Priority 1A--Defense and Security

Typically there is a lull or period of time, just before or just after, a major event comes to pass. The residents of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans had plenty of lead time and warning about Hurricane Katrina. After 9/11, the country seemed to stand still for a period of time before the gravity and tragedy of the attacks set in and people began to either panick or take action.

That lull, that small window of time, are critical to you--and you need to be prepared and able to take advantage of these moments. In the case of most disasters, there will be a chance to reach your home, but you need to act immediatly as events begin to unfold and while others are wasting crucial moments trying to comprehend the meaning of what they see.

Securing you family and your supplies is your first priority.

Get home and gather your family. Have a plan in place so everybody knows to meet at a designated location. your home or wherever else you designate as your "safe zone", to further assess the situation, gather and secure needed supplies, and to enact defensive measure to protect yourself, and your supplies, from physical threat or theft.

During the hurricane blackout we experienced in Ohio, it took about 48 hours before the true nature of people began to shine through. People began to get squirrley, and do things you would never expect. This power outage was widespread in our area, but there was not an threats to life for most people. Supplies like food, ice, gasoline, and generators were quickly snapped up from retailers that remained open dispite having no power--and soon, without normal deliveries, resources became scarce and unavailable.

That time, most people treated the blackouts as just a big campout/cookout, but even then you could see panick and desperation set in with some even though there was no real threat. In situation like this, you learn very quickly who your friends are, who are the givers/sharers, and who is just out to take from others. It was really a very facinating study in human behavior and the effects of stress on a small scale. I was shocked, truley shocked, by some of the behaviors I witnessed out of people I would normally consider strong indivduals and friends. At the same time, it was great to see the amount of sharing, distribution of food and other resources, and general caring shown by most people.

You need to have a place--secret, secure, and defended, where you store your supplies and other goods. This spot is your Alamo. Secure this area, and all of your resources at the first signs of a major event.

Now that you have your family gathered, and you have your place of storage filled and secure, it's time to look at your own personal security against violence and theft.

Gun lover or not, you should have some type of firearm.