Prepping Part One - A baby step

The task of prepping can be an intimidating action. It is too easy to say that, "Oh, it will never happen". Do you have insurance? This is a common form of preparing. Preparing for an accident or just in case. I know that this is a lame example and it is often overused, but it is true.

 My sister and brother-in-law have started to think about preparing. What would I tell them to do? They have two small boys and a pet dog. So basically, five people in the house to be taken care of in case of an emergency.

The first thing that I would recommend is to have an evacuation plan in place. Talk about the steps that would be taken if either parent is at work and the kids are at daycare? What would they do? Who goes and gets the kids? What if the cell phones aren't working? A SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure ) needs to be discussed. Such basics need to be covered:

• Documents should be together with all relevant information. Passports, IDs, Insurance Papers, Account Information, Cash , UBS Thumbdrive with electronic info etc...
• Discuss if each member is at a different place and how the family regroups. Rally point(s).
• Low Tech Communication if cell phones don't work. We use our refrigerator as our message board.
• A quick list of what needs to be taken. Plan ahead with a BOB ( bug out bag ) or be able to get everything in 5 minutes or less. Make a list.
• Where are you going? Plan A and a Plan B, even a Plan C would be better. Does anyone need to know where you will be going?
• Make sure that a vehicle is reliable with a reserve gas stash to make the trip without being dependent on gas stations. 
• Talk about security. If things get bad, the unprepared will want your stuff.
• Water and/or food to get you to your location.

Communication would be my first suggestion.