Debt Free

It’s a fact of life. There’ll be disasters on occasion, natural and otherwise. There are some simple things you can do to make sure that you’re prepared and when things return to normal, and they will, you’ve taken precautions to protect your house. 

Experts recommend that you’re prepared for at least three days without essential (it seems almost every modern convenience is essential these days) services. Make a kit and keep it with you. It may seem like overkill to drive around with it in your trunk all the time, but when something happens, you’ll be the one that’s got your act together.

There are few really simple things you can do that won’t cost you much, but can prevent more serious problems in the event of an emergency.

1 – Keep at least a ½ tank of gas in your vehicle at all times. In the event of a major natural disaster, storm, or terrorist attack, it may be a week or before most gas stations are back to pumping gas. In addition, during these events, freeways can become clogged and you may be stuck for a few hours before you can get onto a surface street, where you can make some progress. Ask all the poor folks that get stuck in snow storms if keeping some gas in the car is a good idea. If you know there is a storm coming, stop and get some gas before it’s too late.

2- Have at least 2 gallons of fresh water for every person in your family. Keep some of it in your vehicle too. You can survive for up to 30 days without food, but only a tenth of that without something to drink (not Jack Daniels or Stoli).

3- Have plenty of flashlights and batteries for them. You can’t imagine how much we depend upon electric light until you don’t have it for a few days. Every time you go into the bathroom and turn on the light, only to have nothing happen, you’ll know what I mean. Get the flashlights that use LEDs for the light source. They’re much easier on batteries and the LEDs last 20 times what a halogen or xenon bulb does.

4- Unless you’re made of money, unplug all your appliances. Newer appliances, like that Maytag Neptune you got your wife last Christmas, are microprocessor based. The circuit boards in those things are unbelievably expensive. It can cost many hundreds for the parts alone if a power surge comes along and fries the main control board. Unplug or turn off the breaker for your microwave, washer and dryer, stove/oven, stereo, computer, etc. You don’t want to buy a new plasma TV, even if the prices are dropping like Enron stock with Ken Lay in control.

These are just a couple of things that’ll make life a bit easier in the event of a speed bump in your parking lot. A little forward thinking now will save you a ton of problems later. PS Keep some cash around. Cash machines may not work.