Why be prepared?
Why bother being prepared?
Sure disasters happen, but not that often, and usually somewhere else. Plus, we have emergency services like police, firefighters, and EMS to help with small emergencies. In a big disaster, the state Emergency Management Agency, the National Guard, or FEMA will come to provide aid. There’s also Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) who will help out like the Red Cross. All of these groups are dedicated to helping people when disaster strikes.
So, why bother?
Because these groups can’t always get to you in time, and when they do arrive, they may not have enough supplies to help everyone. So you need to be prepared for the time between something bad happening and help arriving. Being prepared also means less stress on emergency services, which will let them help more people.
Being prepared doesn’t just help you and your family, it helps your community. Imagine a suspension bridge. Each cable helps to support the whole bridge, and if any one cable breaks, the bridge probably won’t collapse. Repair crews can go and fix that one cable, and the bridge will be fine. But, if too many cables break at once, repair crews won’t be able to fix them before the bridge collapses. Being prepared means you won’t be one of the cables that breaks, which will give the emergency services time to fix the others.
This also means if you’re concerned about your safety and survival, you need to make sure your neighbors and community are prepared. It means fewer people will look to you for help and supplies in an emergency, and the more people in your community will be able to help in an emergency. This means that if they’re in trouble you can help them, and if you’re in trouble, they can help you.
Want to learn what disaster readiness is and how to get started?