concerned about, be it an irrational fear or something that science and education say you should be concerned about. These are all those “feelings”, those gut instincts and the like. Logic and science are not really taken into consideration here.

Note: Everyone should have the following four crises on their list, somewhere, even if you list nothing else:

• House fire: With you home and not home.
• Catastrophic Illness or Injury to you or a loved one.
• Crime: While you are home, to your home while you are out or to your person or loved one while out and about.
• Personal Economic Crisis: A loss of a job; long term disability ends, law suit, bad investments, etc.

Now create your Probability List: Do a little research on your Possibilities and rank them on this list based on the scientific and educated odds of these crisis occurring.

The following places can help you with this research:

• Check your local, county and state Crime statistics. Talk to your local Sheriff or Undersheriff.
• Consult with your local Fire Department on home hazards.
• Consult with your physician on your health risks.
• Consult with your local fire department for a home hazard hunt checklist.
• Review your budget and what your assets and liabilities are. Consult with an economic or personal finance advisor at your bank.
• Check out your employer’s financial stability. Standard & Poor’s, the Stock Exchanges and the like.
• Check your local, county and state Hazard or Emergency plans. For tips on how to find this see: Where to Find Your Community's & States Emergency Management Plans & Agencies http://www.scribd.com/doc/33720447/Where-to-Find-Your-Communitys-States-Emergency-Management-Plans-Agencies
• Check out any schools your family attends and employers for any preparedness plans they have and what they are.
• For most natural and man-made crisis information see: U.S. Risk Map Links http://www.scribd.com/doc/32553460/U-S-Risk-Map-Links

Thirdly create a Moderated Crisis List from your Possibility and Probability lists.

The only rule of thumb is: If you have a crisis that is say number 4 on your Possibility list, but is last or way lower on your Probability List, then it can be placed no higher than priority number 5 on your moderated Crisis List.

Once complete make a note of what the projected Scope and Duration are likely to be for each crisis on this list.

This is your final Moderated Crisis List that will be used to build your preparedness plan.

Worksheets can be found at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/33980232/Crisis-Possibility-Probability-Needs-Acquire-Lists-W-W-W-W-Calendar-Worksheets

Next week we prepare our Per Crisis Needs Lists …

Previous Prerequisites - How to Make a Preparedness Plan that Works & Not Go Broke http://nmurbanhomesteader.blogspot.com/2011/01/prerequisites-how-to-make-preparedness.html

TNT