Step Ten: Key Assessment Questions for Survival - How to Make a Preparedness Plan that Works

Step Ten: Key Assessment Questions for Survival

"The will to win is not nearly as important
as the will to prepare to win.”
Edward W. Smith

The faster you can assess the status of these questions, the faster you act and do; the less whacks you take to your survivability quotient and the less time it will take you to round up your household and/or get to a crisis retreat.

Time is of the essence!

There are about three (layman) emotional phases we humans go through when confronted with a crisis:

Shock – The deer caught in the headlights. We are immobile and not responding to what is around us.

Denial – We have spent so much time convincing ourselves that this can’t or won’t happen; that when it actually does we don’t accept it. Our illogical brain says this can’t be real while our logical brain tells us it is. The end result is that we still have not done anything to help ourselves (we are our own worst enemy) even though we are conscious of what is going on around us.

Action – We accept what has happened and start to take steps to get us out of it and protect ourselves.

The goal is to get to the Action Phase in two minutes or less.

Copy & shrink this down and put on the back of your Emergency Contact Card for your wallet or purse, place a copy in the glove box of your vehicles, have a copy of this in each go-bag and keep one in your Documentation Book/Binder to jog your memory in a Crisis.

My Crisis Drill starts with pulling the closest copy of this checklist out. This way in a crisis I only have to remember to do one thing and it then sets me off on doing the others in the shortest time possible.

These are not prioritized, as that can vary on the crisis at hand. Most can be addressed concurrently. The bottom line is to answer and act on these questions as quickly as possible.

Immediately after a Crisis Occurs Quickly Determine the Following:

Food – Where and when can I get nourishment and how soon do I need it?
Water – Where and when can I get drinkable water and how soon do I need it?
Shelter/Clothing - Am I protected from the elements?
Illness or Injury needs – Am I or anyone else injured?
Safety/Defense/Security – Am I in danger and if yes, from what?
Where is everyone and where am I?
Bug-out or Stay Put (mobile or static). Do I stay here and wait for help or do I set out towards my retreat?
Basic Tools to achieve & maintain the above necessities to life. (Leatherman and Swiss Army knives or other multi-functional tools and the like)

Emergency Contact Card-ECCard http://www.scribd.com/doc/34036777/Emergency-Contact-Card-ECCard-Red-Cross-Org
When Do You Bug-Out or Stay Put? http://www.scribd.com/doc/31422226/When-Do-You-Bug-out-or-Stay-Put

Next week we will discuss Mobility Issues …

Pray for Japan and Prep On ;-}

TNT